After a disappointing 2023 season, the San Diego Padres cut over $90 million in payroll and traded superstar Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. Against the odds, the 2024 squad won 93 games, the most in franchise history since the 1998 National League Pennant-winning team (98).

Baseball creates beautiful narratives. Who knew two players in the Soto deal—that many thought would send the Padres into a rebuild—would facilitate a game one Wild Card victory?

Michael King, a central piece from New York, got the nod from skipper Mike Shildt to start game one of the Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. 

After pitching to a brilliant 2.95 ERA in his first season as a full-time starting pitcher, King continued his success into October and led San Diego to a 4-0 victory. Over seven scoreless innings, the right-hander punched out 12 Braves and became the first Padres starting pitcher to punch out at least ten in the postseason since Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock in 1998.

“It’s just another opportunity to go out there and prove ourselves as Padres,” King said of his selection to start game one. “With this staff and how we’ve performed all year, it definitely feels like an honor. I know that we have a bunch of guys who are gonna dominate right behind me.”

12 👑 pic.twitter.com/PzGOD46Bex

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2024

The banged-up Atlanta roster left Chris Sale, the Triple Crown winner, off the Wild Card roster due to back spasms. Instead, AJ Smith-Shawver—who has pitched just 4.1 frames in 2024—will make the biggest start of his career for manager Brian Snitker.

“We don’t have a lot of information on him,” Shildt said when he learned of Atlanta’s starter. “But we’ve done our work on figuring out what he does … I’m confident our guys are gonna be ready.”

The Padres were ready, and with over 44,000 San Diegans in Smith-Shawver’s ear, the 21-year-old only lasted 1.1 frames and allowed three earned runs.

Four years ago today, Fernando Tatis Jr. capped his two-homer day in game two of the 2020 NL Wild Card series against St. Louis with an iconic bat flip. Tonight, the slugger brought the fireworks back in the home half of the first inning.

Tatis Jr.—playing a postseason game in front of fans for the first time in his career—launched a 415-foot homer to left on the first pitch he saw; the 113-MPH shot scored Luis Arráez and gave San Diego a 2-0 lead. 

“Just my entire career, I feel that I had been preparing for that [2020 postseason] moment,” Tatis Jr. said pregame. “Nothing different to do now. Just show up and play baseball the same way you have played all your life.”

FERNANDO TATIS JR. HITS THE FIRST HOME RUN OF THE 2024 #POSTSEASON 🚀 pic.twitter.com/XFqQ06zWTT

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2024

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 39 degree launch angle on that homer is his highest ever on a home run.

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) October 2, 2024

The Friars added one more in the second via a Kyle Higashioka sacrifice fly. However, the Braves bullpen held San Diego to five consecutive hitless frames before the Padres added insurance in their last opportunity; in the bottom of the eighth, Higashioka—King’s battery mate and another piece of the Soto deal—crushed a hanging curveball for a solo shot to left and gave San Diego a 4-0 lead.

Robert Suarez closed the door in the ninth as Manny Machado ended the game by throwing out Travis d’Arnaud from deep third in shallow left field. On the day, the Padres’ 15 punch outs retired 56% of Braves hitters by way of the K.

Manny Machado makes the absolute most difficult plays look effortless pic.twitter.com/hyeu6WEMwL

— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) October 2, 2024

King, undoubtedly the player of the game, spoke about his outing with Padres radio host Sam Levitt post-game.

“Higgy had a great game plan,” he said. “I was just executing pitches. I felt that I had fastball command away, and I was able to expand off that.”

San Diego will go for the series sweep tomorrow (10/2) with Joe Musgrove on the hill against southpaw Max Fried. 

Max Schwartzberg

A San Diegan born and raised, Max Schwartzberg is a diehard Padres fan who created and hosts the YouTube channel Padres Previews, a hub where he passionately delivers Padres news, updates, reactions, and hype videos. At Northeastern, Max broadcasts and writes for baseball, basketball, and hockey. Max dreams of following in the steps of Padres broadcaster and Northeastern alumnus Don Orsillo to become a Major League Baseball announcer.