By BERNIE WILSON and PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writers
SAN DIEGO — Michael King made his postseason debut for the New York Yankees in the AL playoff bubble during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at eerily empty Petco Park, where the only “fans” were a few thousand cardboard cutouts.
He pitched two innings in a loss in Game 3 in an American League Division Series that Tampa Bay won in five games.
The right-hander will get the full playoff blast on Tuesday night when he starts for the Padres at sold-out Petco Park in the opener of a best-of-three Wild Card Series against Atlanta. The Braves clinched a berth by winning the second game of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday.
“I can’t wait to see this place in the playoffs,” King said. “Obviously, I did see it in the playoffs, but nobody was in the crowd and nobody wanted either the Yankees or the Rays to win. But the fans here are absolutely nuts and I am very excited to see what we can bring.”
The Padres drew a club-record 3,314,593 fans to the downtown ballpark this season, with 56 sellouts in 80 games (they gave up a home game to play a two-game opening series in Seoul, South Korea, against the Dodgers).
King (13-9, 2.95 ERA) came over in the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees on Dec. 7. He is one of several new players who have helped give the Padres a different vibe than the 2023 squad, which had baseball’s third-highest Opening Day payroll yet responded with the most disappointing season in club history.
The Padres are back in the playoffs for the first time since their stirring run to the NL Championship Series in 2022, which included eliminating the 111-win rival Dodgers in the NLDS on a rainy Saturday night, when the downtown ballpark practically shook.
“I’ve heard about that 2022 run and what they did, and I think that that’s incredibly uncomfortable for an opposing team to come into,” King said. “It’s a lot to come in to that atmosphere. And knowing that they’re going to be even louder and probably even more somehow, it’s going to be a very tough time for our opponent and something that we’re going to have to feed off of.
“I can’t wait to turn up my PitchCom and make sure I can hear everything. But it’ll be a very fun time tomorrow.”
Mike Shildt, in his first year managing the Padres, said Joe Musgrove will start Wednesday night and Dylan Cease will start if a Game 3 is needed Thursday night. Yu Darvish will be on the playoff roster but work out of the bullpen.
Shildt replaced Bob Melvin, who reportedly clashed with General Manager A.J. Preller and left for NL West rival San Francisco last October.
The Padres have come on strong since the All-Star break to clinch their third playoff berth since 2020.
Slugger Manny Machado has bounced back from a slow start following offseason elbow surgery. Fernando Tatis Jr. and his swagger returned after a two-month injury layoff. Center fielder Jackson Merrill is making a strong push for NL Rookie of the Year. Luis Arraez, acquired from Miami in early May, hit .314 to become the first player since the 1800s to win three batting titles with three different teams.
Preller added to the rotation and bullpen at the trade deadline.
“Honestly, it’s just a great group of guys,” Machado said. “We’re just united, we’re all pulling for each other. It’s one big family in there.”
BRAVES BACK AFTER SEASON OF ADVERSITY
After a season that didn’t go nearly as planned, the Atlanta Braves find themselves back in a familiar spot.
The postseason.
The Braves overcame an interminable string of injuries – including the loss of their MVP outfielder and ace pitcher – and an excruciating final day to lock up their seventh straight playoff appearance with a 3-0 win over the New York Mets in the second game of a makeup doubleheader on Monday.
Atlanta now faces a quick turnaround as it heads across the country to take on the Padres.
“It feels really good and really satisfying,” longtime manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m just so proud of the whole group.”
While Atlanta’s streak of six consecutive NL East titles was snapped by the Philadelphia Phillies, there were no complaints after all the team went through.
Spencer Strider, coming off a 20-win season in which he set a franchise record with 281 strikeouts, made only two starts before his season ended because of an elbow injury.
Ronald Acuña Jr., the unanimous NL MVP in 2023 when he became the first player in baseball history with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases, went down in late May with the second season-ending knee injury of his career.
Acuña and Strider were the biggest losses, but only part of a revolving door to the injured list that hampered the Braves all year.
Slugging third baseman Austin Riley sustained a broken hand in mid-August and has been ruled out for the playoffs. Key reliever A.J. Minter is also done for the year after undergoing hip surgery. Second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris Jr. have returned after missing significant time.
At one point late in the season, the Braves were going with a regular lineup that included three players – Gio Urshela, Ramón Laureano and Whit Merrifield – who landed in Atlanta after being cut by other clubs. Marcell Ozuna was the only hitter the Braves could count on all season, turning in another big year with 39 homers and 104 RBIs.
Through it all, the Braves persevered.
“Obviously I want to be out there, but I’m just super, super proud,” Riley said. “Just the willingness to keep going and not give up. We’ve had a ton of injuries, but anything can happen in the postseason. We’ve got our foot in the door and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Braves went into the final week of the regular season trailing the Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks by two games for the final two wild-card spots. They went to the final game in a must-win situation after losing to the Mets, 8-7, in the opener of the twin bill, surrendering leads of 3-0 in the eighth inning and 7-6 in the ninth.
Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud credited the clubhouse culture.
“We’ve always had each other’s backs,” he said. “When we were going through our lull in the middle of the year, we all had each other’s backs, and that has made us stronger today. We never give up and we believe we can win any game.”
The Braves never looked for excuses, even as all the injuries piled up.
“We lost last year’s MVP. That was a gut punch. But nobody felt sorry for us,” d’Arnaud said. “They all want to get to the playoffs and when our big guys went down, I’m sure they all felt a little better about our chances of not making it. … We knew we had to keep going and now fate is in our hands.”
After relying on an offense that tied a big league record with 307 homers in 2023, the Braves turned to a familiar strength – pitching – to carry them back to the playoffs.
In a twist on the injury theme, Chris Sale was acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox and turned in his first largely healthy season since 2018 – though a back issue has raised questions about his postseason availability.
The 35-year-old left-hander reclaimed his status as one of the game’s top pitchers, going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA to stamp himself as the NL favorite for the first Cy Young Award of his career.
Reynaldo López was another revelation. Signed as a free agent, he returned to a starting role after several seasons in the bullpen, going 8-5 with a sparkling 1.99 ERA.
“I just couldn’t have expected this type of season,” López said through an interpreter. “It’s been tremendous.”
Sale and López teamed with holdovers Max Fried and Charlie Morton and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach to give Atlanta one of baseball’s top rotations.
The bullpen was stout, too, led by closer Raisel Iglesias.
Now, after two straight one-and-done playoff appearances with much stronger rosters, the Braves are hoping to duplicate their improbable run to a World Series championship in 2021.
That team won it all after losing Acuña and patching together an entirely new outfield at the trade deadline.
“All we really care about,” Lopez said, “is getting a ring on our finger at the end of the day.”