The 2026 San Diego Padres live to see another day, thanks to Michael King.
Just before the start of Game 3, it was revealed that All-Star closer Mason Miller was going on the paternity list and would be unavailable. Even though he was walked off in Game 2, there's no one else the Padres would want on the mound in a save situation. Adrian Morejon was also dealing with some shoulder discomfort. Hanging on to a one-run lead without their two best relievers, the Padres gave the ball to their ace, King.
King pitched the eighth and ninth innings after starting on Sunday. He got the six-out save and made history along the way.
According to OptaSTATS, he is the first pitcher to start a postseason game and record a six-plus-out save within the next two days ever since saves became official in 1969.
Starters coming out of the bullpen on short rest can always be an adventure, and King did not get the save without making things interesting. He got two quick outs and gave up a single in the eighth inning, bringing Jackson Chourio to the plate.
He got the Brewers' best hitter to ground out, but still had to get three more outs. He struck out Jake Bauers before walking William Contreras and Brice Turang. He had two on with one out when Christian Yelich, who had already notched two hits and a walk, came up to the plate. Yelich hit a ball hard, at 107.1 mph, but grounded into a double play.
King has plenty of experience out of the bullpen thanks to his time with the New York Yankees. That experience came in handy on Tuesday night. The Padres will have to win Game 4 if they want to keep playing baseball, and postseason riser Walker Buehler is slated to start.