SAN DIEGO -- Didn’t matter how. The Padres just needed to find a way.
They trailed two games to none, facing elimination on Tuesday night in this instant classic of a National League Division Series. They didn’t have their lockdown closer at the back end of their bullpen. They found themselves on the ropes again and again and again in a Game 3 that went back and forth deep into the San Diego night.
And when the dust had settled -- when the 45,000 who had packed Petco Park long before first pitch could finally, mercifully exhale -- the Padres had done exactly that.
Somehow, they had found a way.
Padres ace Michael King -- two days after he’d pitched five innings in Game 2 -- nailed down the last six outs of San Diego’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Milwaukee at Petco Park. The Brewers lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 here set for Wednesday. And if the first three games are any indication, expect plenty of drama.
“I told [manager Craig] Stammen on Sunday that I was going to be available Game 3 and 4,” King said in a postgame TV interview. “I didn’t know it was going to be a closer role because of Mason [Miller] having a baby. I wanted to give any inning I possibly could and happy to get this one.”
All three have been decided by a single run, the first time a postseason series has begun with three one-run games since the 2021 NLCS between the Dodgers and Braves.
About an hour before first pitch on Tuesday, Miller landed on the paternity list. His wife had gone into labor earlier that afternoon. The Padres needed to stave off elimination without their closer.
Jake Cronenworth put San Diego in front with a solo home run -- left-on-left against JoJo Romero -- in the fifth inning. The Padres added another run, and the Brewers got one back. Bradgley Rodriguez closed out a nervy seventh with a one-run lead.
From there, the Padres turned to King. Pitching in relief for the first time all season, King covered the final six outs. And the Padres survived.
“He was awesome,” Cronenworth said in a postgame TV interview. “Just pounding the zone is what Mike always does. That’s who he is. He’s a bulldog out there. Incredible job by the whole bullpen, especially with Mason gone. … They picked us up, big time.”