SAN DIEGO -- It’s starting to feel and sound a lot like the postseason at Petco Park.
You could hear it when Fernando Tatis Jr. clobbered a game-tying home run to center field in the fourth inning against the Marlins on Saturday night, swaggering around the bases to a chorus of raucous cheers from a packed house.
You could hear it when Ethan Salas laced a single into center field to score Jake Cronenworth in a 7-6 walk-off win in 10 innings, the 20-year-old practically launching the crowd to its feet as he was mobbed by his teammates, becoming the youngest player with a walk-off hit since his teammate, Manny Machado, on Sept. 13, 2012.
“It’s different, man,” said Salas, the Padres’ top prospect per MLB Pipeline, who was called up for the first time at the start of the month. “You got 50,000 going ballistic for you and the boys ready for you if everything works out. It definitely felt awesome … a lot different than the Minor Leagues.”
The way the Padres have played lately, they are closing in on guaranteeing more nights like this are to come in October.
They can practically taste it.
With their 12th win in their last 13 games, the Padres jumped the Phillies, who lost to the Mets earlier in the evening, to claim sole possession of the second National League Wild Card spot. They now have the same record as the Cubs, though Chicago owns the head-to-head tiebreaker and technically remains in the No. 1 position. The Phillies, who are now a game behind the Padres, also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over San Diego.
With the trailing Diamondbacks’ walk-off win over the Yankees, the soonest the Padres can clinch is Tuesday.
It certainly wasn’t an easy route to victory, with the Padres overcoming an early four-run deficit on Tatis’ homer before taking the lead on a Ty France RBI double in the sixth. Randy Vásquez, Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejon combined to hold Miami scoreless after a rough start for Casey Mize before ace closer Mason Miller allowed a game-tying, pinch-hit solo homer to Griffin Conine in the ninth, attempting a five-out save.
David Morgan slammed to the door in the 10th to keep it tied and strand the automatic runner at second. That set the stage for Salas -- who has already had an eventful week after clubbing his first two homers in Denver on Wednesday and tripling for his first Major League hit last Sunday in San Francisco -- to send everyone into pandemonium.
“Good at-bat for him, fouled off a pitch, line drive right up the middle,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “That’s what that kid can do, that’s why he is who he is, for those big moments. He came through big for us today.”
It made the atmosphere all the more playoff-like.
“It felt like a playoff game for us today,” Miller said. “And the way we played, bullpen in the game early and being able to pick Casey up after a rough one, that speaks to the depth we have. We had seven pitchers go today. Just a complete team effort, from top to bottom. Guys picking each other up. Not necessarily having your best outing -- some of us -- but it speaks to the group we have and the team and what we’re working toward as a whole. At the end of the day, finishing with a win, that’s all that matters.”
The last time the Padres faced these Marlins, they went into Miami on July 24 three games under .500 and four games out of the playoff picture with five other teams -- including the Marlins -- ahead of them in the race. They were reeling after a series loss in Atlanta and there was a genuine argument for general manager A.J. Preller to sell at the Trade Deadline.
The Padres, who swept the Marlins that weekend, have cruised ever since, going from fringe contender to being just below the top rung of the Wild Card ladder, and on the doorstep of securing their third consecutive trip to the postseason, something they’ve never done before.
What a difference just a few months makes.
“Contributions every single day from guys up and down the lineup,” Miller said. “… We’re playing our best baseball right now. This is a fun ride to be on.”
With seven games to go, the Padres don’t appear to be ready to get off that ride any time soon. They hope it will only carry them deep into October.
“Living the dream, man,” Salas said. “Living the dream and winning games. Everyone is putting their two cents in. It’s been awesome.”