Padres Force NLDS Game 4 Behind Michael King’s Gutsy Relief Appearance

SAN DIEGO — In the high-stakes calculus of October baseball, starting pitchers don’t typically volunteer for bullpen duty two days after taking the mound. Michael King isn’t a typical starter, and the San Diego Padres‘ season hung on his willingness to rewrite the script.

After throwing just 72 pitches in a Game 2 start that King himself called a “glorified bullpen,” the right-hander marched into manager Craig Stammen‘s office before Game 3 and made his availability known. Hours later, with the Padres’ bullpen decimated by injury and a paternity departure, King delivered two shutdown innings to preserve a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park, forcing a decisive Game 4 in the National League Division Series.

A Starter’s Unusual Pledge

King’s declaration came Sunday night, not long after he finished his Game 2 outing. Third baseman Manny Machado recalled his reaction: “I kind of told him like, ‘Why?’ ‘Get ready for Game 5.'”

But King saw the landscape differently. He skipped his standard between-starts bullpen session to keep his arm fresh, and he wanted the coaching staff to know he was an option — not as a contingency, but as a weapon.

“I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don’t want to save. I felt like it needed to be the right time. I think that it all aligned with Mason going on paternity. Even if he was available, I was still going to be up and ready to go in whatever situation that presented itself.”

That mindset — part competitive fire, part self-awareness — has defined King’s journey from New York Yankees reliever to San Diego’s postseason Swiss Army knife. His former role in the Yankees’ bullpen gave him the confidence to navigate high-leverage moments without the typical starter’s recovery timeline.

Bullpen Crisis Creates the Opening

The Padres entered Game 3 with their late-inning architecture crumbling. Adrian Morejon, San Diego’s dominant setup man, emerged from a Monday catch session with what Stammen described as “a little stickiness in the shoulder” and pitching coach Ruben Niebla characterized as fatigue. The team hoped to avoid using him entirely.

Then, approximately 45 minutes before first pitch, closer Mason Miller received the call every expectant father awaits: his wife was going into labor. By 5:47 p.m. PT, Miller was officially placed on the paternity list, with left-hander Wandy Peralta activated to replace him on the roster.

Niebla expressed optimism that both Morejon and Miller could return for Game 4, but Tuesday night belonged to King.

Game 3: Resilience in Every Inning

For the third consecutive game in the series, the Padres struck first and built a multi-run lead against the 103-win Brewers. The formula has been consistent: timely hitting, spectacular defense, and just enough pitching.

Third Inning: Early Advantage

Samad Taylor opened the third with a single, stole second, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Jackson Merrill‘s base hit. Machado followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Brewers Answer Back

Milwaukee tied it in the middle innings. William Contreras launched a solo home run, and Jackson Chourio — who delivered the walk-off in Game 2 — added a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 2-2.

Fifth Inning: Cronenworth’s Power Surge

Jake Cronenworth, who entered the playoffs with just one hit all postseason, led off the fifth with a home run off a left-hander — only his second such home run all season. The solo shot put San Diego ahead 3-2.

Sixth Inning: Chaos and Opportunity

The Padres extended the lead to 4-2 on one of the postseason’s strangest sequences. Xander Bogaerts dodged the barrel of Miguel Andujar‘s shattered bat between second and third, creating just enough disruption for Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt to throw low. The ball skipped past first baseman Jake Bauers, allowing Bogaerts to score from second.

“That’s a little weird,” Bogaerts recalled thinking as King began warming up in the bullpen while the game was still in the seventh.

King’s Two-Inning Masterclass

With Rodriguez having allowed a run in the seventh to make it 4-3, King entered for the eighth. He worked around a single, then faced his sternest test in the ninth.

Contreras and Brice Turang drew one-out walks, putting the tying and winning runs aboard for Christian Yelich, the Brewers’ MVP-caliber left fielder. Yelich crushed a 107.1 mph line drive toward the right-center gap — but Bogaerts, positioned perfectly in a deep shift behind second base, fielded the hop, stepped on the bag, and fired to first for the game-ending double play.

“He’s a beast. Incredibly impressive, and such a team guy. That’s not easy to do. There’s risk in that. But he knew he could help us win this ballgame.”

The defensive gem capped a night where San Diego’s gloves were as valuable as its bats. Merrill added two spectacular catches in the outfield, robbing extra-base hits and preserving the narrow margin.

Series Narrative: Three Games, Three Fights

The NLDS has already delivered a trilogy of distinct dramas:

• Game 1: Padres lose on a Ty France fly ball that clanged off a roof cable at American Family Field, turning a potential game-tying homer into an out.
• Game 2: Chourio’s walk-off single with bases loaded and two outs off Miller in the bottom of the ninth.
• Game 3: King’s relief heroics, Merrill’s catches, Bogaerts’ double play — a total team effort to survive.

“We used a lot of energy today, and we’ve got to bring that same energy tomorrow,” Stammen said as midnight approached. Fernando Tatis Jr. called King’s performance “incredible, really.” Machado, exhausted but resolute, summed it up: “I’m ready for bed.”

Game 4: Wednesday’s Winner-Take-All

The series shifts to a do-or-die Game 4 on Wednesday at Petco Park. The Padres will likely turn to Dylan Cease on the mound, while Milwaukee counters with Tobias Myers. Both bullpen situations bear monitoring: Morejon’s shoulder, Miller’s potential return, and whether King has any ammunition left after his 30-pulse outing.

What’s certain is the pattern: every game has been a grind, every lead has been contested, and neither team has blinked. The Padres have scored first in all three games. The Brewers, despite 103 regular-season wins, have yet to hold a lead in the series.

“It’s going to be another fight, just like the first three games,” Stammen said. “And I don’t think I expect anything different.”

In a postseason defined by the unexpected, Michael King’s two-inning save — from a starter, on two days’ rest, in a must-win game — might be the most improbable chapter yet. The Padres are still alive because he refused to save his bullets for a Game 5 that might never have come.

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