Michael King At His Royal Best In Padres' Decisive Game 1 Victory

It didn't take long for you to know that this was going to be a special day for Michael King in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series.

The San Diego Padres' right-handed starter, facing the all-but-official NL MVP leading off the game in Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong, zipped his first pitch of the night, a sinker, on the inside portion of the plate at 96.3 mph. Taken for a strike. The second pitch was a sweeper, a pitch that would prove devastating all night, at 86.4 mph. Swung through by Crow-Armstrong. Then came King's first four-seamer. With the Petco Park crowd revved up, King unleashed a 97.6 mph fireball that Crow-Armstrong got a slight piece of, but the ball ended up in Luis Campusano's mitt for his first strikeout.

Talk about setting the tone.

King would set down Alex Bregman on strikes, getting him to chase a sweeper for strike three. Seeing the carnage in front of him, Michael Busch didn't allow himself to get into a two-strike hole. He pulled a 1-1 four-seamer to first baseman Ty France, who made a nice stop to his right and tossed to King covering the bag to complete a perfect first inning.

Slicing through the top three hitters of MLB's best offense like King did was a precursor for what would come over seven innings. King didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning, striking out eight in showcasing the wares that made him the Padres' ace this year, particularly in the second half. Backed by first-inning homers from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, the Padres cruised to an 8-0 victory in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. It was the biggest shutout win by the Padres in franchise history, surpassing a 6-0 win over the New York Mets on Oct. 9, 2022.

This is the King that the Padres were hoping to get when he re-signed for three years and $75 million when his market was lukewarm following a couple of injuries that curtailed his 2025.

His first four-seamer to Crow-Armstrong, the one at 97.6 mph, was his fastest pitch since 2023 when he was primarily a reliever and still with the New York Yankees. Against Bregman, the next batter, King would clock a 97.5 mph sinker.

King has been the biggest reward for the Padres in the Juan Soto trade following that 2023 season. While King had trouble cracking the Yankees' rotation, starting just 19 times in 115 games over five seasons, he has been an integral part of the Padres' plan in the last three years, starting all but one of his 78 games with the Friars.

If things had worked out perfectly this year, King was slotted in as the Padres' No. 3 starter behind fellow right-handers Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta. But, as we all know, things went far from perfectly for the rotation this year. With Musgrove not throwing a pitch since spring training as his comeback from Tommy John surgery experienced obstacles and Pivetta then missing five months, it was up to King to be the leader, the stabilizer of the rotation. Which he was.

King has been good the entire season, but in particular, he was sensational in the second half. He had 18 quality starts in his 32 games, including eight straight before that came to an end in his final regular-season start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In Game 1, however, King turned in his best start as a Padre. It echoed back to his first postseason start with the Friars. That was Game 1 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta in which King fanned 12 and didn't issue a walk over seven innings in a 4-0 win, also at Petco Park.

He controlled Crow-Armstrong and Bregman, striking them out a combined five times in six trips. Crow-Armstrong walked on five pitches in the third inning, one of three free passes King issued. King's sweeper was huge. King racked up 16 whiffs, with seven coming off his sweeper, which was 2.5 mph higher than it was during the regular season at 84.5. His four-seamer was up 1.5 mph.

The first hit didn't come until the seventh. Nico Hoerner pulled a ball down the third-base line that Manny Machado took four steps to his right and slid to stop, but couldn't get a handle on to attempt a throw. Even if he had handled the grounder, the speedy Hoerner would have been a tough out at first. King's 6⅓ innings was the longest postseason no-hit bid since Anibal Sanchez of the Washington Nationals went 7⅔ in Game 1 of the 2019 NL Championship Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

While his contract situation is likely the furthest from his mind, King has an opt-out after this season after making $17 million this year. He is slated to make $28 million in 2027 and $30 million in 2028 with another opt-out after next year.

But if this is the type of performance the Padres are going to get out of King, he has certainly locked up a lucrative payday, perhaps as the No. 2 or No. 3 available free-agent starter. That is a concern for another day, though.

For now, the Padres have a legit playoff No. 1 starter. The best offense, and its MVP candidate, found that out the hard way. It bodes well for what the Friars want to accomplish the rest of this postseason.

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