Michael King answers the call as Padres keep season alive after 4-3 win

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — When Craig Stammen said before Game 3 on Tuesday afternoon that it was “all hands on deck,” he wasn’t kidding. When he said pitcher Michael King was available for the game, he wasn’t kidding about that, either.

The Padres were down some hands during their 4-3 win over Milwaukee in Game 3, but everyone pitched in—literally.

A little less than an hour before Game 3, MLB sent out an email announcing that Padres closer Mason Miller had been placed on the paternity list because he and his wife were expecting their first child.

During the game, the Padres used five arms, and none of them belonged to reliever Adrian Morejón. Stammen said after the game Morejón was “Still feeling a little stickiness in the shoulder.”

Before the game, King went into Stammen’s office and told the rookie manager he was available for Tuesday’s game.

“He's got an attitude of I'll do anything to help the team win, feel healthy and ready to go,” Stammen said.

King entered the game in the top of the eighth inning needing six outs to protect a 4-3 lead.

“I know that I have bullets in my arm that I don't want to save,” King said. “I felt like it needed to be the right time.”

After throwing 72 pitches on Sunday, King took the mound in the eighth. He quickly got Cooper Pratt to line out and Sal Frelick to ground out. David Hamilton came in to pinch-hit and singled off King. Game 2 hero Jackson Chourio was up next but grounded out to end the inning.

“That's so impressive, man,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “He has carried us in a way that’s so huge.”

In the ninth inning, King walked back out knowing his team needed only three more outs.

He got Jake Bauers to strike out swinging before running into some trouble. King walked Game 1 hero William Contreras, who was replaced by pinch runner Luis Lara. He followed that by walking Brice Turang. That was when Robbie Ray and Joe Musgrove stood up and began warming in the bullpen.

King was facing Christian Yelich, who has been a thorn in the Padres' side all series long. The more than 47,000 fans at Petco Park started chanting King’s name.

The Padres wouldn't need Musgrove or Ray.

He threw Yelich one pitch, a slider that he hit toward Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts tagged Turang out at second, then fired a missile to Ty France to beat Yelich at first and complete the game-ending double play.

“That's our guy,” Jackson Merrill said. “I think he wanted the ball more than anybody out there. So it's huge from him. Live to fight another day.”

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Oct 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates a game ending double play during the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.

The Padres are different at Petco Park. Every game has felt like something out of a movie in San Diego.

“You heard Mike speak on it, it's all hands on deck,” Jake Cronenworth said. “He went out there and picked us up big time.”

The Padres were hitless until collecting three hits in the bottom of the third inning. Samad Taylor, who was a late addition to the lineup as the DH, singled to center. Cronenworth stepped up next, and on the second pitch of his at-bat, Taylor stole second to put himself in scoring position. Cronenworth then laid down a bunt to move Taylor to third with one out.

Tatis grounded out, but Taylor got a good jump and made it home to give San Diego a 1-0 lead.

“I think a lot of the games you watch Samad play in, he's creating some type of havoc, whether it's a stolen base or a bunt,” Cronenworth said. “I think today's game is a perfect example of how we've been playing the last two months.”

Merrill followed with a single to center, then stole second during Manny Machado’s at-bat, similar to what Taylor had done earlier in the inning. Machado singled to left field, allowing Merrill to take off for home. He slid in safely ahead of the throw to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers answered quickly. Contreras lifted the fifth pitch he saw from Nick Pivetta to left field for a 365-foot home run, cutting San Diego’s lead to 2-1.

Pivetta allowed back-to-back singles to Pratt and Frelick in the top of the fifth inning. Joey Ortiz did what the Brewers do best and laid down a bunt to move the runners to second and third. That was when Stammen came out and pulled Pivetta for Jason Adam.

Chourio hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Pratt beat the throw home to tie the game at 2-2.

Adam continued to struggle and loaded the bases, so Stammen brought in Yuki Matsui to face Brice Turang, who is hitless in the series. Turang grounded to second, where Bogaerts fielded the ball and forced Contreras out at second to escape the inning.

Three pitchers were needed to get through the fifth.

There has been plenty of criticism surrounding the way Cronenworth has played during the postseason, but on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning, he launched a ball to right field and over the wall. The home run put the Padres back in front 3-2 and had Petco Park shaking.

“It's hard to describe, but it's one of those things that just when it happens, you get excited,” Cronenworth said. “I don't know what else to say.”

Stammen knew what to say.

“Jake has a propensity to have some big hits in the playoffs,” Stammen said. “Tonight was a really big one also, big home run, left on left. You're not expecting that from him in that spot, but he got a good plan from the hitting coach, stuck with it, and was able to put one into the Crone zone.”

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Oct 6, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.

Matsui got into trouble in the sixth, allowing runners to reach second and third with Ortiz at the plate and two outs. Stammen decided not to risk it and brought in reliever Bradgley Rodríguez.

Rodríguez fell behind 3-1 before Ortiz launched a ball deep to right field, but Tatis tracked it down to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Bogaerts singled to left with two outs. That led to two changes: Miguel Andujar came in to pinch-hit for Dustin Harris, while Antonio Senzatela entered for the Brewers.

Andujar made Senzatela work through a nine-pitch at-bat. On the sixth pitch, a wild pitch allowed Bogaerts to move to second. Andujar eventually broke his bat on a ground ball, and the throw to first appeared to be in time, but Jake Bauers couldn’t handle the low throw. Bogaerts kept running, took off for home and slid in safely ahead of the tag to give San Diego a 4-2 lead.

“Such a big gameplay for him, and he has been really clutch for us the last couple games,” Tatis said of Bogaerts. “So, that's what he's here for and we definitely count on him.”

Rodríguez recorded two outs in the top of the seventh before giving up three consecutive singles, including one that allowed Contreras to score and cut the Padres' lead to 4-3.

Stammen stuck with Rodríguez even with Milwaukee putting a runner in scoring position. Rodríguez rewarded that confidence by striking out Garrett Mitchell to end the inning.

Then King came in to finish the final two innings.

San Diego now believes it can flip the script and become the 12th team in 92 tries to overcome a 2-0 series deficit.

“I think you look at the situation we've been in for, shoot, over half the season,” Cronenworth said. “It's kind of been our backs against the wall. We've been fighting since before the trade deadline to survive.”

The Padres live to fight another day, as Merrill put it. They now trail the series 2-1 with Game 4 in San Diego on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. PT.

San Diego has yet to name a starter, while all eyes will also be on the availability of Morejón and Miller.