Michael King and Fernando Tatis Jr. were the ones who led the way in San Diego Padres‘ win against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the 2024 MLB Wild Card Series. Their notable performance was noticed by the fans and showed how the mood is within the team.
On one side, King’s throws made Atlanta uncomfortable. With 12 strikeouts, the pitcher proved that Padres are one of the favorites in this series. And in the other, Tatis Jr. hit the only HR in the game for San Diego and provoked a bunch of reactions, even from his teammates.
After Game 1, King recalled the HR from Tatis Jr, via ESPN MLB: “I was sitting in the Dugout and I couldn’t see him, but I heard it because the crack of the bat was louder than the fans you knew it was hit really hard.”
Besides, King revealed his feelings about the play from Tatis Jr. that led to the win against Atlanta: “Then I looked up, and I thought it was going out of the stadium. The thing was mashed, so huge for me and for the plan that I had.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. in Game 1 against Atlanta Braves in MLB Wildcard Series. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Michael King sets postseason record
King’s performance against Atlanta not only helped San Diego to win Game 1 of Wild Card Series, but it also placed him on a historical list in the MLB. He made it to the 9th best strikeouts on a first career postseason start with 12,000 versus Braves.
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One of the reasons for King’s mark could be the sensation he felt with the fans at the stadium in the first postseason game: “I didn’t realize was going to be so loud and so cool hearing them for literally everybody on our roster, it was really special and pitching in front of them is something that I absolutely love.”
What’s next for Michael King and Padres?
The Padres will take on the Braves again tonight as they aim to take another step towards the next round of the 2024 MLB playoffs. Needless to say, King and Tatis Jr will be looking to deliver another big performance.
- vs. Atlanta – October 2 – Game 2 at Petco Park
- vs. Atlanta – October 3 – Game 3 at Petco Park
