Ace Michael King carries a nearly spotless playoff record into the Wild Card opener, facing a powerhouse Cubs lineup after a season of dominant, Cy Young-caliber pitching.
Postseason baseball is finally here after a grueling 162-game regular season, and the San Diego Padres are diving in as the sport's hottest team. Finishing the year with an 18-6 record in September, the Padres not only clinched a postseason spot but also claimed the top Wild Card spot, which provides home-field advantage.
With the three-game series against the Chicago Cubs to get underway at 7:00 p.m. PST tomorrow, now’s the perfect time to take a look at who will be on the mound for the Friars in Game 1.
That honor will go to Michael King, the far and away ace in San Diego’s starting rotation. After signing a $75 million extension last offseason, King had a season to rival his 2024 campaign in which he received Cy Young votes. His 3.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 185 innings were more than enough to lead the Padres in each statistic. King’s 4.3 bWAR in 2026 had him tied as the second-most valuable Padre of the season.
We know what King has provided for the Padres during a season of uncertainty in the starting rotation, but how has he fared when the lights are brightest? He has four postseason appearances under his belt, two of which were as the starter.
His first postseason start came against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of a 2024 Wild Card series, tossing seven scoreless innings in which he struck out 12 batters and allowed just five baserunners. San Diego went on to win Game 2 of the series, launching them into the next round, where King would get his second start of the postseason.
That second outing wasn’t dominant like the prior week, but he still ended up recording a win against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. His five earned runs in five innings weren’t pretty, but it was just enough to grab a Game 3 win.
Last year, with a much deeper starting rotation, King never got a chance to start a postseason game before San Diego’s season came to an end in three games against the Cubs. He did, however, get a chance to shine in relief, and he did just that.
King struck out the side in his one inning in Game 3, keeping the Cubs’ lead still within striking distance. Unfortunately, the Padres lineup was only able to muster up one run, ending the season with a 3-1 loss.
Thanks to a scoreless appearance as a reliever for the New York Yankees in 2020, that five-run outing against the Dodgers is the only postseason appearance in which King has allowed a run. Heading into Game 1 tomorrow night against a Cubs team that led the MLB with a .767 OPS, King will have his work cut out for him if he wants to continue that trend.
King’s final start against the Los Angeles Dodgers saw him allow five runs in four innings – as much as he allowed in his previous five starts combined. After a tough finish to a stellar season, Padres fans are all in on King as he’s set to take the mound at Petco Park tomorrow night. A Game 1 victory would set the city on fire. Let’s see if King can lead them there.
