SAN DIEGO ― All-Star closer Mason Miller warned the San Diego Padres before the season began that this day was coming.
Maybe it wouldn’t be exactly on Oct. 6.
Maybe it would be during an off-day.
Maybe the Padres’ season would already be over.
Never, ever, did he imagine he’d be delivering the news Tuesday, less than 90 minutes before the biggest game of the Padres’ season.
Just before he was about to drive to Petco Park, with the Padres needing a victory to keep their season alive, he called his bosses.
His wife, Jordan, was going into labor. Their baby was coming. Sorry, he didn’t think he’d be able to make it to the game.
"We wanted to give him enough time in case the baby comes really quick, or it goes the other way," Padres manager Craig Stammen said, "and he could come to the game. We gave him the opportunity. We waited until an hour and a half, an hour before the game time, to make the final call. …
"He decided that he needed to stay with his wife."
Ther was instantaneous joy for Miller, who was about to become a father for the first time.
And then, sheer panic.
The Padres secretly knew that All-Star setup man Adrian Morejon was dealing with shoulder fatigue and would be unavailable to pitch in the game.
So, in a matter of minutes, they now would be without the best closer in baseball, the best setup man in baseball, and would be facing the powerful Milwaukee Brewers with their season on the line.
"It was hard to map out from the beginning," Stammen said, "just because both of those guys are unavailable, and we'd relied on them so much throughout the year."
By the end of the night, they somehow, someway, miraculously lived to tell about it, with a performance that will be remembered for generations in Padres’ history.
The Padres survived, beating Milwaukee, 4-3, with their ace Michael King, who had just started two days ago, throwing 72 pitches, coming in relief to record the final six outs and save the Padres’ season.
"He just threw two days ago, and to do that," Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said, "was just unbelievable. Shocking, really. He’s not only pitching one inning, but two innings? I remember after he pitched Game 2, he made a comment that he’d be available in the bullpen. We’re like, “Yeah, whatever.’ Even when he went to the bullpen, I still didn’t think he was going to pitch.
"It’s just crazy to see what he did."
Stammen, a former reliever himself, was convinced it was possible simply because King was so adamant in his desire to pull it off.
"He came in the office today," Stammen said, "and said, 'I'm available to pitch. I'm available to pitch the next day, and I'm available to pitch Game 5.'
"He's got an attitude of I'll do anything to help the team win, feel healthy and ready to go."
The bullpen gate swung open in the eighth inning, and there was King, running onto the field – with the sellout crowd of 47,708 at Petco Park going bonkers – to make his first save appearance since he was a reliever with the New York Yankees in 2023.
"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. 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."
It didn’t matter that he was on the mound 48 hours earlier.
It didn’t matter that he can be a free agent after the season, and was risking potential injury.
None of it mattered except that the Padres were down 2 games to 0, and if they lost this night, there were done for the year.
"If you're in an elimination game," King said, "you want everybody to be all in on it. I feel like not just me, we have a bunch of dogs down there that are all in."
So King, the Padres’ fifth pitcher of the game, came in for the rescue.
"When you have Michael King out there, what he’s capable of, and he is your best arm," Padres pitching coach and associate manager Ruben Niebla said, "you know we felt pretty good about it.’"
King quickly recorded the first two outs, gave up a single to pinch-hitter David Hamilton, but no further damage when he induced a groundout from dangerous Jackson Chourio.
"It wasn’t my best at-bat," said Chourio, the hero in Game 2 with his two-out, two-strike, two-run walk-off single. "I think I could have had a better at-bat. I think I’ll be able to come a little bit more calm (in Game 4), and be ready for it."
Then, came the ninth.
"I was trying to tap back into that bullpen mentality I used to have," King said, "of saving my best bullets for game time."
He struck out Jake Bauers, and suddenly, began showing fatigue. He walked William Contreras, who homered in the fourth inning, in a grueling nine-pitch at-bat. He then walked Brice Turang on six pitches, with the final two pitches missing badly. Next up was Christian Yelich, who already had two hits in the game.
Niebla came to the mound for a quick chat, giving King a breather, while veteran starters Robbie Ray and Joe Musgrove were hurriedly warming up. They discussed the sequence of pitches to Yelich, and what to throw him on the first pitch. King had his idea. Niebla had his. So they compromised, with King starting him off with an 84.2-mph slider on the outside part of the plate.
Yelich swung, and smoked the ball, 107.1-mph off his bat. Bogaerts ranged to his left, gloved it, ran to the bag to beat Turang, and threw to first base for the double play.
The crowd screamed, and so did King, who broke into a smile that could be seen clear to Tijuana.
Just like that, the Padres are still alive, and suddenly, they believe they can actually overcome a 2-0 deficit in a five-game series and advance to the NLCS, a feat accomplished just 11 times out of 92 (11%) in the wild-card era.
They also are buoyed with confidence that not only Miller, but Morejon, should be available out of the bullpen Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Game 4, according to Niebla. If they have the lead after six innings, they can shut it down, just as they’ve done most of the season.
"I think you look at the situation we've been in for, shoot, over half the season," said Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who homered in the fifth inning. "It's kind of been our backs against the wall. We've been fighting since before the trade deadline to survive.
"The mentality of the group is we're 0-2, but we've kind of been 0-2 the entire year. I think no team's more battle tested than we are right now."
The Padres are expected to start Walker Buehler, who missed the first two games of the series on paternity leave, in Game 4.
And if there’s a Game 5, back in Milwaukee on Friday, King, who threw 40 pitches, has already volunteered to make the start.
"Michael is willing to do anything for the team," Stammen said. "It's pretty awesome to have someone like that, star player, be able to articulate that to me, the manager, and the coaching staff, and then go out and do it."
The Padres now will be back at full strength Wednesday. They don’t know if Miller will have gotten any sleep. They don’t know how emotionally drained he’ll be. But he’s expected to walk through the door, bring in baby pictures, and pass around cigars.
"We’re thrilled for him," Padres veteran reliever Jason Adam said. "I mean, there’s nowhere else he should be than with his wife right now, having his baby. We’re honored to have the opportunity to cover those innings for him tonight.
"Mason’s done it all year, and he’ll do it again. And when he comes back as a dad now, I can’t wait to watch that … I’m excited. I want to meet this baby."
The Padres hope to keep winning, only now, to do it in conventional style.
"Nobody buys the boring books," Adam said, "so a little adversity is good for the boys."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres navigate a baby, a sore arm and adversity as Michael King saves season
