Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — no closer, no margin for error, and the Padres found a way anyway.
The Padres avoided elimination on Tuesday, beating the Brewers 4-3 at Petco Park to cut Milwaukee’s lead in the NL Division Series to 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday in San Diego.
The Unlikely Closer
The story broke about 45 minutes before first pitch: closer Mason Miller had been placed on the paternity list. San Diego needed a new plan for the ninth.
That plan turned out to be Michael King — the same Michael King who started Game 2 on Sunday. Working on one day of rest, he pitched the final two innings, retired four of his first five hitters and then survived a tense ninth. It was his first save since 2023, his first in the postseason and his first as a Padre. According to OptaStats, he is the first pitcher since saves became official in 1969 to start a postseason game and record a two-inning save within the next two days.
The final out was fitting. Xander Bogaerts fielded a short-hop grounder from Christian Yelich, stepped on second and threw to first to end it.
How the Runs Came
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in early runs. The Brewers tied it on a Jackson Chourio sacrifice fly, and William Contreras homered for Milwaukee. Jake Cronenworth delivered the decisive blow with a tiebreaking home run.
Nick Pivetta gave San Diego two runs over 4-plus innings. Milwaukee starter Dustin May didn’t make it out of the fourth.
Milwaukee’s Road Problem
The Brewers won two close games at home over the weekend, but this loss extended a troubling streak: 12 straight postseason road losses dating to the 2018 NLCS. With Game 4 also in San Diego, that trend now matters a great deal. If the Padres win again, the series goes back to Milwaukee for a decisive Game 5 on Friday.
Walker Buehler will start Game 4 for San Diego. Milwaukee hadn’t announced its starter.
The Read
Teams don’t usually survive elimination games without their closer. The Padres did it by asking a starter to do something almost no pitcher has done. Now they need one more win to take this series the distance — and to put real pressure on baseball’s best regular-season team.
Add a comment