Former Yankees pitcher Michael King had just one postseason appearance across his six-year major league career before Tuesday’s game. And this time, he made a huge impact.
Michael King threw seven innings of shutout baseball, striking out 12 batters, allowing only five hits, and issuing no walks in his first-ever playoff start. This dominant performance helped the Padres secure a 4-0 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
On his final strikeouts of the evening, King got Ramón Laureano to freeze on a called third strike and followed up by getting Travis d’Arnaud to chase a pitch far outside the zone.
Michael King kicked off his postseason start by striking out Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and Jorge Soler, setting the tone for his stellar outing.
With this performance, King became the first pitcher in MLB history to record 12 strikeouts without allowing a run or a walk in his first postseason start.
His 12 strikeouts rank as the fourth-highest for a pitcher’s postseason debut, trailing only Jacob deGrom (13 in 2015), Tim Lincecum (14 in 2010), and Liván Hernández (15 in 1997), according to stat expert Sarah Langs.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Michael King is now part of an elite group of five pitchers in MLB history to record at least 10 strikeouts, no walks, and no runs in a postseason game. He joins the ranks of Cliff Lee (2009), Jake Arrieta (2015), Trevor Bauer (2020), and Logan Webb (2021).
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The Padres acquired King during the offseason as part of the blockbuster trade that brought Juan Soto to New York.
Also included in that trade was catcher Kyle Higashioka, who was behind the plate for King’s first postseason appearance on Oct. 7, 2020, against the Rays, coincidentally played in San Diego.
Higashioka contributed offensively too, driving in a run in the second inning to push the Padres’ lead to three, then sealing the win with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
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