The San Diego Padres received an all-around performance on their way to a Game 1 victory in the National League Wild Card Series over the Atlanta Braves, 4-0.
Fernando Tatis Jr. electrified the crowd at Petco Park with his 415-foot home run in the first inning. He knew it was gone as soon as he hit it and the crowd did as well. Tatis flipped his bat and played to fans as he began his home run trot.
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Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates after hitting a two-run homer in the NL wild-card series game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
“It’s beautiful energy. I love this type of situation,” Tatis said. “It definitely brings the best out of me. And just looking forward to way more experiences like this.”
Tatis said he was looking for a fastball from rookie AJ Smith-Shawver and got it.
“I was going for it probably before he released the pitch. But looking for my fastball, he left it over the plate, and had definitely great results,” Tatis said. “I knew it was going to go out. I didn’t know it was going to land in the second deck just because how high it was.”
Piggybacking off of Tatis, starting pitcher Michael King gave San Diego a top-notch performance.
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Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws against the Atlanta Braves during the wild-card series game Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
King became the first pitcher to have 12 strikeouts with no runs or walks allowed in his first career postseason start. He joined former Padres stars Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock as the only pitchers to have double-digit strikeouts in a playoff game.
“”I think I dreamed of a perfect game instead of a few hits that I gave up,” King said afterward. “But I mean, to get up 1-0 in a three-game series is huge. That was the goal and we accomplished that. We’ve got our horse Joe (Musgrove) tomorrow, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in us.”
San Diego acquired King in a blockbuster deal with the New York Yankees that sent Juan Soto to the Bronx Bombers.
Atlanta Braves left fielder Ramón Laureano watches a home run from the Padres’ Kyle Higashioka go over the wall on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Game 2 is set for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET. A Padres victory sends them into the National League Division Series.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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