Michael King Makes History with Gritty Six-Out Save

San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King delivered a historic performance Tuesday, recording a six-out save to keep his team alive in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, as Sports Illustrated first reported.

With All-World closer Mason Miller absent due to his wife going into labor and setup man Adrian Morejón sidelined with fatigue, King volunteered to pitch just two days after starting Game 2. Entering in the eighth inning with a 4–3 lead, King worked around a single by David Hamilton and induced a groundout from Jackson Chourio. In the ninth, King struck out Jake Bauers but walked William Contreras and Brice Turang. He ultimately secured the save when Xander Bogaerts fielded a ground ball from Christian Yelich and fired to Ty France for a game-ending double play.

Sports Illustrated reports that King is now the only pitcher since saves became an official stat in 1969 to start a postseason game and then record a save of at least two innings within the next two days. This marked King's first save as a Padre and only the second six-out save of his career.

Pitching coach Ruben Niebla told Sports Illustrated that King volunteered for the role almost immediately after Game 2. Manager Stammen noted that King informed him he was available to pitch Tuesday and potentially Game 5. After the game, King told reporters he still felt he had "bullets in my arm" and intended to throw another bullpen session Wednesday, despite having thrown 72 pitches in five innings on Sunday.