King of the hill! Righty's 12 K's, Tatis' HR propel Padres in Game 1

SAN DIEGO — The stadium was louder Tuesday night, the pregame introductions were longer, the stakes were higher. But these were the 2024 San Diego Padres — and it took one inning to prove it in their 4-0 win in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.

Michael King strikes out in the first over. Luis Arraz worked a full count and sprayed an opposite-field single to start the bottom half. That set the stage for Fernando Tatis Jr., who was introduced to a postseason crowd — a real postseason crowd, not a 2020-edition cardboard cutout — for the first time.

47,647 fans — the largest crowd in Petco Park history — erupted. One pitch later, they raise that decibel level by a few notches. Tatis broke a fastball from Atlanta right-hander AJ Smith-Shaver when it took a Statcast-projected 415 feet into the second deck in left field.

“We had energy today,” Tatis said in his postgame interview on ESPN. “These fans are amazing. I was lucky to put my barrel on the ball. Next thing we know, this place is going crazy.”

The Padres were on their way to a crucial victory, pushing a beleaguered Braves team to the brink. In the brief history of best-of-three wild card series, all six teams have completed two-game sweeps by winning Game 1 at home.

“This is as loud a stadium as we're going to play in,” Padres manager Mike Shields said. “And it's good to be on our side.”

Tatis' outburst was more than enough offense for the thoroughly dominant King, though, as catcher Kyle Higashioka tacked on a pair of RBIs — a sac fly in the second inning and a solo home run in the eighth.

King's stuff was electric, as he became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 12 while allowing no runs or walks in his first postseason start.

“I think that feeling the pressure from the beginning of the game was something that I wanted to use and build to my advantage,” King said. “So feeling the roar of the crowd, knowing how big the postseason games are, it all played into my psyche.”

The Padres assigned Game 1 to King in a somewhat surprising move on Saturday. King has never made a postseason start, and he just finished his first regular season as a full-time starter. The 29-year-old right-hander — who was a key part of a five-player trade package for Juan Soto last December — is more than that right now.

King used a dazzling mix of pitches to keep Braves hitters off balance. He quickly silenced questions about his workload by posting a 2.15 ERA in the second half of the regular season. But on Tuesday, King took it to another level.

“He's been unbelievable,” said Higashioka, King's catcher for his only other postseason appearance — mop-up duty in the 2020 ALDS. “The playoff atmosphere has definitely rubbed off on him and gotten the best of him.”

In the eighth inning, Jason Adam became the first Padres reliever to strikeout the team in his postseason debut. Robert Suarez knocked on the door in the ninth. Petco Park erupted in anger. Blink-182's Tom DeLonge throws out the official first pitch. Then the entire ballpark sang his hit song, “All the Small Things,” in unison two hours later.

“The atmosphere here – it was beautiful,” Arraez said. “We just have to do it. We have a great team, man.”

The Padres posted the best record in baseball after the All-Star break (43-20), riding a wave of good pitching, good hitting and good vibes. Those vibes carried over into Game 1 — and now they're essential.

Short playoff series can be fickle. The Braves were the final team in the postseason with a win in Game 2 of a doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday. They did not arrive in San Diego until after midnight PT. On paper, the Padres had all the advantages.

“Yeah, but, I mean, you can never take an opponent lightly,” Higashioka said. “I'm sure they're playing with nothing to lose. They are put in the worst possible situation, at least in terms of convenience. Teams are dangerous when they have nothing to lose.

“For us, it's about staying focused and never giving up and never taking anything for granted. We have to come out and do it tomorrow.”

It was pointed out to Higashioka that it might be easier to do, now that the Kings had already covered seven innings by saving a new bullpen.

Higashioka nodded, then countered.

“Yes,” he said. “But again: no up.”

A date with the Dodgers in the NL Division Series looms, if the Padres can get the job done.