I got the first round! Michael King scoreless 12K in 7 innings, Petage final two-run shot...SD 4-0 ATL
Oct 02, 2024
|
|
San Diego won the first game of the National League (NL) Wild Card (WC) series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on the 2nd (Korea time) with starter Michael King's brilliant pitching and early batting concentration.
If San Diego adds one more win, it will reach the Division Series and face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Both teams advanced to the postseason as first and second place in the WC. San Diego marked 93-69 in the regular season and Atlanta marked 89-73.
San Diego's dominance has long been predicted in this series. ESPN suggested a 54.2% probability that San Diego will advance to the Division Series the day before. Until last year, the probability of winning the first game of the WC series reaching the division series was 14 out of 16 times, reaching 87.5%. San Diego's absolute advantage.
King, who took the postseason mound for the second time in his career, pitched five hits and no runs in seven innings with powerful pitching that took away 12 strikeouts, and became the top contributor to the victory. King pitched in 31 games this regular season, going 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts, marking a career high. He is San Diego's one-two punch along with Dylan Sheese in the postseason as well.
On the other hand, Atlanta starter AJ Smith-Shover lost the game due to poor performance of four hits and three runs in one ⅓ inning.
|
|
Tatis Jr. pulled Smith-Shover's 93.5-mile first-pitch fastball and drew an arch that landed on the second deck of the left outfield seats. The launch angle was 39 degrees, the batting speed was 112.8 miles, and the distance was 415 feet. He hit two home runs in the WC series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and recorded his third home run of the postseason.
San Diego also scored in the second inning. Kyle Higashioka hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Cronenworth home with no outs and runners on the first and third bases, which were made by leadoff Jake Cronenworth's dune and Donovan Solano's right-handed hit.
With a 3-0 lead, King's good pitching continued into the second half of the game. King gave up two hits in the top of the first inning and was on the first and third bases with two outs, then struck out Jorge Soler with a swing and miss to overcome the crisis. King, who stopped the second inning with three outs, faced another crisis by allowing right-handed hits and left-handed hits to Michael Harris II and Marcel Ojuna after two outs in the third inning, but struck out Matt Olsen with an 85.8-mile low slider.
King, who escaped the crisis by striking out Gio Urshela with a swing and miss in the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on the second base, continued his 3-0 lead by raising his momentum with three strikeouts in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings in a row.
San Diego sealed the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with Higashioka's solo home run to the left.
Right-hander Jason Adam, who took the mound in the top of the eighth inning following the starting king, struck out all three out counts in one inning, blocking one hit and no run, and closer Robert Suarez overpowered one inning with one hit and no run in the ninth inning to keep the win.
The second game between the two teams will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the 3rd at the same place. Joe Musgrove will be selected for San Diego, and Max Fried will be selected for Atlanta.
jhno@sportschosun.com
