Padres’ ace Michael King has had a frustrating season.
He’s looked exceptional when he takes the mound, but there's one problem—King has made only 11 starts this year for San Diego. He spent most of the summer on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, and after returning for one brief start in August, King was placed back on the IL with left knee inflammation.
But King knows how to make up for his absence this year—and it revolves around baseball’s biggest month.
King's plan to make up for lost time
As the Padres are a near-lock to make the postseason, King is readying himself for a playoff run.
“What makes up for it is pitching well in October and pitching deep into October,” King said, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell.
King has all the tools to be San Diego’s ace in the postseason. He is 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA over 11 starts this year, and King won both of his starts in the 2024 playoffs, sporting a 3.75 ERA (five ER over 12.0 IP). He understands the pressure that comes with October baseball.
“I always say starting pitching wins championships,” King said. “Obviously we have an incredible bullpen. But the starters still got to go deep into games. So I’m not going to bank on just going four innings and just turning it over to our dogs. I would love to be that guy that gives them the day off.”
But to pitch late into games, King will have to be healthy. There are still 30 games left in the regular season for San Diego, which continues its series against the Seattle Mariners tonight at 9:40 p.m. ET.