RELIEVERS SEND CARDS HOME, PADRES TO NLDS
The most unique season in Major League Baseball history will continue with the game’s most exciting team as part of it after their most improbable victory Friday night.
The Padres won their first postseason series in 22 years, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 at Petco Park.
How they did it was essentially unprecedented.
Nine pitchers, starting with 36-year-old Craig Stammen and including 20-yearold Luis Patiño before ending with borrowed closer Trevor Rosenthal, produced a gem of a game.
It was the second time in modern MLB history — and the first time in the postseason — a team used nine pitchers in a shutout victory.
“Something we’ve been working for a long time this year,” Stammen said. “It was exciting to do it in the fashion we did it.”
The Padres’ first postseason in 14 years will carry on to Arlington, Texas, for their first ever playoff meeting with the Dodgers. The best-of-five National League Division Series begins Tuesday at Globe Life Field, where the winner would continue to play as long as it survives.
When it was over, the honking and hollering began outside Petco Park. Inside,
the Padres at first congratulated each other with little more fervor than after a normal victory.
There were longer hugs and bigger smiles. They walked as a group to the outfield, where they saluted fans waving flags and screaming as they stood on balconies and rooftops beyond the outfield. They clapped for family members in suites along the right field line before gathering for a group picture in the center of the infield.
But really, it was a muted celebration.
“Unbelievable, relieving, rewarding,” first-year manager Jayce Tingler said. “At the same time, we’re not done.”
In this season unlike any other — delayed by four months and shortened by almost two-thirds due to COVID-19 — the Padres coalesced into a team rarely seen in San Diego. If ever.
They scored the third most runs and allowed the
eighth fewest. They hit the fourth most home runs and stole the most bases. By some measures, they had the major leagues’ best overall defense.
They made joy their sixth tool, laughing and dancing their way to the second-most victories in the National League.
And just when it seemed they would not get to show the world their swaggy exuberance and brimming talent, they scored nine runs in their final three innings to come back and beat the Cardinals 11-9 on Thursday night, forcing Friday’s deciding game.
“I’ve definitely been in my fair share of crazy games,” said Eric Hosmer, a 10-year veteran who has been to two World Series. “These games had something different on them.”
The elimination game became more tense with every passing scoreless half-inning, as the Padres had to take the next step toward history — in their words eat “the big cake” for the first time in the franchise’s existence — by using almost every member of their
already exhausted bullpen.
After being down 4-0 at the end of the second inning in both of the first two games, they took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning Friday on doubles by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Hosmer.
They added two runs in the seventh on a single, two Cardinals errors and two walks, including one drawn by Hosmer with the bases loaded that made it 3-0.
Rookie Jake Cronenworth made it 4-0 with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
For all the Padres’ success
heading into this series, what happened right before it and in its first two games made this result somewhat improbable.
With Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, the expected starters in Games 1 and 2, ruled out with arm ailments and starters Chris Paddack and Zach Davies having bad games at the worst time, it was essentially three bullpen games for the Padres.
The relievers combined for a 1.58 ERA in 222⁄ innings.
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The Padres, not anticipating their top two pitchers would get hurt, sent Garrett Richards to the bullpen in September. So they came into this series with just two starting pitchers.
They used a franchiserecord eight pitchers in Wednesday’s Game 1, broke that record by using nine in Game 2 and then matched that in Game 3, becoming the first team ever to use at least eight pitchers in three consecutive postseason games.
What wasn’t determined until early Friday morning was that Stammen, the oldest Padres player, would get the ball at the start.
Stammen took 10 pitches to retire the Cardinals in order in the first inning and got two outs in the second after allowing a soft single to Dylan Carlson leading off. As Tim Hill jogged in from the bullpen, Stammen walked to the dugout serenaded by a relatively loud standing ovation from the few hundred people (mostly team employees and players' families) inside Petco Park.
“I think I had the easiest job,” Stammen said. “… They came in behind me and saved my butt and kicked some butt.”
When Emilio Pagan entered to start the seventh inning, it was confirmation the night had gone from a pitching standpoint as well as could have been expected. The Padres had a lead and were in position to give the ball to their three back-end arms.
But adding to the tension and intrigue of this night was the fact Pagan, Drew Pomeranz and Trevor Rosenthal had all already pitched backto-back days. Pagán had thrown 41 pitches over the two games, Pomeranz 37 and Rosenthal 45.
Pagán set down all three batters he faced.
Pomeranz survived a walk in the eighth.
Rosenthal, who was acquired in an Aug. 29 trade to replace injured closer Kirby Yates, struck out the side.
“It took every guy on this roster to get it done,” Hosmer said. “It feels good to be moving on to the bubble in Texas.”