Padres' Michael King Reveals When He Found Out He'd Replace Mason Miller As Closer in Video

After making his first relief appearance of the season to close out the San Diego Padres' 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS, Michael King revealed when the decision to use him out of the bullpen came about.

Speaking to Fox Sports' Tom Verducci following the game, King said he told Padres manager Craig Stammen after his Game 2 start on Sunday he would be available.

King, who threw 72 pitches over five innings on Sunday, pitched the final two innings in Game 3 to close out the victory.

The Padres found themselves in need of relief help hours before Game 3 started when All-Star closer Mason Miller was placed on the paternity list when his wife went into labor on Tuesday afternoon.

Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla said they are "anticipating" Miller will be back for Game 4.

King wasn't necessarily expected to close the game, but availability concerns to other relievers forced the situation.

Stammen told reporters Adrian Morejón, who had 107 strikeouts in 86 innings during the regular season, had "a little stickiness in the shoulder" following his bullpen session on Monday.

Nick Pivetta allowed two runs over 4.1 innings his first appearance of the playoffs. Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez got the Padres through the next 2.2 innings with a one-run lead.

The last time King pitched in relief was Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs last year.

Milwaukee did threaten in the top of the ninth with back-to-back one-out walks from William Contreras and Ethan Salas, but King got Christian Yelich to ground into a double play to seal the win.

It's the first time King has recorded a save in a game since July 8, 2023, when he was still a member of the New York Yankees.

The Padres won to keep their season alive with Game 4 at Petco Park scheduled for Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. If San Diego wins again, the series will shift back to Milwaukee for the winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday.