One year removed from his 13-9 season that saw him come out of his shell as a starting pitcher in his first year in San Diego, Michael King’s 2025 season, though plagued by injury, has still seen him be a reliable option on the mound.
However, a recent start from the former Yankee against the New York Mets saw him allow six hits and five runs… in the first inning.
King would finish the night with eight runs on 10 hits, and needless to say, he wasn’t exactly chipper about the outing.
“All around terrible.”
“Terrible fastball command,” King said after the game. “All around terrible. Bat pitch selections, bad locations. Got to be a lot better.”
The faulty start from the righty could easily be chalked up to rust, given that King had just recently been activated from the 15-day IL, but this was his second start, and his first on Sept. 9 saw him only allow three hits and two earned runs in five innings of work.
Was it a sudden case of “yips?” Did the Citi Field crowd get to him? Are the looming playoffs at the forefront of his mind at the moment?
Whatever the reason may be, King knows that with the postseason coming fast, he can’t manage a repeat of whatever happened Tuesday night, and Padres skipper Mike Shildt knows that King is capable of pitching at a high level.
“We’ve got to pitch him (King),” Shildt said after the game. “It would be unfair if we didn’t pitch Michael, relative to success and health and what it means to our team. Wasn’t his best outing. I’m excited to see him in five days.”
The Padres currently sit two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race.
