SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a towering two-run homer on his first playoff swing in four years and Michael King struck out 12 in his first postseason start as the San Diego Padres beat rookie AJ Smith-Shawver and the Atlanta Braves 4-0 in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday night. Tatis’ 415-foot shot in the first inning landed in the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the towel-waving, sellout crowd of 47,647 into a frenzy. The 25-year-old star, who missed just more than 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right thighbone, watched the ball fly away, tossed his bat aside, gestured toward the home dugout and did his signature stutter step around third base.
HOUSTON (AP) — Tarik Skubal added perhaps his most important accomplishment to an already sparkling resume. The AL pitching Triple Crown winner gave the Detroit Tigers their first postseason victory in more than a decade with a sensational playoff debut in a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Skubal said this was the most nervous he’s been since his big league debut in 2020, but that he found a way to center himself. Skubal, who had had 228 strikeouts to go with 18 wins and 2.39 ERA, allowed just four singles and one walk in six innings.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Mark Vientos hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a five-run outburst in the fifth inning as the indefatigable New York Mets continued their thrilling week by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 in an NL Wild Card Series opener Tuesday. The Mets didn’t earn a playoff berth until they rallied late from a three-run deficit to win the opening game of a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday, one day after the regular season was supposed to end. Now they’re a win from heading to Philadelphia for an NL Division Series. Since Major League Baseball went to the current postseason format in 2022 that features four best-of-three Wild Card Series, the Game 1 winner has gone on to advance in each of the eight series. Only one of those eight series even made it to a winner-take-all third game.
Rebuilding the Pac-12 Conference centered around football. It’ll be a pretty good basketball conference, too, after landing one of the perennial hoops powers on the West Coast. Gonzaga will become the latest member of the rebuilt Pac-12, the conference and school announced Tuesday, ending several years of conversations with other leagues as the Zags tried to capitalize on their basketball success and recognizable brand. “I think what we’re able to bring to this conference is an enhancement to a basketball opportunity for them, but also what we got in return is a commitment that this conference really cares about basketball,” Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford said. “That it’s an opportunity for us to have an impact on them and be an important partner in who they are and what they do.” Also Tuesday, the Mountain West moved quickly to secure its future by adding UTEP.
TUESDAY'S SCORES
Major League Baseball Playoffs
Best-of-three Wildcard Series
American League
Kansas City 1, Baltimore 0 (Kansas City leads 1-0)
Detroit 3, Houston 1 (Detroit leads 1-0)
National League
NY Mets 8, Milwaukee 4 (NY leads 1-0)
San Diego 4, Atlanta 0 (San Diego leads 1-0)