NL WILD CARD SERIES: CUBS VS PADRES

September 28, 2026

Michael King

Petco Park

San Diego Padres

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Michael, considering what you went through last year and then not being able to start in last year's playoffs and then battling your mechanics to begin the season, what does it mean to you to sit right here, and can you kind of take us through that journey and then getting to this point right now?

MICHAEL KING: Definitely feels a lot better going into playoffs this year. Didn't know exactly what I was going to get last year, whether that be role or also mechanics and stuff just because, yeah, was just trying to get back and help out the team as much as I can.

This year is a totally different vibe coming into today -- or tomorrow, and really looking forward to it. I was able to make some good adjustments throughout the year, and I feel like we're in a pretty good spot coming into playoffs.

Q. Throughout the season, your overall numbers were always good, but it felt like in the first half you were sort of searching for that A-plus version of yourself. The second half in particular, what do you feel like clicked in?

MICHAEL KING: Mechanically, I got pretty consistent, especially with the fastball delivery. I think that having that fastball delivery allowed it so then I could command both fastballs and then be able to expand the breaking balls off of that.

I think the main key was getting fastball command, and by doing that, I think the velo was able to tick up a little bit, and, yeah, was able to actually hide the off-speed pitches by making them look like that fastball when I had no idea where I was going the first half. I don't think I really got very many chases because I couldn't locate the fastball.

Q. You said the other day before your start in 2024 here against the Braves that you had goosebumps warming up. Obviously it's going to be a tremendous atmosphere here. What do you anticipate the emotional side feeling like as you get ready for the start tomorrow?

MICHAEL KING: I fully expect the same noise that I heard in '24. I think that's why it's really important for us to get home field for the Wild Card. It's a special place to play meaningful baseball games.

Yeah, I think that I am happy I was able to have that experience because now I can kind of hone in a little bit more instead of not know what was going to happen that was really during my bullpen before the game and be able to kind of tap into that adrenaline and make sure I can focus that in on some good competition.

Q. This is a good Cubs lineup; a lot of power. Your early impressions of what their hitters can do?

MICHAEL KING: Very professional lineup. Top-down, not a lot of chasers, a lot of guys stick to their approach. They don't come out of it based on sequences. Veteran guys, power guys, speed guys, contact guys -- I think they were first in runs this year, and it shows.

I keep saying that, when the pitcher executes we have the upper hand. I've got to make sure that I'm executing throughout and putting up as many zeros as I possibly can.

Q. Can you take us back to that game last year? You struck out three in that inning. How did that unfold for you as far as coming out of the game? Did you leave the mound expecting to keep going?

MICHAEL KING: Yeah, I left because I didn't know my role. I wanted to make sure that I didn't check out, thinking that I was just a one-inning guy. I had no idea what my role was going to be, and Schultzy said you'll pitch Game 1 of the DS. So that was kind of my warmup for it, but obviously we didn't get there.

So some unfinished business there. Yeah, I plan on going more than one inning tomorrow.

Q. Tell us about your relationship with clay Holmes. That's a guy that I don't think he's pitching tomorrow, but what was it like being in that pen with him?

MICHAEL KING: Yeah, he's a stud. He was probably my best friend on the Yankees while we were there together. Both of us transitioned from reliever to starter. His sinker is one of the best in the game, getting guys on the ground. I think he also rose to the occasion when it came to the playoffs. I think that will be a good battle whenever he does throw. But it will be very easy to root against him if he is pitching.

Q. How is this team better equipped for a deeper postseason run than where you guys were a year ago with this team?

MICHAEL KING: I think we're firing on all cylinders. I think the last two months, two and a half months, the offense has possibly been the best in baseball. We've really come together as a starting rotation, and the bullpen is obviously a strong piece.

I think that, when you look at us, we don't really have many weaknesses. Similar like I was saying about the Cubs lineup, we've got a lot of contact, a lot of power, a lot of speed, guys that don't chase, guys that do chase, but can still put the ball over the fence when they do chase. It's a tough lineup to navigate as well.

I think that we're very confident in what we've been doing the last few weeks, and we're very happy that this is the time that we got hot, and we've just got to continue it throughout all this postseason.

Q. Luis Campusano has kind of become like your personal catcher. I imagine he starts with you tomorrow. Tell us how that relationship has really grown since Spring Training.

MICHAEL KING: Campy has developed a ton since I first met him in '24. I think that -- I know I said it a bunch, but his offensive stats have been awesome, and I think that it carries over from being able to shut off the offensive mind to the defensive mind. Whether he punches out or hits a homer, it's not like he's overly celebrating or overly upset with him. He sits down right next to me and we go over the next hitters.

He's locked into the scouting report. He's sitting in a meeting right now with the other catchers and our pitching group talking to these guys, so I know that he's going to be dialed in throughout the whole game.

Q. You mentioned 2024, having had that experience, the frustrations of last year, knowing that it could come, an opportunity like this, how much has that been in your mind and just like the hope to get to experience that again?

MICHAEL KING: The feeling is that it's pretty special. That adrenaline rush that you get feeling however many thousands of fans behind you is -- it's hard to put into words.

Yeah, I know we obviously didn't have home games last year. I didn't start last year. I definitely came into this year wanting to do that.

I think Marty and I were just talking about it the other day. I signed back here because I knew they were going to put a playoff roster together, and now it's just up to us to actually execute and go as deep as we can in October.

Q. What have you seen from Craig Stammen, first time manager, to help you guys get to 91 games? Now your expectations of him at the top step in this type of setting given the stakes of the game?

MICHAEL KING: He's been incredible. He has developed a ton, learned a ton. I always say that the best managers are the ones that aren't -- that show zero emotion. You can't have emotional decisions out there. You can't treat your players with emotions. Even though we were going through a couple really bad ruts, he stayed steady.

I think that having your lead guy be the one that's steady through it all trickles down to all of us players, and we knew that we weren't going to panic and sell or just give up and go for it next year.

So having a guy like that at the head made us very calm and confident throughout the whole season.

Q. At some point Ethan might be catching playoff games at age 20. Can you kind of put into context how crazy it is and what you've seen from him that could allow him to do so?

MICHAEL KING: Yeah, he's a stud. He obviously has a ton of talent. 20 years old in the Big Leagues, you've got to have a ton of talent. But mentally I think it's -- catcher's got to be the hardest position to break in. There are so many things that I had to learn as a starting pitcher.

I can't imagine learning it as a catcher knowing all 13 pitchers on the staff but also knowing the scouting report and knowing how each one of these pitcher's scouting report also lines up with the hitter.

So it's a ton of information for him to absorb. He continues to ask awesome questions. He continues to learn. Every time he gets beat, he asks Ruben why was it a poorly executed pitch, was it poorly executed or just the wrong pitch? You can tell he's going to learn throughout his career. I've got a ton of confidence in him calling games right now at 20 years olds only being on this team for a month. It will be special to watch him out there.

Q. Just going back to your answer about the last month of the season, since you guys were behind a good piece in the Wild Card race and then you had to make up that ground, pass, and hold it, how much did basically playing playoff baseball every day set you up to going into the actual playoffs?

MICHAEL KING: Yeah, we kind of like having our backs up against the wall. I think it's definitely a testament to the mentality of the team, and we know, yeah, there are games we have to win. There are series that we have to win.

Stammen managed like there were some series that we had to win, and it makes it so now going into tomorrow it's not like this huge jump in expectations.

So similar to like I said about Stammen, we're steady. We're confident. And we're going to go play Padres baseball. And we've been there before.

Q. I know as a starting pitcher you kind of put your own offense out of your mind. You can't really worry about what they are or are not doing. I do wonder in the last six, eight weeks how maybe their performance has impacted your group and sort of how it's changed the way you guys have felt?

MICHAEL KING: The offensive performance definitely dictates the dugout. When you see us going nuts in the dugout, it's because the offense, not because I struck out the side. I think that that adds to the positivity in the dugout, and as a pitcher, when they're putting up runs, it usually eliminates a lot of the hard work that I have to do.

There's a lot of times the running game shuts down, a lot of times guys have to see strike one because their starting pitcher just got abused for 40 pitches and you don't want him to have a 6-pitch inning and go right back out there.

There are a lot of things that make my job easier when the offense is really clicking, but then also knowing that, yeah, if I do give up a run or two early on in the game, it's not to panic and say, oh, now we're never going to score and we lost the game. We've got a ton of confidence in that lineup to make some comebacks.

Think the first six weeks the only reason we were good because we were hitting it into the eighth, ninth inning, and now we're piecing together all nine, so gives us a lot of confidence regardless of how we do on the mound.

Q. Nick Pivetta was the choice last year to start Game 1. What did you see out of him last week in L.A. as far as getting back to that guy?

MICHAEL KING: I mean, he's incredible. He's been back to it since he really came back. I think it's really hard. It happened to me last year, battling back through injury. It takes away your mentality of competing against Big League hitters, and he did it with ease.

It was a great buildup to the Dodgers game, and that was kind of almost a playoff test for him. So now when he goes, I've got a ton of confidence in him to not just be that kind of three-inning guy and turn it over to the bullpen. I'm going to trust him like he's the Game 1 starter like he was last year and roll for us.

So huge to have him back in this rotation. I think it settled us down a lot as a staff and gave us a ton of options for the rest of the playoffs.

Q. Michael, I know you were asked about the overall lineup earlier, but just pie crow Armstrong particularly is having an NL MVP kind of season. What is it particularly about him that you find so impressive?

MICHAEL KING: I think his development and how he adjusted. You saw last year there was still a ton of strikeouts, a ton of chase, and he's fully taken that down. So now you have a guy that is super toolsy, that obviously plays phenomenal defense, but now you're up at the plate with a ton of contact, a ton of power, and not a ton of chase. Like you said, it's an MVP season.

Having him start them off is definitely a test and definitely something that we have to focus on of keeping him off the bases and setting the tone early.

Q. Now that it's the postseason, I imagine the bullpen is going to get kind of run loose, which is kind of what Preller, I'm sure, had in mind when he put this thing together. When you have those guys coming up behind you knowing that playoff victories can be on the line, as long as you can maintain having the lead and you go and have a good outing, how much better does that feel for a starting pitcher on the mound?

MICHAEL KING: I'd actually disagree with you there because I hate getting pulled, and I like having that role of saving the bullpen. I know that in the playoffs there is no saving the bullpen. If I can go as deep as I can in the game and make sure they are ready for Game 2 and possibly Game 3 and obviously the next series, then I've done my job. I always joke and tell more hone that he's got two more innings when I'm pitching, but I want to go out there and pitch all nine so he doesn't have to pitch. That would be my ideal.

No, I mean, they're by far the best part of our group, probably definitely put together an incredible bullpen. I always say pitching wins championships. I think it starts with the starters, but when you've got guys like more hone and Mason closing down what could be the last four innings in a playoff game, it's pretty impressive.

Q. Kind of piggy-backing off that in the high leverage situations that the bullpen has been in over the past couple of weeks, just from a spectator standpoint, what have you seen and kind of the growth they've had in that arena?

MICHAEL KING: I think that it started early where we were in a ton of tight games. You couldn't just run out may on for four straight games. You had to kind of give these other guys opportunities. Now all of a sudden, you see six guys down there that have pitched and succeeded in high leverage situations. In the playoffs, even if we're losing early, it's still high leverage situations because we're going to play like we've got to win it and come back.

You got some underrated guys down there that are going to pitch huge outs for us and get huge outs for us throughout this series and have done it throughout the whole year. So I think that gave them a ton of confidence because they were trusted in those situations and actually had success in those situations.

Q. I know this was a ways to go, but the last year you guys did have against the Cubs, I think you turned the page really well, but just thinking back how different this team is, is that a little bulletin board material and really a bad taste that's been in your mouth since that series?

MICHAEL KING: It's hard to look back on those, just like you said. We are a totally different team. I think that they were also kind of a streaky team at the time. They went through a 10-game win streak and a 10-game losing streak. We were not hitting, and we were not pitching very well. So it was a good time for them to see us then.

So, yeah, we have a totally different outlook on this series coming in, totally different game plan of how we're going to attack because we've got a lot of confidence in our pitchers and hitters to actually execute this time.