The San Diego Padres used nine different pitchers to shut out the St Louis Cardinals and punch their ticket to the second round of the Major League Baseball playoffs with a 4-0 winner-take-all victory in Game 3 on Friday.
San Diego’s bullpen by committee resulted in nine pitchers combining for a nine-inning MLB shutout for the first time since 1901.
Austin Adams pitched one third of an inning of relief to get the win and right-hander Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth as the Padres won the wild-card playoff contest at Petco Park in San Diego.
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“What those guys did this series and tonight: Wow,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “They’ve been overworked, they’ve been overtaxed.”
“Tonight, for me, was a team-oriented win as so many guys contributed again. That’s who we are. That’s why we’re going to continue to keep playing,” Tingler said.
The Padres face the top seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five National League Divisional Series on Tuesday in the quarantine bubble in Texas.
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The Padres’ Eric Hosmer started the scoring with a run-batted-in double to the outfield wall in the fifth inning. San Diego broke the game open with a two-run seventh and tacked on another run with a late Jake Cronenworth’s homer to win their first playoff series since 1998 — when they reached the World Series against the New York Yankees.
Cronenworth capped the scoring by blasting a towering homer in the eighth inning. He finished with three hits and scored two runs, while Hosmer brought in runs with his double and a bases-loaded walk.
The Padres have no choice but to use their bullpen extensively in the playoffs after starters Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger sustained injuries.
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Surprise Game 3 starter Craig Stammen, who was making his first start since 2010 with the Washington Nationals, allowed one hit in 1-2/3 innings.
He was followed by Tim Hill (one inning), Pierce Johnson (one-third of an inning), Adrian Morejon (1-2/3 innings), Adams, Luis Patino (one inning), Emilio Pagan (one inning), Drew Pomeranz (one inning) and Rosenthal.
“We’re trying to write our own piece of history right now,” Stammen said.
Photo: AP
In Chicago, Garrett Cooper smacked a two-out home run off Chicago’s Yu Darvish as the Miami Marlins defeated the Cubs 2-0 at Wrigley Field to advance.
The Marlins, who had not reached the playoffs since winning the 2003 World Series, captured their best-of-three first round series with the Cubs in two games.
“That’s probably the best feeling I’ve had in my baseball career, the biggest home run that I’ve had in my baseball career,” Cooper said. “It’s just something that you can’t explain.”
Photo: AFP
Next for Miami are National League East division rival the Atlanta Braves to decide a berth in the National League Championship Series. Game 1 is on Tuesday morning Taiwan time.
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Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY
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