There would be a review. The Padres had to wait.
But a triple play would stand, and they would get to celebrate.
The replay review ultimately confirmed that a grounder by Miguel Rojas, fielded by Manny Machado and thrown to Jake Cronenworth and then on to Donovan Solano ended a 4-2 victory.
A TRIPLE PLAY! TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE POSTSEASON! UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/NfbCRgt0Y6
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 25, 2024
The Padres gathered for a low-key celebration on the infield.
Lockers covered by plastic and several dozen bottles of champagne awaited them in the visitors clubhouse.
With Tuesday’s victory at Dodger Stadium, the site of so much frustration for the Padres in recent years, there was elation.
The Padres are headed to the postseason for the third time in five years and for the eighth time ever.
In beating the Dodgers for the eighth time in 11 meetings this season, the Padres moved within two games of the National League West leaders with two games remaining in this series and five games left in the regular season.
So, with a postseason berth in hand, the Padres are now pushing for a bye in the first round.
On a night that began with a buzz in the air before the visitors quieted the 50,000-plus spread around the massive ballpark, the Padres engineered their 38th comeback victory of the season.
They took a 2-1 lead on Jake Cronenworth’s two-run homer in the top of the second and added two runs in the fourth inning when Cronenworth doubled in a run and Xander Bogaerts drove in another with a single.
Michael King allowed just an unearned run in five innings before five relievers closed out the Padres’ 91st victory.
The Dodgers went up early when Shohei Ohtani hit King’s first pitch down the right field line, where it bounced on the grass and then into the seats beyond the short wall in the corner, and then scored when Bogaerts’ sailed a throw on a Mookie Betts grounder over diminutive first baseman Donovan Solano and into the camera well next to the Padres’ dugout. That gifted Ohtani, who had stayed at second, home and put Betts on second.
After Freddie Freeman lined out, Teoscar Hernández singled to move Betts to third before Max Muncy flied out to shallow left field.
The defense (and Betts) then helped out King.
On a 1-2 pitch to Will Smith, Hernández took off for second and stopped about 10 feet short of the bag when catcher Kyle Higashioka’s throw arrived in front of him. Betts took a couple steps toward home at that point before retreating — but not in time to beat the throw from Cronenworth and tag by Manny Machado.
Cronenworth’s two-out homer over the short wall in right followed Jackson Merrill’s one-out single.
Two innings later, Bogaerts helped atone for his gaffe, and Cronenworth made Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack pay for one.
Just when it seemed Jurickson Profar’s lead-off double might go for naught after Machado struck out and Merrill flied out, Bogaerts singled past diving Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas to make it 3-1.
Boagerts went to second base on a balk by Knack, when the rookie stepped off the rubber to throw to first base and had to hold up because Freeman was not covering the bag. Two pitches later, a double by Cronenworth drove in Bogaerts.
Padres pitching took over from there.
King was at 54 pitches through two innings before getting through the third inning on 10 pitches and the fourth on 15.
Adrián Morejón was warming up as King began the bottom of the fifth.
King got Rojas on a groundout and Ohtani on a fly ball to left field that Profar, playing back, ran up 74 feet and dove to catch. The inning ended when Merrill leaped to catch a drive by Betts near the top of the wall in center field.
Morejón got two quick outs to start the bottom of the sixth before a single and a walk. That brought Mike Shildt from the dugout to replace Morejón with Jeremiah Estrada, who got Tommy Edman to pop out on one pitch.
With the left-handed-hitting Ohtani due up third in the bottom of the seventh, lefty Tanner Scott was next up.
That prompted the Dodgers to go with pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández, who bats from the right side. He lined a single into left field before Miguel Rojas grounded into a double play and Scott struck out Ohtani on three pitches.
Jason Adam retired Betts, on another diving catch by Profar and Freddie Freeman before Teoscar Hernández doubled. Muncy ended the inning with a fly ball to left field.
The Dodgers got a run on three straight singles off Robert Suarez before the final play.
