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Padres' Ethan Salas made history and proved he belonged in one night

The Chosen One is here.
ByPJ Potter
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Sep 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pinch hitter Ethan Salas (8) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pinch hitter Ethan Salas (8) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The San Diego Padres brought plenty of fireworks into the postseason. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado erupted the city with two early home runs in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Cubs. Michael King had a signature start, too.

Then in Game 2, the Friars kept the momentum on their side to clinch the series. There were several big moments, and included in that was Ethan Salas' postseason debut.

The 20-year-old became the youngest catcher to start a game in MLB playoff history, but he didn't just bask in the accomplishment. San Diego's Minor League Player of the Year was a major contributor in the 4-1 win. Had we not known better, we would've thought he was a veteran out there.

Ethan Salas' postseason debut helped Padres advance to NLDS

Right out of the gate, Salas showed he possessed no jitters. With one out in the top of the first inning, Salas challenged a 3-0 pitch against Alex Bregman. Initially called a ball, Salas tapped the top of his helmet to signal the challenge, which was overturned. Nick Pivetta then struck out Bregman and en route to a 1-2-3 first inning.

Succeeding in a challenge might not seem like a big deal, but we're talking about a 20-year-old catching the second at-bat of his postseason career. Doing so in that situation takes some stones. Plus, it was really early in the game, and potentially losing a challenge for the remainder of the night would be costly. Salas showed tremendous acumen in the moment.

Then in the second inning, Salas drove in the eventual game-winning run on a sacrifice fly RBI to score Jackson Merrill, which gave San Diego a 2-0 lead. With that, he became the youngest catcher in postseason history to record an RBI.

So, it was a night to remember for the Padres community. After losing to the Cubs in the playoffs last year, it was esepcially exciting to trounce them this fall. Having our top prospect be part of that success made things even better.

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