Padres’ Wild Card home-field chase could put Michael King’s Game 1 start at risk

Michael King is set to start September 22 against the Dodgers. However, what the Padres do with him on Sunday could shape their first 2026 postseason game. Entering Sept. 21, San Diego and Chicago are both 87–69, with Philadelphia one game behind. The Cubs own the tiebreaker over the Padres. So do the Phillies. If all three finish with the same record, Chicago gets the top Wild Card seed, Philadelphia gets the next one, and San Diego heads on the road as No. 6, likely to Atlanta.

That explains why the Padres can’t treat their final six games as a leisurely walk toward October. To host a Wild Card Series at Petco Park, they need to finish ahead of Chicago outright.

Craig Stammen’s Michael King plan has a Sunday contingency

Craig Stammen has already made one smart move. By shifting King to Tuesday’s opener in Los Angeles, he has lined up his ace to pitch Sunday’s regular-season finale against Arizona on normal rest if the Friars still need a win to get into the playoffs. Stammen has said that if King doesn’t pitch Sunday, he would most likely start Wild Card Game 1.

The harder call comes if the Padres clinch before Sunday while the top Wild Card seed remains in reach. King could help win a game that brings October baseball through Petco. Pitch him in the finale, though, and he would have only Monday off before the Wild Card Series opens Tuesday.

We’d draw the line at the berth. If Sunday decides whether San Diego gets in, give King the ball. If the Padres have already clinched, save him for Game 1 and chase home field with the rest of the staff and their strong bullpen.

Petco would be a real advantage. Three potential playoff games in front of that crowd are definitely worth fighting for. The Padres still have capable starters beyond King, and Stammen can manage the final weekend aggressively without spending his best arm two days before a best-of-three series.

Moving King up gave the Padres an emergency option. They don’t have to use it simply because the standings make Sunday tense. This team has worked too hard to reach October to open its first series with its ace watching from the dugout because it chased one last seed.

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