Facing postseason elimination, the San Diego Padres defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Petco Park. The victory narrowed Milwaukee’s series lead to 2-1 and was sealed by Michael King earning a dramatic six-out save.
The San Diego Padres entered Tuesday night with their season resting on a razor’s edge. Trailing two games to none in the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the club faced the prospect of a swift postseason exit at Petco Park. With no space at all between them and the wall, San Diego sought any possible route to stay alive after falling behind 0-2.
What followed was a tense, back-and-forth battle that kept both dugouts on high alert. The Padres struck first, getting early production from Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill, but the relentless Brewers clawed their way back. William Contreras launched a solo home run for Milwaukee in the top of the fourth inning, and Christian Yelich later drove in a run in the seventh to cut the deficit to a single run. Every game in the series thus far had been decided by a single tally, marking the first time a postseason series began with three straight one-run decisions since the 2021 National League Championship Series.
Jake Cronenworth Homers and Xander Bogaerts Capitalizes on Hustle
With the score tied in the fifth inning, Jake Cronenworth broke the stalemate by launching a solo home run off Brewers reliever JoJo Romero into the seats. The left-on-left blast put the Padres back in front and electrified the San Diego stands. Earlier in the contest, Cronenworth noted that his team had been fighting since before the trade deadline simply to survive.
“It’s hard to describe, but it’s one of those things that just when it happens, you get excited. I don’t know what else to say.”
Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres player
San Diego manufactured an insurance run in the sixth inning through heads-up baserunning from Xander Bogaerts. As Miguel Andujar grounded out with a broken bat, Bogaerts evaded the bouncing debris, raced toward third base, and capitalized when Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt threw the ball away, sliding home safely to extend the lead to 4-2.
Michael King Pitches Two Scoreless Innings for a Six-Out Save
Michael King, who had thrown 72 pitches during a five-inning start just two days prior in Game 2, made a dramatic emergence from the bullpen into a darkened Petco Park for the eighth inning. With Adrian Morejon unavailable due to a sore shoulder, the Padres leaned heavily on King to bridge the gap.
“He came in the office today and said, ‘I’m available to pitch, I’m available to pitch the next day and I’m available to pitch Game 5,'”
Craig Stammen, San Diego Padres manager
King navigated a high-stress 40-pitch outing to record his first postseason save and his first save since 2023. After a clean eighth, he ran into trouble in the ninth when Milwaukee put runners on first and second with one out following walks to Contreras and Brice Turang. Facing Christian Yelich, King induced a 107 mph ground ball that went straight to shortstop.
Historic Postseason Road Skid for Milwaukee and What Lies Ahead in Game 4
The loss extended a grim streak for the Brewers, who have now dropped 12 consecutive postseason road games dating back to the 2018 NLCS. Despite out-hitting San Diego 11-6 and drawing four walks, Milwaukee left 11 runners on base and failed to execute with runners in scoring position.
“That’s part of baseball. When you’re facing a good team with a good pitching staff, that’s part of it. We didn’t get the big hit at the big time, but do you fault Yelly for hitting one 107 there and Bogaerts making a great play? They’ve got a great team, and they played great defense tonight.”
Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers manager
PT start.
