Padres feel Peter Seidler’s presence in triple play to close out win over Dodgers, clinching playoff spot – San Diego Union-Tribune

LOS ANGELES — Here, in this place where he practically grew up and where he wanted to beat the team he wanted to beat more than any other, the Padres felt the presence of the man whose initials they had worn in their hearts all season.

“I really feel like Peter Seidler was there tonight because it was a really fitting way to end that game,” Mike Shildt said of the late Padres president.

They seemed to believe Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over the Dodgers, which brought them one step closer to the championship Seidler promised to bring to San Diego, was the result of an act from above.

In particular, the final out — Miguel Rojas batted the ball, intercepted it by Manny Machado, and passed it to Jake Cronenworth and then to Donovan Solano — was the first triple play in Major League Baseball history, ending a game and sending a team into the postseason.

“He’s been with us all year,” Manny Machado said. “He’s shining on us. He’s smiling, he’s enjoying this win with us, he’s enjoying the celebration. How much better than when he’s in a tough spot with (Shohei) Ohtani in the on-deck circle and we’re hitting a triple play to end the game with one of the best teams in baseball? I mean, he’s watching us.”

TRIPLE PLAY! TO SECURE A SPOT IN POSTSEASON! UNREAL! photo:twitter.com/NfbCRgt0Y6

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 25, 2024

After the results of the replay review were announced, confirming that Robert Suarez had been saved and the Padres would play in October for the third time in five years, the Padres players gathered for an intimate victory celebration in the infield.

In the guests’ club, they were greeted by lockers covered with plastic and several dozen bottles of champagne.

As a result of this celebration, part of the floor was ankle-deep in alcohol.

The Padres still have a long way to go to realize the dream of Seidler, the team’s president until his death in November.

But after Tuesday’s victory at Dodger Stadium, built under the leadership of Seidler’s grandfather, Walter O’Malley, who moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn, there was euphoria.

The Padres were 50-50 on July 19 and have an MLB-best 41-16 record since then. They have had the worst start of Machado’s career as he struggles to return from offseason elbow surgery. Fernando Tatis Jr. has been out for 2½ months as he rehabs a leg injury. Starting pitchers Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have missed significant time.

“Difficult things taste better at the end,” Machado said as champagne and beer flowed from every part of his body.

By beating the Dodgers for the eighth time in 11 meetings this season, the Padres moved to within two games of the National League West lead with two games remaining in this series and five games remaining in the regular season.

They talked to each other about the work that wasn’t done yet. If they won the next two games in this series and beat the Diamondbacks, they would win the National League West for the first time since 2006.

“We got the win and we have baseball tomorrow,” Jackson Merrill said. “I’m thinking about tomorrow. We’ve got to win two more. I want that division. I think everybody here wants that division. We can have fun tonight, but we’ve got to come in tomorrow and sweat it out.”

With their postseason berth secured, the Padres now battle for a first-round bye.

“We’re done now,” Tatis said. “… Party and come back and work hard.”

There were no limits on how much alcohol was poured on each other. But there was significantly less drinking than in 2022. Dylan Cease, who will start Wednesday’s match, didn’t drink a drop.

“I want to win tomorrow,” he said.

On a night that began with excitement before the visitors silenced the 50,000-plus fans in the massive stadium, the Padres notched their 38th win of the season.

They took a 2-1 lead on Jake Cronenworth’s two-run home run in the second half of the game, and added two more in the fourth inning when Cronenworth doubled and Xander Bogaerts singled.

Michael King allowed just one run in five innings before five relievers sealed the Padres’ 91st victory.

The Dodgers took an early lead when Ohtani hit King’s first pitch down the right-field line, where it bounced into the grass and then into the seats behind the short wall in the corner, and then scored when Bogaerts sent a grounder to Mookie Betts over diminutive first baseman Donovan Solano and into the camera just outside the Padres bench. That gave Ohtani, who had been on second base, a home run and put Betts on second base.

After Freddie Freeman struck out, Teoscar Hernández singled to move Betts to third base, then Max Muncy hit a fly ball to shallow left field.

Then the defense (and Betts) helped King.

On a 1-2 throw to Will Smith, Hernández moved to second base and stopped about 10 feet short of the base when catcher Kyle Higashioka’s throw landed in front of him. Betts took a few steps toward home at that point before retreating — but not in time to beat Cronenworth’s throw and tag Manny Machado.

Cronenworth’s two-out home run over the short wall in right field followed Jackson Merrill’s single with one out.

Two innings later, Bogaerts helped atone for his gaffe, and Cronenworth made Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack pay for it.

Just when it looked like Jurickson Profar’s game-opening double would go down the drain after Machado was thrown out of the game and Merrill went airborne, Bogaerts singled past Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas to make it 3-1.

Boagerts reached second base on a Knack bounce when the rookie came off the rubber to throw to first base and had to stop because Freeman wasn’t covering the bag. Two pitches later, Cronenworth’s double drove in Bogaerts.

From that point on, the Padres pitchers took over.

King threw 54 balls over two innings before managing 10 in the third and 15 in the fourth.

Adrián Morejón was warming up as King began the bottom of the fifth inning.

King caught Rojas on a groundout and Ohtani on a fly ball to left field that Profar, playing behind, ran 74 feet and dived to catch. The inning ended when Merrill leapt to catch Betts’ drive near the top of the center-field wall.

Morejón struck out fastball in the top of the sixth inning before getting a single and a walk. That prompted Mike Shildt to replace Morejón with Jeremiah Estrada, who forced Tommy Edman to single.

With the left-handed Ohtani set to lead off third in the bottom of the seventh inning, left-handed Tanner Scott was next.

That prompted the Dodgers to select pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández, batting from the right side, who singled to left field before Miguel Rojas hit a double play and Scott struck out Ohtani with three runs.

Jason Adam retired Betts, following 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 scored three in a row on Suarez singles before the final outs came shortly after.

“You watch that triple play, you think of Peter,” said president of baseball operations AJ Preller, the architect of the roster. “That’s the only way it could have ended. We’re all doing this for Peter Seidler, the Seidler family.”

Originally published: September 24, 2024 at 9:58 PM