Ethan Salas delivered the biggest hit of his young MLB career Saturday night and helped give the San Diego Padres a 7-6 walk-off win over the Miami Marlins at Petco Park.
The Padres and Marlins entered the bottom of the 10th tied at 6-6. Jake Cronenworth started the inning as the automatic runner and moved to third on a wild pitch. With one out and a 0-2 count, Salas came off the bench and lined a single up the middle against Marlins reliever Josh Ekness, bringing Cronenworth home.
The walk-off hit marked the first of Salasâ MLB career. The 20-year-old catcher also became the youngest player to record a walk-off RBI since Manny Machado did it for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012.
Salas joined the Padres on September 1 and has quickly earned opportunities in crucial situations. Manager Mike Shildt turned to him with the game on the line, and Salas responded with a clean base hit against an 0-2 pitch.
The victory also mattered for San DiegoâÂÂs playoff position. The Padres improved to 86-69 and reduced their magic number to three to clinch a third consecutive postseason appearance.
San Diego has also won 12 of its last 13 games, keeping the Padres firmly in the National League wild-card race alongside the Chicago Cubs. With only a handful of regular-season games remaining, every win carries importance.
The Padres will continue their series against Miami on Sunday at Petco Park before beginning another late-season push toward October. Salasâ walk-off gives San Diego another timely contribution from its young catcher as the Padres close in on a playoff berth.