SAN DIEGO (AP) — Michael King made his postseason debut for the New York Yankees in the AL playoff bubble during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at eerily empty Petco Park, where the only “fans” were a few thousand cardboard cutouts.
He pitched two innings in a loss in Game 3 in a Division Series that Tampa Bay won in five games.
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Michael King made his postseason debut for the New York Yankees in the AL playoff bubble during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at eerily empty Petco Park, where the only “fans” were a few thousand cardboard cutouts.
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, left, celebrates with general manager A.J. Preller after the Padres clinched a playoff spot with a triple play to end their baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt points during a practice a day before the first game of a National League wild-card baseball series against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado watches his single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, right, celebrates with Jake Cronenworth (9) after scoring on a throwing error by Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte in the first inning during a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during a baseball practice a day before the first game of a National League wild-card baseball series against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The right-hander will get the full playoff blast on Tuesday night when he starts for the Padres at sold-out Petco Park in the opener of a best-of-three Wild Card Series against Atlanta. The Braves clinched a berth by winning the second game of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday.
“I can't wait to see this place in the playoffs," King said. "Obviously, I did see it in the playoffs, but nobody was in the crowd and nobody wanted either the Yankees or the Rays to win. But the fans here are absolutely nuts and I am very excited to see what we can bring."
The Padres drew a club-record 3,314,593 fans to the downtown ballpark, with 56 sellouts in 80 games (they gave up a home game to play a two-game opening series in Seoul, South Korea, against the Los Angeles Dodgers).
King (13-9, 2.95 ERA) came over in the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees on Dec. 7. He is one of several new players who have helped give the Padres a different vibe than the 2023 squad, which had baseball's third-highest opening day payroll yet responded with the most disappointing season in club history.
The Padres are back in the playoffs for the first time since their stirring run to the NL Championship Series in 2022 that included eliminating the 111-win rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS on a rainy Saturday night, when the downtown ballpark practically shook.
“I've heard about that 2022 run and what they did, and I think that that’s incredibly uncomfortable for an opposing team to come into,” King said. "It's a lot to come in to that atmosphere. And knowing that they’re going to be even louder and probably even more somehow, it’s going to be a very tough time for our opponent and something that we’re going to have to feed off of.
"I can’t wait to turn up my PitchCom and make sure I can hear everything. But it’ll be a very fun time tomorrow.”
Mike Shildt, in his first year managing the Padres, said Joe Musgrove will start Wednesday night and Dylan Cease will start if a Game 3 is needed Thursday night. Yu Darvish will be on the playoff roster but work out of the bullpen.
Shildt replaced Bob Melvin, who reportedly clashed with general manager A.J. Preller and left for NL West rival San Francisco last October.
The Padres have come on strong since the All-Star break to clinch their third playoff berth since 2020.
Slugger Manny Machado has bounced back from a slow start following offseason elbow surgery. Fernando Tatis Jr. and his swagger returned after a two-month injury layoff. Center fielder Jackson Merrill is making a strong push for NL Rookie of the Year. Luis Arraez, acquired from Miami in early May, hit .314 to become the first player since the 1800s to win three batting titles with three different teams.
General manager A.J. Preller added to the rotation and bullpen at the trade deadline.
“Honestly, it's just a great group of guys,” Machado said. “We're just united, we're all pulling for each other. It's one big family in there.”
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San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, left, celebrates with general manager A.J. Preller after the Padres clinched a playoff spot with a triple play to end their baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, left, celebrates with general manager A.J. Preller after the Padres clinched a playoff spot with a triple play to end their baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt points during a practice a day before the first game of a National League wild-card baseball series against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado watches his single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado, right, celebrates with Jake Cronenworth (9) after scoring on a throwing error by Arizona Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte in the first inning during a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King throws during a baseball practice a day before the first game of a National League wild-card baseball series against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
NEW YORK (AP) — Another top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned Monday, even as the Democrat's lawyers launched a legal attack on the federal corruption case against him and asked a judge to toss out bribery charges.
Timothy Pearson, one of the mayor’s closest advisers, submitted his resignation Monday evening, weeks after federal agents seized cellphones, documents and cash from his Long Island home, said his attorney, Hugh H. Mo.
“A lot of allegations have been swirling in the media for months,” Mo said. “There are no merits to these allegations.
Pearson, a retired police inspector who served in the department alongside Adams, had a broad role that included overseeing contracts and security at migrant shelters while also maintaining significant influence over the police department.
He has not been publicly accused of wrongdoing by prosecutors or charged with a crime.
Adams, a Democrat, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he accepted lavish travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals, and in return performed favors including pushing through the opening of a Turkish consulate building.
The mayor’s attorneys filed a motion Monday saying that the cheap flights to overseas destinations, seat upgrades, free meals and free hotel rooms he got were not bribes, as that crime has been defined by federal law.
“Congressmen get upgrades, they get corner suites, they get better tables at restaurants, they get free appetizers, they have their iced tea filled up,” his attorney, Alex Spiro, said at a subsequent news conference. “Courtesies to politicians are not federal crimes.”
While not disputing that Adams accepted flight upgrades and deeply discounted or free travel, Spiro said his client had never promised to take action on behalf of the Turkish government in exchange for the perks, which prosecutors say were worth more than $100,000.
“There was no quid pro quo. There was no this for that,” Spiro said.
The mayor has vowed to continue serving while fighting the charges, which he has suggested — without providing evidence — are politically motivated.
On top of the case against Adams, federal prosecutors are believed to be leading separate ongoing investigations into several top city officials with deep ties to the mayor. The drumbeat of searches and subpoenas in recent weeks has prompted the resignation of the city’s police commissioner and schools chancellor, along with some calls for the mayor to resign.
Even before the federal scrutiny, Pearson had faced multiple scandals. While serving as an adviser to the mayor, he was also collecting a paycheck as an executive at a casino seeking a state contract — an arrangement that ended after it was revealed by The New York Times two years ago.
His role in a brawl at migrant shelter last fall, where he was accused of physically attacking security guards, is currently being probed by the city’s Department of Investigation. And he faces multiple lawsuits accusing him of sexually harassing female subordinates while leading a new unit created by Adams to monitor other city agencies.
In a statement, Adams said Pearson had spent 30 years “keeping New Yorkers safe” in both the public and private sector. “We appreciate Tim’s decades of service to this city and wish him well,” Adams said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat who has the power to remove Adams from office, told reporters Monday that she had spoken to the mayor about “what my expectations are” but also indicated she wasn't ready to give up on his administration.
“I am giving the mayor an opportunity now to demonstrate to New Yorkers — and to me — that we are righting the ship, that we have the opportunity to instill the confidence that I think is wavering right now and to power forward with an effective government,” she said.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office brought the case, has said that politics played no role. At a news conference on an unrelated topic Monday, Williams declined to comment on Spiro's remarks, saying prosecutors would speak through its court filings going forward.
Prosecutors say Adams accepted at least seven free and steeply discounted flights, along with luxury hotel stays, high-end meals, entertainment and illegal foreign donations, from a Turkish official and others seeking to buy his influence.
In September 2021, the official sought to cash in on the favors by asking Adams to expedite the opening of the 36-story Manhattan consulate building, which fire safety inspectors said was not safe to occupy, ahead of an important state visit by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the indictment.
Adams then sent a series of text messages to the fire commissioner pushing for him to open the building — something that Spiro also did not dispute.
At the time, Adams was still serving as Brooklyn borough president, a largely ceremonial position, but had already won the mayoral primary and was widely expected to become mayor.
Prosecutors said Adams did not disclose most of the free or heavily discounted trips he took while borough president, as required by city conflict-of-interest laws.
At the news conference, Spiro initially said Adams was not legally obligated to disclose any of the trips or upgrades, but later acknowledged — after reporters noted city rules that required some types of gifts and travel perks to be reported — that he was not an expert in the city’s conflict-of-interest law.
Defense attorneys claim the additional charges against Adams — that he solicited and accepted foreign donations and manipulated the city’s matching funds program — would soon be revealed as “equally meritless.”
They said a former Adams staffer had lied to prosecutors to make it seem like the mayor had firsthand knowledge of the illegal donations.
“Eventually New Yorkers, being New Yorkers, are going to wise up to all this,” Spiro said.
Adams is due back in court Wednesday for a conference.
Alex Spiro, attorney for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, speaks during a news conference, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Alex Spiro, attorney for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, speaks during a news conference, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to reporters after a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Alex Spiro, attorney for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, speaks during a news conference, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams participates in a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York City mayor Eric Adams, right, appears outside Manhattan federal court after an appearance, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Attorneys for NYC Mayor Eric Adams seek dismissal of bribery charge brought by 'zealous prosecutors'
Attorneys for NYC Mayor Eric Adams seek dismissal of bribery charge brought by 'zealous prosecutors'
