The Padres' “King For A Day” is their starter as they calm the Braves in the opener

The San Diego Padres are just one game away from advancing to the National League Division Series, and the hat goes to Juan Soto for that.

Soto, the New York Yankees star, was not at Petco Park Tuesday night. But there were two players acquired for him in the offseason.

Right-hander Michael King, a key figure in that Soto trade, and catcher Kyle Higashioka, another player coming West, contributed to the Padres' 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the opening game of the National League Wild Card Series.

One more win and the Padres are packing for a Saturday date with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

King was sensational as he pitched six innings in his first postseason start, allowing just five hits and recording ten strikeouts, putting an exclamation point on his first Padres season.

The one-time reliever, who moved to starter this year, went 12-9 with a 2.85 ERA before his electric performance brought the Braves to the brink of elimination in this best-of-three format .

The combination of King's selection of four-seam fastballs and tricky offspeed pitches – sweeper, sinker, changeup, slider – led to his dominant performance.

King had a strikeout in all but one of his frames, as the Braves frequently hit throws well outside the strike zone.

“He located his heaters both inside and outside,” Atlanta catcher Travis d'Arnaud said. “He put a sinker behind the door and then came back with a four-seater. He did a great job, just like he has all year.”

Padres manager Mike Schildt agreed.

“I thought it was fantastic, everything worked,” he said. “His mistakes were where he wanted them to be. I thought he and Higgy were on the same page.

“He had a really good sinker, you could see a lot of movement. The change was messy. And the sweeper and pusher were good too. “He pitched really exceptionally well.”

The biggest jam King managed came in the third inning when Michael Harris and Marcell Ozuna singled with two outs. But King came back and fended off cleanup hitter Matt Olson to nullify the rally.

It was a sign of what was to follow for the Braves as they went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and scoring each time.

“I think I felt the pressure from the start of the game and wanted to use it to my advantage and build it,” King said. “The feeling of the crowd noise, knowing how big postseason games are, that all benefited my mentality throughout the game.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. took the excited, sellout crowd to new heights with his two-run home run in the first inning. Tatis' shot landed deep in the left stands, giving the Padres a 2-0 lead while some were still finding their spots.

“I know it would go out,” Tatis said. “I didn’t know it was going to end up in the second deck just because it was so high. I was fortunate enough to get the path of my bat where I wanted it and the next thing I know we know the ball is in the stands.”

However, AJ Smith-Shawver struggled to find his footing. The right-hander made his second start of the season after spending most of the season at Triple A.

“He handles up and down pitches really well,” Smith-Shawver said. “I tried to go outside and it kind of entered his wheelhouse.”

The Braves had to qualify for the playoffs after a doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday, so Smith-Shawver got the nod.

Shawver, the team's top prospect early in the season, lasted just 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits.

He brought in Jake Cronenworth to start the second inning, and Cronenworth eventually managed to score on Higashioka's run-scoring fly ball.

Higashioka has been a gem since joining the Padres, especially considering he's making $2.1 million this year.

Some considered him an afterthought in the Soto deal, but Higashioka went on to set career highs in home runs (17), RBIs (45), runs (29) and total bases (117).

He capped the Padres' triumph by adding a solo home run in the eighth for the final score.