Rookie Salas has walk-off single in 10th as Padres beat Marlins 7-6, reduce magic number to 3

By: Bernie Wilson, The Associated Press Posted: 11:42 PM CDT Saturday, Sep. 19, 2026

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie Ethan Salas singled in Jake Cronenworth from third base with one out in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Miami Marlins 7-6 on Saturday night to lower their magic number to three for clinching their third straight postseason berth.

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Salas, the Padres’ top prospect who was called up Sept. 1, punched a single up the middle on an 0-2 pitch from Josh Ekness (2-4) and his teammates mobbed him in a wild celebration that ended up in the outfield.

Cronenworth, the automatic runner, advanced on a wild pitch. David Morgan (4-1) got the victory.

San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon celebrates the third out during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The winning hit came an inning after pinch-hitter Griffin Conine drove a towering, tying homer off Mason Miller with one out in the ninth.

The Padres won for the 12th time in 13 games and remained tied with the Chicago Cubs at 86-69 for the National League’s top wild-card spot, although the Cubs hold the tiebreaker. The Philadelphia Phillies lost 10-3 to the New York Mets to drop a game back.

The earliest the Padres can clinch a wild-card spot is Tuesday night at the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Miller was trying for a five-out save when Connine hit a 102-mph four-seamer an estimated 427 feet to right, his 17th.

Fernando Tatis Jr. tied it at 5 with a solo homer leading off the fourth off Eury Pérez for the Padres, who on Sunday will go for their second sweep of the Marlins this season.

Ty France then punched an opposite-field double over the outstretched glove of right fielder Esteury Ruiz with two outs in the sixth to bring in Dustin Harris, who was aboard on a one-out opposite field double to left. Harris extended his hitting streak to nine games.

The Marlins roughed up Casey Mize through three innings to take a 5-1 lead, including Otto Lopez’s two-run home run, his 11th, in the second.

San Diego’s Samad Taylor homered off Pérez in the second, his second, and the Padres scored three in the third, including on Jake Cronenworth’s bases-loaded walk.

Up next

Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (13-10, 3.85 ERA) and Padres RHP Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.58) were scheduled to start Sunday in the series finale.

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