SAN DIEGO — Every postseason exit hurts. They can hurt for different reasons. Everyone hurts. This one, above all, is going to hurt for what could have been. And perhaps the cruelest of all: a potential game-tying, season-saving, chaos-causing home run off the bat of Manny Machado, slammed into the wall by Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell in Game 4. Just like that, the Padres’ season ended. They lost Game 4 of the NLDS to Milwaukee, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Petco Park. They lost the series by the same amount. Very easily, it could have been different. “It burns,” Machado said. “It’s pain. On this team, we fight all year, we deal with a lot of things as a group. We overcome a lot of things. It hurts right now, for sure. But at the same time, we’re proud of these guys, what they’ve accomplished, what they’ve done, what we did this year, a lot of great things. “Unfortunately. It just didn’t turn out the way we wanted. But take the hit and enjoy the ride we had.” This wasn’t 2024, when the Padres fell apart in the two most important games of their season. This wasn’t Year 25, when they failed and never reached the speed they thought they could. These Padres could have beaten the Brewers. For years, San Diegans swore they should have. They didn’t. For the first time in 111 years, a postseason series featured two teams that never were. separated by more than two runs in any game. And the Padres came out on the losing end. “It was a heavyweight battle,” France said. “They were the best team in baseball for a reason, and… we went blow for blow with them.” The Padres made no excuses afterward, and gave full credit to the Brewers, who won by 103, as deserving winners. Still, France and many others will always believe, deep down, that their Game 1 fly ball would have been a go-ahead home run. “The Padres are a great team,” Murphy said. “They could have won it all, but that’s just the postseason.” The ball does not bounce in your direction. [Legendary late Brewers broadcaster Bob] Uecker knocks the ball down from the rafters. And it is a different series. Chourio hits Miller and it’s a different series. “So, believe me, that team can beat anyone in baseball. I’m thankful we got through.” Over time, the disappointment will be complemented by the recognition that the Padres got there in the first place. Three games under .500 in late July, they stormed into the postseason with a scorching finish and then played six deeply memorable postseason games. And yet, the wait continues. There has never been an era in Padres baseball like this one. They have made the postseason in three consecutive years and five of seven. But this era still lacks its greatest achievement: the first World Series title in franchise history. “There’s a lot to be proud of this year,” manager Craig Stammen said. “A lot of things to come home and say, ‘Yeah, we did a pretty good job.’ But we’re not satisfied either. We won’t be satisfied until we finally bring that championship to San Diego. But this year it brought us one step closer.” An offseason full of questions lies ahead. The future of Adrián Morejón, Ty France and Michael King are the main questions. After Wednesday’s loss, all three expressed their desire to return. After the final out, Morejón walked slowly from the left-center field bullpen, teary-eyed, toward the local clubhouse. Standing in front of his locker a few minutes later, he explained that after throwing 31 pitches in the Game 1 loss, his shoulder began to hurt. He played ball before Games 3 and 4. The pain didn’t let up. On Wednesday, he told pitching coach Ruben Niebla that he had one inning left, although it might not be his best. The Padres chose to stay away. “I’m starting to think about everything from the last 10 years,” Morejón said. “…I feel like I have grown in this organization.” Without Morejón, the Padres had to rebuild everything. It worked in Game 3. In Game 4, well, they did what they could. Midway through the innings, it began to become clear: This vaunted bullpen was running out of gas, having covered such a heavy workload in the first three games. The Padres had built up a two-run deficit, with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s third-inning home run their only offense against Brewers starter Robert Gasser. (And, really, that’s where this game was lost.) Musgrove roared as he left the mound. “All the little things” blared. Tatis immediately drew a walk. And Machado took a really great swing on an Abner Uribe fastball. Machado leaned back in the batter’s box, as he does when he knows he’s gotten one. But Mitchell headed toward the wall and, channeling his inner Adam Jones, made the catch. “Good play,” Machado said afterward. “I should have hit him harder.” When the ball landed in Mitchell’s glove, Machado grabbed his head with both hands and lifted his helmet. His exasperated look said it all. Wasn’t it your night? Wasn’t it your series? Wasn’t it your year? And what hurts the most is that this is how it could have been.
