The San Diego Padres are officially headed to the National League Divisional Series after defeating the Atlanta Braves 5-4 in Game 2 of a National League Wild Card Series on Wednesday at Petco Park in San Diego.

All of the Padres’ runs came in the second inning and the Braves, trailing 5-1 through two frames, nearly pulled off the comeback to keep their season alive and force a Game 3 on Thursday if necessary.

But it wasn’t meant to be, and San Diego faces the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS to win its first National League pennant since 1998.

And Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka can be seen as a big reason why.

In addition to snapping Game 1 starter Michael King’s seven-inning, 12-strikeout shutout on Tuesday, Higashioka also made his presence felt on the field.

Higashioka hit solo home runs on Tuesday and Wednesday. His home run on Wednesday tied the game at 1-1 before Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill each scored two more runs, all in the second inning.

According to the ESPN broadcast, those two home runs made Higashioka the first catcher in San Diego history to hit a home run in two consecutive playoff games.

Higashioka is in his eighth major league season, but first with the Padres. He was acquired as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, where Higashioka previously played all seven years of his career.

Higashioka set career highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (45) this season while playing in just 84 games. He batted .220 in the regular season.

The usual players you would expect (Machado, Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez) all made their presence known in the Wild Card sweep in San Diego. But players like Higashioka have also stepped up.

And that trend must continue if the Padres hope to beat their NL West opponents and World Series favorites the Dodgers.

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