Stardate 10.07.2026
Golden Hour looked a little different this morning.
My prayers and meditation were complete, and I was sitting downstairs in the dining room of my hotel in Lawrence, Kansas. My smartwatch battery had died during the night, so there would be no complete sleep report waiting for me this morning.
I checked on the Padres.
They are still alive.
San Diego defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4–3 last night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. The Padres had already lost the first two games and needed a victory to keep their season going.
The circumstances around the game made the challenge even greater.
Mason Miller, one of San Diego's top late-inning pitchers, was unavailable after his wife went into labor with their first child. Adrian Morejon, another important bullpen arm, was unavailable because of a shoulder issue.
The Padres had to adjust.
Jake Cronenworth hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Manny Machado drove in another run. San Diego carried a 4–3 lead into the ninth inning.
Then Michael King took the mound.
King had started Game 2 two days earlier and had thrown 72 pitches. He had not pitched in relief during the 2026 season.
Last night, he recorded the final six outs.
The Brewers put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning. Christian Yelich came to the plate with the game hanging in the balance.
King got a ground ball.
Xander Bogaerts started the game-ending double play.
Ballgame.
The Padres had survived another one.
All three games in this series have been decided by one run. Milwaukee won the first game 3–2. The Brewers won Game 2 by a score of 4–3 in walk-off fashion. San Diego answered with its own 4–3 victory last night.
Now the series moves back to San Diego.
The Padres need to win tonight at home to force a decisive Game 5 in Milwaukee. If they get there, they will have to win again on the road to continue their postseason.
They have some work to do.
They are worth watching.
I think that is part of what has kept my attention throughout this series.
Both teams have played well in front of their home crowds. Every game has come down to a few important moments. A pitch. A swing. A defensive play. Last night, the Padres had to piece together the final innings with pitchers who were available.
That happens in baseball.
It happens in life, too.
Plans change. Circumstances arrive that we didn't expect. Sometimes someone who was supposed to help us isn't available, and we have to figure out what comes next.
We keep going.
That doesn't guarantee the outcome we want. It gives us another opportunity to find a path forward.
Great teams have a way of finding a path forward when the odds turn against them.
I have had plenty of moments in my own life when the original plan changed. Looking back, some of those moments opened doors I never would have found on the original path.
This morning, sitting in a hotel dining room with no sleep report and a Padres team that somehow found a way to survive, I was reminded of something simple.
Keep going.
Psalm 90:17 says:
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”
That is a prayer I can carry with me today.
The Padres have another game tonight.
So do I.
Join me here:
https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
Captain's Addendum
Spock: “Michael, the Padres have demonstrated an interesting capacity for adaptation.”
Bones: “And you needed a baseball game to remind you of that?”
Spock: “Apparently, Doctor.”
I think Bones may have a point.
I don't know what every day will bring. I do know I can begin the day with prayer, take the next step, and trust God with the part I cannot control.
That feels like enough for this morning.
Live long and prosper.
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