Boston College Professional Athletes

For Boston College alumni tracking the 2026 postseason, there's one Eagle worth watching closely in the NLCS — and his name keeps appearing in Milwaukee's biggest lineup decisions.

Sal Frelick, RF, Milwaukee Brewers

Sal Frelick isn't just along for the ride in the Brewers' National League Championship Series run against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's one of the central pieces the Milwaukee coaching staff is actively maneuvering around.

Before Game 1 of the NLCS at American Family Field, the Brewers announced a sudden lineup change involving Frelick — a move that drew immediate attention heading into what is Milwaukee's deepest playoff run in recent memory. The decision underscored just how much weight the organization places on the former Boston College standout, who has carved out a real role in a lineup that isn't loaded with household names.

The chess match continued into Game 2. With the Dodgers sending right-handed pitching, Milwaukee leaned into a lefty-heavy lineup construction — slotting Frelick into right field alongside Christian Yelich at designated hitter and David Hamilton at third base. The strategic shuffle paid dividends: the Brewers took Game 2 by a score of 7–4, with Frelick drawing a walk and hitting .250 on the day.

He kept that momentum going into Game 5 on Friday, finishing with a run scored and another walk as Milwaukee edged the Dodgers 6–4. Frelick is hitting .200 in the series — modest by traditional standards, but his on-base ability and defensive value in right field keep him in the conversation for every lineup card.

It's a long way from growing up as a lifelong Red Sox fan in New England — and an even longer way from the doubts that trailed Frelick through the early stages of his professional career. At a listed 5-foot-9, he's always been the kind of player scouts underestimate and managers eventually trust. The NLCS stage is making the case for the latter.

Also of note for BC faithful: Emmet Sheehan and Joe Vetrano are both on the Dodgers' roster on the other side of this series, giving the Eagles a presence in both dugouts in one of the Fall's marquee matchups.

Meanwhile, Michael King — the BC right-hander who's been one of the San Diego Padres' most valuable arms — is generating his own offseason buzz. With the Padres eliminated, King addressed whether he plans to exercise a player option in his three-year, $75 million contract and potentially enter free agency this winter. That decision could make King one of the most talked-about pitchers on the market when the hot stove heats up.

For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Frelick. An Eagle in the middle of an NLCS — that's the story worth watching through the weekend.

Boston College sent two of its own to center stage in the NLDS this week — one on each side of one of the most compelling first-round series in recent memory. Michael King and Sal Frelick, Eagles both, played starring roles as the Milwaukee Brewers ousted the San Diego Padres in four games to advance to the NLCS.

Michael King: Starter-Turned-Savior

King's NLDS was a study in versatility and durability. He took the ball as a starter in Game 2 on Sunday, Oct. 4, and delivered five strong innings — allowing just one earned run while striking out six — only to watch the Padres surrender the lead late in a 4-3 loss. It was a quality start that deserved better.

Two days later, with the Padres facing elimination in Game 3 and their bullpen in shambles — closer Mason Miller on paternity leave, setup man Adrian Morejon battling shoulder fatigue — San Diego turned back to their ace. King stepped out of the rotation and into the closer's role, pitching two scoreless innings to nail down a 4-3 win and force a Game 4. The performance was historic: according to Sports Illustrated, it was one of the rarest instances of a pitcher starting one playoff game and recording a six-out save just 48 hours later.

His NLDS ERA: 0.64. Over seven postseason innings, King was virtually unhittable.

But the Padres couldn't extend the series. King was available for Game 4, per manager Craig Stammen, and the Brewers ended San Diego's season with a 3-1 win on Thursday. King finished the postseason as arguably the best pitcher in the series — and immediately drew speculation about his future. The 31-year-old, who posted a 3.21 ERA, 159 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP in 185 regular-season innings, expressed openness to returning to San Diego this winter, though multiple outlets have already begun ranking his free-agent landing spots.

Sal Frelick: Walking It Off, Then Walking It In

On the other side of the diamond, Frelick made his NLDS presence felt in a quieter but no less decisive way. The Brewers right fielder hit .333 for the series and contributed in every Milwaukee win.

In the pivotal Game 2 walk-off — the same game King started — Frelick scored the winning run and spoke afterward about the culture and execution that made it possible, crediting the "little things" for the difference. He also drove in a run and scored in that contest, finishing with a hit, an RBI, a run, and two walks in what became a momentum-shifting night for Milwaukee.

By Game 4, with Milwaukee closing out San Diego 3-1 to advance, Frelick added another hit and another RBI. He was a consistent presence in a Brewers lineup that proved too much for the Padres' depleted pitching staff — even with King at his best.

Two Eagles, one series, opposite outcomes. King's postseason heroics kept San Diego's hopes alive just long enough for Frelick's Brewers to end them for good.

Michael King Rewrites the October Playbook

When the San Diego Padres needed their ace to show up on the biggest stage, Boston College's own Michael King didn't just answer the call — he made history.

King carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of the Padres' 8–0 Wild Card Game 1 demolition of the Chicago Cubs, delivering what can only be described as an October masterpiece. He finished with seven scoreless innings and eight strikeouts, becoming a one-man wrecking crew against a Cubs lineup that had gone 5–1 against San Diego in the regular season. According to The Sporting News, the performance constituted an MLB postseason feat not accomplished in three years.

The Cubs had been handed a pregame clue worth noting — King had surrendered five two-out runs in his final regular-season start — but Chicago couldn't capitalize. Instead, King was simply untouchable, working in lockstep with a San Diego offense that got home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts to turn a tense playoff atmosphere into a laugher by the late innings.

The performance didn't go unnoticed beyond the box score. With King heading toward free agency, FanSided identified five potential landing spots for the righty, noting that a postseason audition of this magnitude can dramatically alter a pitcher's market value. King's ability to go deep into games, miss bats at an elite rate, and maintain composure in elimination-stakes situations is exactly the profile that commands nine-figure contracts. The Padres, meanwhile, were already tabbed to start King in Game 1 of a potential NLDS as well — a sign of just how firmly he's anchored San Diego's rotation.

For Eagles alumni tracking the BC pipeline into professional baseball, King remains the headliner by a wide margin. His arc from Boston College arm to postseason star is the kind of story the program can build recruiting pitches around for years.

Elsewhere in the BC Alumni Network

While King dominated the headlines, Sal Frelick's Brewers were wrapping up their own playoff push. The Milwaukee outfielder closed out the regular season hitting .230 in the Brewers' final stretch — a number that reflects a difficult year for the former BC standout, though Milwaukee's presence in the postseason means his opportunity remains very much alive.

Emmet Sheehan, the BC righty now with the Dodgers, also factored into NLDS roster conversations out of Los Angeles as the Dodgers prepared to face the Braves. Yahoo Sports noted Sheehan among the key bullpen names the Dodgers were managing heading into that series, a sign that he remains a trusted arm in one of baseball's deepest organizations.

King's night was the kind that reminds fans why October exists — and why keeping tabs on that Chestnut Hill pipeline pays off. The Eagles don't produce a superstar every generation. When they do, they tend to announce themselves like this.

Emmet Sheehan Forces the Dodgers' Hand

Boston College's most compelling MLB story this week wasn't hard to find. Emmet Sheehan took the mound against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday and delivered the kind of outing that changes conversations: 5.1 scoreless innings, nine strikeouts, and a 3-1 Dodgers win that put the BC righty squarely in the middle of Los Angeles's postseason planning.

Sheehan had been called up earlier that week as part of a roster move triggered by Tarik Skubal's bereavement leave. The opportunity was circumstantial — but what he did with it wasn't. Nine punchouts in a high-leverage late-September start against a division rival is a statement, and the Dodgers heard it. Per Yahoo Sports, the organization began actively considering Sheehan for a spot on the playoff roster following the performance.

The ending, though, had a twist. Before the Padres series later in the week, the Dodgers optioned Sheehan back down as key players returned from injury. Whether that move is a temporary roster technicality or a door closing on his October chances remains the question hanging over his week. He made his case — front office decisions are another matter entirely.

Sal Frelick Keeps Producing Down the Stretch

In Milwaukee, Sal Frelick (BC, '21) continued to contribute for a Brewers team playing out its schedule. On Thursday, Frelick went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two walks, and a run scored in a 5-1 win over the Phillies — a clean, professional line for a young outfielder finishing his season at a .234 average. His presence in the lineup has been consistent, if quiet, through a Milwaukee campaign that didn't reach the heights the organization hoped for.

Michael King's Rough Wednesday

Not every BC alum had a strong week. Michael King, who has been one of San Diego's most reliable arms all season and credited pitching coach Ruben Niebla for his development, ran into trouble Wednesday against the Dodgers, allowing five earned runs over four innings while striking out five. His ERA ticked up to 3.21 — still a strong full-season mark — but the timing stings slightly for a Padres club with playoff positioning on the line. King remains a key piece of San Diego's postseason rotation plans, with FanSided noting he projects as their best starter heading into October, with Nick Pivetta slotted behind him.

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The week belonged to Sheehan. A nine-strikeout gem in the penultimate week of the season, for a team that goes into October as World Series contenders, is the kind of moment BC fans will replay regardless of what the roster paperwork says. Whether Sheehan is on the Dodgers' playoff roster or watching from Triple-A Oklahoma City, he proved this week he belongs in the conversation.