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MLB Picks: Best Strikeout Prop Bets for Wild Card Series Tuesday 9/29/26

MLB Picks: Best Strikeout Prop Bets for Wild Card Series Tuesday 9/29/26

MLB Sports Betting Picks MLB Picks

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By: Sam Connon

There are a handful of aces taking the mound as the AL and NL Wild Card Series get underway on Tuesday, from Red Sox rookie Payton Tolle to Padres righty Michael King. Can Tolle show out in his first-ever postseason start? Will King return to his dominant playoff form? Here is our full breakdown of where we think each starting pitcher will wind up in the strikeout column.

Best MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Today (September 29, 2026)

  • New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox: Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle 7+ strikeouts: Tolle closed the regular season tossing 7+ K in 8 of his final 12 outings, plus he achieved the feat in both of his starts against NYY this year.
  • San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs: Padres RHP Michael King 5+ strikeouts: King hit 5+ K in 20 of his 32 starts this year, including his final two of the regular season and 5 of his last 7 at home, not to mention his 12.5 K/9 in the playoffs since joining SDP.

MLB Strikeout Prop Bets Breakdown

Payton Tolle 7+ K (-141), New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

Tolle barely has any postseason experience under his belt, facing just one batter in last year’s Wild Card Series against the Yankees. With the Red Sox down by one in the eighth inning, Tolle came in with the bases loaded and got his team out of the jam. He spun that into a successful rookie season, going 9-6 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.096 WHIP and 2.9 WAR across 26 starts. The southpaw also averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings, after averaging 10.5 in limited time in 2025. Tolle posted at least seven strikeouts in half of his outings in 2026, but notably eight of his final 12. He also recorded 11 and seven punchouts in his two appearances against the Yankees, who average the sixth-most strikeouts per game in MLB.

Michael King 5+ K (-114), San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs

When King started Game 1 of an NL Wild Card Series two years ago, he led the Padres to a home win over the Braves by tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with a whopping 12 strikeouts. This time last year, he struck out three in just 1.0 inning of relief against the Cubs in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series. King has now recorded 18 strikeouts in 13.0 postseason innings since joining the Padres. The righty reached five-plus strikeouts in 20 of his 32 outings on the whole this year, including each of his final two appearances of the regular season. King has also hit that threshold in five of his last seven home starts.

More MLB Betting Content & Picks

Check out more MLB betting content and player props throughout the playoffs on DraftKings Network.

Good luck with your MLB prop bets today!

Sam Connon
Sam joined DraftKings in 2025 following five years with Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network. He has covered the UCLA Bruins, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Rays, MLB, MiLB and NBA, on top of earning awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and College Media Association during his time as a student at UCLA.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.