The San Diego Padres finished the regular season as the hottest team in baseball. This is also how they started the playoffs.
Michael King flirted with a hit, Fernando Tatis Jr. turned in a vintage performance and many other players contributed to an 8-0 Padres victory over the Chicago Cubs to open their National League wild-card series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
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Tuesday’s game was the largest shutout victory in Padres postseason history.
The tone was set in the first inning, when King struck out Cubs stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, then Tatis and Manny Machado bludgeoned home runs off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Petco Park grew more euphoric with each at-bat, and the home fans didn’t have much reason to lose so much over the next eight innings.
Even with the lopsided score, King’s performance meant the game was worth watching until the seventh inning. The right-hander, who joined the Padres last winter in a deal clearly designed to allow him to establish his value for another chance in free agency this coming offseason, had no hits in the seventh inning.
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He did so despite a Cubs team that led MLB in runs scored in the regular season and went 5-1 against the Padres with 9.2 runs per game in 2026.
In the end, it was just an infield single from Nico Hoerner that put Chicago in the hit column. Crow-Armstrong, Bregman, Seiya Suzuki – none of them could do anything against King’s deep mix.
Getting 17 whiffs was impressive for King, but 20 called strikes was just as effective. Chicago is one of the most patient teams in MLB, and King made the Cubs pay for that strength by sneaking lead after lead into the zone early in the count to create an early advantage.
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The Padres clearly wanted to get him a hit, in addition to the victory. We know this because the biggest frustration all of their players showed all night came from Manny Machado after he failed to get his hands on that Hoerner single. Former Gold Glover was visibly furious with himself as he retrieved the ball.
Tatis, meanwhile, continued to do Tatis things. He finished the game 2 for 3 with 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base and the home run to start the game.
The scene was one of a team giving its fans everything they wanted, until the ninth inning, when San Diego brought back Joe Musgrove. The San Diego area native hadn’t pitched since the 2024 playoffs and received a standing ovation, including the dugout, as he entered the game to finish out the win.
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All of this resulted in a declared victory for the Padres, who are now one win away from a tie against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. They’ve won 18 of their last 21 games, which doesn’t sound like the kind of challenge a top seed is supposed to face right off the bat.
Follow Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the NL wild-card round.
Ryan Young
The Cubs loaded the bases with one out, but Joe Musgrove popped out to seal the victory.
What a comeback for him to close out the greatest shutout win in Padres playoff history.
Ryan Young
Joe Musgrove just took the mound for the Padres. This is his first game since the 2024 playoffs. He underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2024.
Petco Park, naturally, loved it.
Jack Baer
Yuki Matsui puts the Cubs in order. It’s almost over.
Jack Baer
Webb ends the seventh inning and now Yuki Matsui comes in for Michael King.
King’s last line: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K.
Jack Baer
Jacob Webb enters for Aaron Civale in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
Fernando Tatis Jr. reached first base on a haphazard single, stole second, then took third and came home on a bad throw from Cubs catcher Carson Kelly. This is not going well for the Cubs.
Jack Baer
Michael King strikes out Carson Kelly to end the seventh, his eighth punchout of the evening. With the no-hitter starting and his pitch count at 97, that will probably do it for him. Still, what a gem to start the Padres’ playoff run with.
Jack Baer
The Cubs are successful! Nico Hoerner throws a hard grounder down the third base line, and Manny Machado fails to make the throw. The Gold Glover was visibly furious with himself.
Jack Baer
Civale gets a groundout from Luis Campusano to end the inning. There are still three innings to play, and the tension here isn’t whether the Cubs get a win, but whether they get a hit.
Jack Baer
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Cubs removed Ryan Rolison for Aaron Civale. They probably wouldn’t mind if Civale finished this game and kept their bullpen rested for what will likely be must-win Games 2 and 3,
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
The Padres right-hander is at 83 pitches and hasn’t gone more than 7 innings all season, so there’s a good chance we won’t see a no-hitter tonight. Still, that’s a statement from the Padres so far.
Jack Baer
Michael King struck out the Cubs’ double against Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman five times in six at-bats tonight.
Jack Baer
Rolison strikes out Austin Hays to end the inning, but we’re at the point where the Cubs need a historic five-inning comeback.
Jack Baer
Jack Baer
A wild throw scores another point. Petco Park is having fun.
Jack Baer
Merrill sends a grounder through the gap to right field and that scores two for the Padres. The Cubs are definitely feeling a lack of pope – er, hope – here.
Jack Baer
The Padres have the bases loaded, two outs and that will do the trick for Assad. Ryan Rolison comes in to face Jackson Merrill, who could open this match with one shot.
Jack Baer
Javier Assad enters the game with a 9-1-2 run for the Padres in the fifth inning.
Matthew Boyd’s last line: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 58 pitches. Not exactly what the Cubs needed tonight, but their biggest problems so far are on offense.
Gn sports
