The San Diego Padres opened the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday night with an 8-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park, according to ESPN. Playing before a raucous sellout crowd of 47,084 fans—marking the eighth-largest attendance for a baseball game at the venue—the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres seized control of the best-of-three matchup immediately.
Padres Open Wild Card Series With Dominant Shutout Over Cubs
With the Game 1 win, San Diego moved just one victory away from advancing to the National League Division Series to face the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers, as detailed by USA Today. Historical postseason data noted by USA Today indicates that teams winning Game 1 of a best-of-three wild card series hold a strong historical advantage.
Early Power Surge Sets the Tone for San Diego
San Diego’s offensive stars atoned for their struggles in last year’s postseason meeting between the two clubs. On the very first pitch of the game from Chicago starter Boyd, Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a 405-foot leadoff home run to center field. The blast marked the first leadoff home run in Padres postseason history.
Just three pitches later, Manny Machado connected for a home run of his own, giving the Padres a quick 2-0 lead. The early tallies marked a stark departure from the previous year’s wild-card series at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs eliminated San Diego in three games and both Tatis and Machado struggled offensively.
The Padres continued to build their lead in the third inning when Machado hit a run-scoring double off the center-field wall to drive in Tatis. Xander Bogaerts added a home run in the fourth inning. In the fifth, Jackson Merrill drove in two runs and another scored on a wild pitch, extending the advantage to 7-0. Tatis added a single in the seventh, later scoring from first base following a stolen base and a throwing error to cap the scoring at 8-0.
Michael King Dominates on the Mound
While the offense provided early run support, Padres starting pitcher Michael King delivered a historic performance. King flirted with baseball history by tossing 6 1/3 hitless innings before Nico Hoerner broke up the bid with a one-out infield single in the seventh.
King finished his night having pitched seven electric shutout innings, allowing only that single hit while racking up strikeouts and drawing standing ovations from the home crowd. His pitch count ultimately ended his outing after 96 pitches. Yuki Matsui followed by retiring the Cubs in order in the eighth inning.
Cubs’ Late Threat Defused by Returning Musgrove
Chicago managed just one hit against King before the ninth inning. Facing a large deficit, the Cubs mounted a brief threat in the final frame against Padres veteran Joe Musgrove, who was making his first major league appearance since October 2, 2024, following major elbow surgery.
Musgrove allowed two singles and walked a batter to load the bases with one out. However, he recovered to induce a pop fly out and struck out pinch hitter Michael Conforto to preserve the shutout and secure the 8-0 final score.
The series continues Wednesday night at Petco Park for Game 2, where the Cubs will attempt to keep their postseason hopes alive and force a decisive Game 3.