Chicago Cubs Find First Series Victory Since 2017 With Win Over Padres, Advance To NLDS

The Chicago Cubs finished the regular season at 92-70 to land them in the postseason for the first time in 2020, but the last time the team found a series victory in the playoffs was back in 2017 when the Cubs finished the year with the exact same record.

Back in '17, the Cubs took on the Washington Nationals in the National League Divisional and took a 3-2 victory in a five-game stretch. However, they came up short in the championship series against the Los Angeles Dodgers who went on to lose their World Series matchup.

Even though the team didn't win the NL Central like the '17 Cubs, they were still able to get out of their wild card matchup against the San Diego Padres in their first playoff outing in five years. The opener was actually the first time the team has even won a game in the postseason since that '17 run as the 2020 playoffs was a sweep by the Miami Marlins.

A Tough Battle at Wrigley to Start the Playoffs

Seiya Suzuki swinging his bat in a blue and white pinstripe uniform at Wrigley Fiel — David Banks-Imagn Images

A solid start by Matthew Boyd and a flawless outing by the bullpen solidified the Cubs opener to get the ball rolling for the playoffs. They held the Padres to one run for only the third time in nearly three weeks.

Game two was a tough one to watch, especially the offense. Nobody could come up with a big play and the Cubs were held scoreless. However, they came back with a vengeance in the winner-take-all finale.

One could tell almost immediately in game three (second inning) that the Cubs had come out with their hair on fire. Pete Crow-Armstrong was the first one to get a runner in as they took advantage of the Padres' starter, Yu Darvish. Darvish was pulled after a mere 21 pitches as hit after hit came in the second inning.

PCA was all over the place in the finale and it wasn't just on offense. He made big plays in the outfield and finally saw the ball make contact. From that point on the team never looked back.

Pete for the lead! pic.twitter.com/8ITS2D8EzL
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 2, 2025

Jameson Taillon did exactly what the team needed of him on the mound with the stakes as high as ever, especially with all of the uncertainty that surrounds their pitching staff right now. Taillon will look like the man to look towards while awaiting the highly anticipated return of rookie sensation, Cade Horton.

The Cubs won game 3 with a final score of 3-1 to advance.

THERE'S MORE BASEBALL TO BE PLAYED, CHICAGO. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/mJ07rW2dlb
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 3, 2025

The team now gear up for this weekend and a divisional series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago prevailed against them in a five-game series not too long ago, but this is definitely going to be a fight to the finish.

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