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Inside The Padres

Padres Move One Win Away From NLDS With Dominant Win Over Cubs in Wild-Card Game 1

The Padres were the better team in every facet of the game.
Noah Camras|
Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates with third baseman Manny Machado (13) after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates with third baseman Manny Machado (13) after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego PadresChicago Cubs

The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-0, on Tuesday night to win Game 1 of the wild-card series and move one win away from a trip to the National League Division Series.

The Padres will look to win the series on Wednesday night, and then head to Milwaukee for the NLDS, which begins on Saturday.

Padres vs Cubs Wild-Card Game 1 Recap

The Padres dominated the Cubs from the first batter of the game, as starting pitcher Michael King struck out NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong on three pitches to open the contest.

After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. wasted no time, crushing the first pitch the Padres saw into center field to give San Diego a 1-0 lead.

Two batters later, Manny Machado deposited a ball into the left field seats. Four pitches into the game, it was 2-0 Padres.

King worked around a Xander Bogaerts error in the top of the second inning, and pitched around a two-out walk in the third.

Then, Machado again came through in the bottom of the third, as he smoked an RBI double to right-center field that scored Tatis.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Bogaerts made up for his error with a 399-foot home run to left field to finish up an eight-pitch at-bat.

After another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth, the Padres tacked on three more runs in the bottom half of the frame, as Jackson Merrill hit a two-run single with the bases loaded and a passed ball brought in the seventh run.

King finished the sixth inning without allowing a hit, and came back out for the seventh. After a PitchCom issue, the right-hander allowed a one-out single to Nico Hoerner on a play that Machado clearly felt he could have made.

Nevertheless, King settled down with back-to-back strikeouts, and put the finishing touches on a nearly perfect Game 1 performance.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Tatis used his speed to manufacture another run. After hitting an infield single to shortstop, he stole second base and then scored on a throw that went into left field.

Left-hander Yuki Matsui relieved King and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Then, right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove, who was a surprise addition to the wild-card roster after not pitching since October 2024, came on in the ninth inning in an unbelievable scene at Petco Park.

Musgrove pitched around some traffic to finish off a scoreless inning and secure the Padres' 1-0 series lead.

When Do the Padres Play Next?

The Padres and Cubs will face off in Game 2 of the wild-card series on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET.

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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Padres on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.

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