The Cubs vs Padres Wild Card series was supposed to be a heavyweight fight between two of baseball’s best teams. Instead, the San Diego Padres turned Game 1 into an ambush, crushing the Chicago Cubs 8-0 at a roaring Petco Park on Tuesday night and moving one win away from the NL Division Series.
Cubs vs Padres Game 1: Tatis strikes on the very first pitch
Fernando Tatis Jr. needed exactly one pitch to set the tone. The Padres star launched Chicago starter Matthew Boyd’s opening offering over the center-field wall — the first leadoff home run in Padres postseason history.
Manny Machado wasn’t about to let Tatis have the first inning to himself. He followed with a home run of his own, and the sellout crowd barely had time to sit down before San Diego had a lead it would never come close to surrendering.
King flirts with history against baseball’s best offense
Michael King was simply untouchable. The San Diego right-hander carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, suffocating the highest-scoring offense in the majors with eight strikeouts over seven stellar innings.
King set the tone by striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong, the probable NL MVP, on the first three pitches of the game. Nico Hoerner finally broke up the no-no with a soft infield grounder in the seventh — the only hit King allowed all night — but King struck out two more batters to earn another standing ovation in his third career playoff start.
Machado, Bogaerts pile on for the 91-win Padres
While King dealt, the Padres kept adding to the damage. Machado added an RBI double in the third, Xander Bogaerts homered off Boyd, and Jackson Merrill ripped a two-run single to turn the night into a full-blown rout.
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone in Chicago’s dugout. The Cubs won five of their regular-season meetings with San Diego — including a 23-3 demolition on July 1 — and knocked the Padres out at Wrigley Field in last fall’s Wild Card Series. None of that mattered Tuesday. As Cubs manager Craig Counsell admitted afterward: “The crowd was awesome. They had a lot to cheer about tonight, and we didn’t give them anything to be quiet about.”
The night also brought an emotional subplot: veteran Joe Musgrove made his first major league appearance since October 2, 2024, pitching the ninth in his return from Tommy John surgery. After allowing two singles and a walk, he struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto to preserve the shutout.
What’s next: Game 2 and a date with Milwaukee
Game 2 of the Cubs vs Padres best-of-three series is Wednesday night at Petco Park, with the Cubs now facing elimination and the Padres one win from advancing. The Cubs vs Padres series winner moves on to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Chicago will need its bats to wake up fast. The Cubs managed just three hits total on the night — one off King and two off Musgrove — and their best hitters were silenced from the first pitch to the last.
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FAQs
Who hit the first leadoff homer in Padres playoff history?
Fernando Tatis Jr., who drilled the first pitch of the game over the center-field wall.
How many innings did Michael King's no-hit bid last?
King carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Nico Hoerner's infield single broke it up; he struck out eight over seven scoreless innings.
Who will the Cubs vs Padres series winner face next?
The winner of the best-of-three series advances to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series.
When is Cubs vs Padres Game 2?
Game 2 was played Wednesday night (September 30, 2026) at Petco Park in San Diego.
