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Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-27 · by Bernie Wilson The Associated Press
The San Diego Padres secured the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, setting up a best-of-three Wild Card Series rematch against the fifth-seeded Chicago Cubs at home starting Tuesday. The Padres clinched their franchise-best third consecutive playoff appearance and have a record of 90-71 this season. Manager Craig Stammen expressed excitement about playing in front of a packed crowd at Petco Park, noting that while the Cubs had an edge earlier this year, the Padres are prepared for a challenging series.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the first leadoff homer in Padres playoff history on the Cubs’ first pitch, Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and San Diego rolled to an 8-0 victory over Chicago in their NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner got Chicago’s only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh. Manny Machado also homered in the first inning and added an RBI double in the third during an emphatic opening statement by the 91-win Padres. Xander Bogaerts also homered off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, and Jackson Merrill added a two-run single later. King struck out eight over seven innings while thoroughly throttling the majors’ highest-scoring team. The series continues with Game 2 on Wednesday night at Petco Park. San Diego leads the best-of-three series 1-0. The winner will face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five division series. Back in 1984, Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey led the Padres to their first World Series appearance using home-field energy at Jack Murphy Stadium. Current players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado hope to replicate that success with the support of 3,347,081 fans this season, second only to the Dodgers in total attendance. Last year, San Diego lost 2-1 to the Cubs in a Wild Card game at Wrigley Field. Chicago is now +108 to win Game 2, with the total set at 7.5 runs. Michael King’s performance silenced any doubts about his ability against strong lineups, setting up a potential series clincher for San Diego. The Padres' win marked an emphatic response to Chicago's regular-season dominance and humiliation in July. Hoerner reached on an infield single when Machado couldn’t field cleanly enough to make the play. King’s no-hit bid ended in the seventh inning but he struck out two more batters before being relieved. San Diego is now -131 favorites for Game 2, looking to build momentum and control their path to the division series against Milwaukee. The Cubs' lineup, known for its high walk rate and low strikeout percentage, struggled mightily against King’s approach that induced weak contact despite lower than average strikeouts and walks compared to league standards. Matthew Boyd started for Chicago but was unable to prevent an early deficit due to Tatis Jr.’s leadoff homer and Machado’s first-inning blast. This sets the stage for a pivotal Game 2 where San Diego aims to secure their place in the division series with another strong performance. San Diego hopes to continue leveraging their home-field advantage against Chicago, who now face an uphill battle in reversing last year's elimination at Wrigley Field. The Padres' strategy seems focused on capitalizing on King’s ability to neutralize high-power lineups while maintaining solid defensive support from Machado and others. If successful, San Diego will move closer to avenging their postseason loss from the previous season. The series remains heavily contested, with each team aware of the importance of leveraging home-field energy for a potential division series berth against Milwaukee’s formidable pitching rotation. The focus now shifts to Wednesday night's Game 2 at Petco Park, where San Diego will look to extend their lead and advance further in the playoffs.
Written for “Padres Cubs Wild Card Series” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.
The San Diego Padres have earned a wild-card rematch with the Chicago Cubs, and this time it will be at home in packed and raucous Petco Park.
asserted
it → earn → Park
Manny Machado and the Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7 on Saturday to wrap up the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs.
asserted
Machado → beat → playoffs
They’ll host every game in a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the fifth-seeded Cubs beginning Tuesday.
asserted
They → host → Tuesday
The winner will face the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-five Division Series.
asserted
winner → face → Series
“The guys played great today and they’ve had a great season, and the reward is getting to play a couple playoff games at home,” rookie manager Craig Stammen said.
asserted
Stammen → play → home
“So we’re excited about that.
asserted
we → ’re → that
We don’t have to pack our bags tomorrow and we can enjoy this one and then be ready for the playoffs, which is going to be the most important part of the season.”
asserted
which → have → season
The Cubs beat the Padres 2-1 in a Wild Card Series last year at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
asserted
Cubs → beat → Chicago
They kind of had their way with us when we went to Chicago this year.
asserted
we → have → Chicago
Played a couple close games here at home, but it should be a great series,” Stammen said.
asserted
Stammen → play → home
“It’ll be highly contested.
asserted
It → contest → ?
They’re the ones that knocked us out of the playoffs last year so we’ll have to bring our A game.”
asserted
we → ’re → game
The Cubs took two of three games at Petco Park in late April and swept a three-game series in Chicago in late June and early July.
asserted
Cubs → take → June
Machado hit a three-run homer Saturday, his 30th, and Xander Bogaerts also went deep for the Padres (90-71), who clinched their club-record third straight 90-win season and seventh in team history.
asserted
who → hit → history
They earned their franchise-best third consecutive postseason berth with a 4-2 win Thursday night at the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
asserted
They → earn → Dodgers
Saturday night’s crowd was 44,698, the 65th sellout of the season.
“Obviously, playing in front of our home crowd is going to be huge,” said Machado, who has eight 30-homer seasons — including four with the Padres.
asserted
who → play → Padres
“It’s going to be great.
asserted
It → go → ?
It’s home.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Those guys bring it every single year.
asserted
guys → bring → it
Come home and play how we always play in front of them.
asserted
we → come → them
In the 1984 National League Championship Series, the Cubs routed Tony Gwynn and the Padres in the first two games at Wrigley Field before San Diego rallied to win all three home games at Jack Murphy Stadium and take the best-of-five matchup 3-2.
asserted
Diego → rout → matchup
The Padres won the next afternoon to reach their first World Series, where they lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers.
asserted
they → win → Tigers
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