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Clayton Kershaw, retired Dodger and future Hall of Famer, will make his postseason broadcasting debut for NBC during the San Diego Padres' wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park starting Tuesday. In his rookie year as a broadcaster, Kershaw has already made an impression with appearances on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball and a Dodgers game in Los Angeles. For this playoff coverage, he will join a team of analysts to provide insights from the field during the three-game series. While Kershaw is still considering whether broadcasting will be his full-time career post-retirement, this week marks his opportunity to showcase his new role on a larger stage.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
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.
Even in his first year of retirement, Clayton Kershaw isn’t missing out on October baseball.
asserted
Kershaw → miss → baseball
This week, the future Hall of Fame Dodgers star-turned-NBC television broadcaster will be on assignment for the network’s coverage of MLB’s first-round wild-card playoff series, drawing none other than the San Diego Padres’ clash with the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park beginning on Tuesday.
asserted
star → turn → Tuesday
A rookie broadcaster following a decorated 18-year career on the mound, Kershaw has made a positive impression in his television debut this year, which has included sideline work on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball package as well as a cameo as the primary color analyst on a SportsNet LA Dodgers game last month.
asserted
which → follow → game
Now, he will step onto an even bigger stage to kick off the playoffs, serving as a field-side “Inside the Pitch” analyst alongside play-by-play man Dave Flemming and game analysts Jim Deshaies and Mark Grant (a member of the Padres’ regular-season broadcast team) in the booth, and sideline reporter John Fanta.
asserted
he → step → booth
Three times in the back half of his career, the two clubs met in memorable playoff matchups, with the Dodgers sweeping San Diego in the National League Division Series en route to their 2020 title, getting eliminated in a stunning upset during the 2022 NLDS, then exacting revenge in a five-game epic in the 2024 NLDS (the lone series of the three Kershaw missed because of an injury).
asserted
Kershaw → meet → injury
This year, the two teams can’t cross paths until the NL Championship Series, with the second-seeded Dodgers (who got a bye for the wild-card series this week) sitting on the opposite side of the bracket from the fourth-seeded Padres.
asserted
who → cross → Padres
For now, however, their respective focus is on their more immediate task, with the Padres trying to avenge their wild-card elimination to the Cubs last year, and the Dodgers preparing to face either the Braves or Phillies in next week’s NLDS.
asserted
Dodgers → try → NLDS
The same goes for Kershaw, who will be capping off his first year of TV work during this week’s best-of-three series (since NBC doesn’t have the rights to any further rounds of the playoffs).
asserted
NBC → go → playoffs
As the 38-year-old told the California Post last month, he is still undecided on whether TV will be a full-time gig for him in retirement.
asserted
TV → tell → retirement
This year, he has worked only a handful of games while also serving as a special assistant to the Dodgers’ front office.
asserted
he → work → office
For the next three days, at least, he’ll get behind the mic one more time.
asserted
he → get → mic
He might not be playing October baseball this year.
uncertain
He → play → baseball
But he won’t be missing out on it, either.
asserted
he → miss → it
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