The San Diego Padres lost a tight series to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field in 2025 and will have a chance to return the favor in 2026. The Padres and Cubs will meet once again when the two teams take the field for the first round of the playoffs tonight. The difference this year… the games will be played at Petco Park and the Friar Faithful will have the opportunity and ability to make an impact in the series.
San Diego has always been knocked
for not being a sports town, but the Padres payers and their fans know different and the NL Wild Card Series provides the stage for that falsehood to be dispelled on a national level. Home games at Petco Park are sold out more often than not and it does not matter what day of the week or what time of the day the games are played. Now, Padres fans get to show what they can do in prime time.
San Diego did not have a good showing against Chicago in the regular season, but none of that matters now. There are no records, there are no stats and everyone begins the postseason anew,. It does not matter that Manny Machado did not have a great batting average despite still managing 30 home runs. It does not matter that it started to feel like Fernando Tatis Jr. forgot how to hit home runs for the first month-plus of the season even though he finished with 25 or that Jackson Merrill looked like he might not be the budding superstar we all thought he would be when he was signed to a long-term extension. He too finished as an electric all-around player who could takeover a game at a moment’s notice.
What does matter is what happens between the chalk lines tonight at 7:00 p.m. The Padres played themselves into position to host this contest with the Cubs and if they can maintain their torrid pace at the plate, they should advance to the next round where they would meet the Milwaukee Brewers.
Padres News:
- The playoff roster has not yet been announced, but Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball provided his best guess for what it will look like when the Padres take the field tonight against the Cubs.
- Craig Stammen seemed like a former player who was not all that interested in being the manager in San Diego, but he led his team to 91 wins. Perhaps A.J. Preller saw something in him that no one else did. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball tells us why that decision was made.
- Michael King will take the mound in Game 1 against the Cubs.
Baseball News:
- What to watch for in each series as the MLB playoffs begin today.
- Playoff baseball means that anyone can make a run to and win the World Series and there are reasons each team could be the one hoisting the trophy when it’s all said and done.
- All the information you need about the playoff matchups and when each of the first-round games start.
