The San Diego Padres delivered an emphatic postseason statement on Tuesday night, September 29, 2026, shutting out the Chicago Cubs 8-0 at Petco Park in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series. Powered by a dominant pitching performance from starter Michael King and early home runs, the Padres moved just one victory away from advancing to the National League Division Series.
King set the tone immediately for the 91-win Padres, striking out probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong on the game’s first three pitches. The right-hander dazzled a raucous sellout crowd by carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner broke it up with a one-out infield single. King finished his stellar night allowing just one hit, three walks, and striking out eight batters over seven shutout innings.
San Diego provided plenty of early run support against Chicago starting pitcher Matthew Boyd. On the very first pitch of the bottom of the first inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed a changeup 405 feet to center field, marking the first leadoff home run in Padres playoff history. Two batters later, Manny Machado launched a solo shot to left-center field-his franchise-record ninth postseason home run-to quickly stake San Diego to a 2-0 lead.
The Padres continued to pad their lead in the middle frames. Machado added an RBI double in the third inning to drive home Tatis. In the fourth, Xander Bogaerts atoned for an earlier defensive error by blasting a 399-foot solo home run into the seats on the Western Metal Supply Co. building, stretching the advantage to 4-0.
San Diego broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth against the Chicago bullpen. Jackson Merrill ripped a two-run single with the bases loaded off reliever Javier Assad, and another run crossed the plate via a passed ball to make it 7-0. Tatis capped off the scoring in the seventh by using his elite speed, reaching on an infield single, stealing second, and racing home when a throw trickled into the outfield.
Reliever Yuki Matsui pitched a scoreless eighth inning before an unforgettable moment in the ninth. Veteran right-hander Joe Musgrove, making his first Major League appearance since October 2, 2024, returned from Tommy John surgery to pitch the final frame. Despite allowing a couple of hits and a walk, Musgrove struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto to preserve the shutout and seal the series lead.
Game 2 Outlook
The Cubs will look to stave off elimination on Wednesday night back at Petco Park. Nick Pivetta is scheduled to take the mound for the Padres in his fifth appearance since returning from a nearly five-month elbow injury, while Kevin Gausman gets the start for Chicago. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
