The Padres were assured Saturday of facing the Cubs in a National League wild-card series that begins Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs clinched the National League’s top wild-card playoff berth with a 7-3 victory over the Cardinals Saturday in Chicago, improving their record to 91-70, to guarantee that Chicago finishes the regular season with more victories than the Padres.
The Friars entered Saturday evening’s game at Petco Park with an 88-72 record. They won their second straight over the Diamondbacks – they eliminated Arizona from playoff contention Friday – by a score of 5-1.
Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the second night in a row, this time with a leadoff blast in the Padres’ three-run first inning. Xander Bogaerts added a two-run shot, as did Elias Díaz in the second, after a Ryan O’Hearn double.
The Padres will be the No. 5 seed in the National League, just behind the Cubs, the fourth seed. The teams split the season series, 3-3, with each holding the advantage at home. Game times are TBD.
The entire best-of-three series will be played at Wrigley Field, where the Padres were 1-2 this season. The Padres were 2-1 against Chicago at Petco Park.
One of the keys to the Padres’ success, the bullpen, is ready, Mason Miller said.
“We know the talent that we have and it’s not about doing anything more,” he said during the Padres’ post-game show. “You know, now that we’re going to the postseason, it’s just about doing what you can with what you’ve got, being who you are and pitching to your strengths.”
This will be the second postseason meeting ever between the Padres and Cubs – but it’s been 41 years since the last time.
The Padres defeated Chicago three games to two in the 1984 National League Championship Series, coming back to win the final three games at Jack Murphy Stadium after losing the first two at Wrigley Field.
They moved on to their first World Series that year, where they fell to the Detroit Tigers.
Updated 11:40 p.m. Sept. 27, 2025
