Padres turn last year’s pain into playoff redemption against Cubs

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — On October 2, 2025, the San Diego Padres walked off the field with their heads lowered after losing 3-1 to the Cubs in Chicago and 2-1 in the series.

The Padres were eliminated from the postseason in the Wild Card round as the Cubs moved on to the NLDS to face the Milwaukee Brewers.

“They beat the suit out of us when we went there and played them,” Jackson Merrill recalled. 

A year later, the same Wild Card series was played, but this time in San Diego, with Petco Park deafening and yellow towels being waved before, during and after the game.

This time, the result would be different, but similar in a way.

“We're playing baseball at home and it's totally different,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “We just have a better club, man and the type of baseball that we have been playing is just right, and that's what has carried us so far.”

The Padres walked off the field with smiles on their faces and champagne bottles being popped in the clubhouse after sweeping the Cubs 2-0 in the series, finishing them off with a 4-1 victory Wednesday night.

Now, it is the Padres who will travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers in a five-game NLDS.

“Another fucking good team, best team in baseball right now,” Manny Machado said about the Brewers. “I haven't really thought that far ahead.”

Tuesday night was something a director might script for a Hollywood movie. Tatis started the game with a home run, Machado followed with one of his own and later Xander Bogaerts went deep to give the Padres three home runs in the game.

Michael King pitched an epic game, allowing only one hit while striking out eight batters.

“It started with Michael coming out and starting the series off the way that he did, and the rest of us kind of followed lead,” Ty France said.

Then there was Joe Musgrove’s ninth-inning return to the majors after being out for two seasons. He came in to record the final three outs of the first game of the series.

“It’s been pretty hectic to me, man,” Musgrove said. “Told right before the series started I was going to be on the roster, which was a victory, man. I ain't thrown a ball in two years in a big league game, and to go right into a playoff situation it kills me what they think of me and the confidence they have in me.”

How much confidence does the organization have in Musgrove?

“Joe's the heart and soul of the organization,” Padres general manager AJ Preller said. “He's a San Diegan, a San Diego native, but we've all seen it firsthand the work he's put in…feel really just good for Joe. Feel good for the group. It was a big moment for us for sure.”

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrate after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.

It wasn’t always feeling like this.

Just a few months ago, the Padres were at their lowest point, sitting at 50-53. Tatis said the team got together to hash everything out and get on the same page.

“We just decided we were gonna take care of business,” Tatis said.

There were times when even the front office was questioning what was wrong with the team.

“There were definitely a lot of moments in May and June we were scratching our heads, just kind of wondering what we were all about,” Preller admitted.

Before Craig Stammen took over as manager, he was a special assistant to the major league coaching staff and baseball operations. He remembered how the team felt after losing the Wild Card series at Wrigley Field a year ago.

It didn’t surprise him that his team met midway through the season to iron things out, get on the same page and make a run.

“It’s just making a decision,” Stammen said about his team. “We're not going to quit, no matter how it goes, because it's not guaranteed that they decide to band together and we're just going to roll off wins.

“But they knew that was the best way, best chance of us getting it done, and that the pain of losing is good because you can learn from it. You can decide to do something different because of it. All those losses that this team has had in the playoffs, hopefully that shapes us for moments like this, and hopefully moments in the future.”

The talent on this team was one of the many reasons Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano decided to buy the San Diego Padres. Since they officially took over on August 17, the Padres have been on a tear, going from a questionable Wild Card team to earning home-field advantage in the first round.

Jones had one simple message after her second celebration since taking over the team.

“Why not us?” Jones asked. “Why not the Padres? Why not the community? Why not us? We just have to take it one game at a time. Who knows what we will get. We will see.”

This team has shown it can win in numerous ways, especially since turning the corner. The Padres can win with their bats, their starting pitching or their bullpen. They can play from behind or protect a lead. Game 2 was another example.

Wednesday night was a grind-it-out game, and the Cubs made the Padres work to finish the series.

San Diego knew Chicago wouldn’t go down easily.

The Padres didn't start scoring immediately like they did the previous night, but they only had to wait an extra inning. In the bottom of the second, France started things off by hitting one toward the left-field line that was called fair for a double. Merrill came up next and reached first base, with France advancing to third.

Xander Bogaerts then singled on a 3-1 count to bring France home for a 1-0 lead and move Merrill to third base.

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pose for a photo after defeating the Chicago Cubs in game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park.

Bogaerts finished September on a hot streak, hitting .315 with two home runs and a .905 OPS. That has continued into the postseason, as he is hitting .500 with two RBIs in the two playoff games against the Cubs.

The Padres shortstop is the only member of the team’s “Big Four” with a World Series ring. In fact, he has two from his time with the Boston Red Sox, something Machado feels is key.

“Bogey’s done it before. He's won,” Machado said. “I told him already, man. I need a ring. I need one. You're the only one in this room that's done it. What's it take to do it? Let's go and do it. So he showed up. He's gonna continue to do it.”

That is the one accolade Machado is still missing. He spoke multiple times during the celebration about wanting to experience what it feels like to win a championship. It is why he has been so vocal about his desire to bring a title to San Diego while also wanting to finish the work that their late owner Peter Seidler started when he signed Machado to pair with Tatis.

Ethan Salas stepped into the batter’s box for the first time with chants of “Ethan” echoing around Petco Park. He hit a sacrifice fly to center field that brought Merrill home for an early 2-0 lead.

Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta began the night by striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong before getting Alex Bregman and Michael Busch to ground out, a similar start to King's the night before. He followed that with a clean second inning, quickly retiring all three batters.

In the top of the fourth, Pivetta ran into trouble. He allowed a single to Seiya Suzuki, walked Ian Happ and gave up Chicago's first run of the series on a Nico Hoerner RBI single that cut the Padres' lead to 2-1.

His night was over after 3.1 innings. Pivetta gave up three hits and one earned run while striking out four batters on 66 pitches. It was a disappointing finish to what had been a solid start.

Stammen decided to start Austin Hays at designated hitter Wednesday night, but Hays only received one at-bat before the Padres turned to their big man.

After a Bogaerts double to center field in the bottom of the fourth, Stammen called on Gavin Sheets to pinch hit. The move paid off. On the second pitch, Sheets hammered a four-seam fastball deep to right field, making Petco Park shake as the Padres extended their lead to 4-1.

“I knew it was gone,” Sheets said.

One of the biggest accomplishments for the Padres' pitching staff was frustrating MVP front-runner Crow-Armstrong, who went 0-for-7 during the series. They also shut down Bregman, who went 0-for-8.

The bullpen did its job Wednesday night. Bradgley Rodríguez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller combined to allow only two hits after Pivetta's exit. It was the type of bullpen dominance the Padres expect will help carry them deep into the postseason.

The players have said that as their “Big Four” goes, so will this team. Tatis, Machado, Bogaerts and Merrill have to come up big for the Padres to win.

Against Chicago, they did exactly that. The four were responsible for seven of the Padres' 12 runs scored in the series.

“It’s easier to have confidence and faith in these players,” Preller said. “We've been through a lot together. Some super highs, some lows. We got to the mid-season point and I think this group decided, ‘hey, you know, we got to play better. We got to get to work.’ That made our job easier. I think that's what we've seen the last couple months.”

A year after leaving Chicago with their heads down, the Padres are the ones moving on.

San Diego will now head to Milwaukee, where the Padres will face the Brewers in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday, October 3 at 5:30 pm PT.