Padres keep momentum going, blow out Cubs in 'perfect' playoff opener — SkimNews
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- San Diego Padres won 8-0 over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series at Petco Park, handing the Cubs their first shutout in 132 all-time playoff games despite Chicago leading MLB in runs scored this season.
- Michael King threw seven scoreless innings with a no-hit bid through 6⅓ and eight strikeouts, ditching his changeup for sweepers after starting with 98 mph fastballs.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 405-foot leadoff home run off the first pitch he saw from Matthew Boyd — the Padres' first leadoff homer in postseason history — and later scored from second on a wild throw after a stolen-base attempt.
- Joe Musgrove worked around a bases-loaded jam in his first appearance in over 700 days, returning from Tommy John surgery to preserve the shutout in what the source called a historically long layoff before a playoff return.
- The Padres' four star position players — Tatis, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts — combined for eight hits, three home runs, and five batted balls over 103 mph.
- The Padres were 50-53 on July 23, then posted a major-league-best 35-17 record over August and September to clinch their playoff spot, with Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller — their two top backend relievers — left completely unused in Game 1.
Why it matters: The Cubs had scored more runs than any team in baseball all season and still couldn't dent King, registering their first playoff shutout in 132 games. For San Diego, a team that sat 11 games under .500 on July 23, the turnaround to a 35-17 close was capped by a Game 1 so dominant that their two best relievers weren't even needed — a luxury few playoff teams get in a three-game series.
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