Game result and context
San Diego Padres defeat Chicago Cubs 8-0 in 2026 NL Wild Card Series Game 1
The San Diego Padres opened the 2026 NL Wild Card Series with a dominant 8-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs, fueled by three home runs and seven scoreless innings from Michael King.
Final result
The San Diego Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-0 in the first game of their NL Wild Card Series on September 29, 2026. The Padres moved to a 1-0 record in the series, while the Cubs fell to 0-1.
San Diego established an early lead with two runs in the first inning and added to their advantage throughout the game, scoring one run in the third, one in the fourth, three in the fifth, and one in the seventh.
How the game changed
The Padres seized control immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado hit back-to-back home runs to give San Diego a 2-0 lead before the Cubs could record an out. This early momentum proved insurmountable for the Chicago offense, which was held scoreless for the duration of the contest.
The lead expanded in the fourth inning when Xander Bogaerts hit a solo home run. A three-run fifth inning, highlighted by contributions from Jackson Merrill, effectively put the game out of reach for the Cubs.
Key performances
Michael King delivered a strong performance on the mound for the Padres, pitching 7.0 scoreless innings and striking out eight batters to earn the win. Matthew Boyd took the loss for the Cubs, allowing four earned runs over 4.0 innings of work.
Offensively, the Padres were led by Fernando Tatis Jr., who went 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs scored. Manny Machado also contributed a home run and two RBIs, while Xander Bogaerts added a home run and two hits. Jackson Merrill provided two hits and two RBIs to round out the scoring effort.
Season and playoff context
This game marks the first contest of the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series. With the win, the San Diego Padres hold a 1-0 series lead over the Chicago Cubs. The winner of this series will advance to the next round of the 2026 MLB postseason.