Fernando Tatis Jr. gave Petco Park its first-pitch jolt Tuesday, then supplied a seventh-inning sprint that left the building roaring again as the Padres blanked the Cubs, 8-0, in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
| NL Wild Card Series | Result |
|---|---|
| Game 1 at Petco Park | Padres 8, Cubs 0 |
| Game 2 | Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. PT |
| Probable starters | Padres RHP Nick Pivetta vs. Cubs RHP Kevin Gausman |
Tatis attacked Chicago starter Matthew Boyd’s opening offering and drove it to center field for a leadoff homer, the first postseason leadoff shot in Padres history. Manny Machado followed with a first-inning homer of his own, helping San Diego seize the night before the crowd had settled into its seats.
Machado was not finished. He doubled in Tatis in the third inning, while the Padres steadily built their advantage into a 7-0 lead entering the seventh.
Tatis turns a stolen base into a dash home
The loudest piece of Tatis’ night may have come without a ball leaving the yard. He opened the seventh by beating out an infield hit, then broke for second during the next plate appearance. Cubs catcher Carson Kelly’s throw skipped away from shortstop Dansby Swanson and rolled toward shallow left.
Tatis saw the opening immediately. He took third without hesitation, rounded the bag at full speed and came home headfirst ahead of the return throw. After reaching the plate, he rose to his knees and shouted toward the San Diego dugout and stands.
Tatis said the home run and the mad trip around the bases both sent his adrenaline racing, to the point that he told people nearby he felt as if he might pass out amid the noise and emotion.
Still, he gave the first-pitch homer a special place. Starting a home postseason game that way, he said, puts life into the crowd and carries energy through the clubhouse. To Tatis, both moments represented aggressive, winning baseball, with the energy around the club as important as the individual highlight.
Machado had another choice. With a laugh, the third baseman said he preferred Tatis stealing second and coming all the way around from first base.
One win from moving on
The Padres can close the best-of-three series Wednesday when Pivetta faces Gausman. Game 2 will air on Peacock and NBCSN.
San Diego also carries a favorable recent postseason trend into the matchup. Clubs that have taken a 1-0 lead in a three-game Wild Card Series have won 21 of 24 series, an 88 percent rate. Seventeen of those series ended in two games. Home teams with a Game 1 win are 9-for-9 in advancing, with eight sweeps.
Tatis called it a beautiful baseball night for San Diego, saying the club could hardly have drawn up a better opening to October. One more win would turn that raucous first night at Petco Park into a short series and a trip to the next round.
