Padres 5, Brewers 4
The San Diego Padres clinched their second straight postseason berth in extras against the Milwaukee Brewers, 5–4, at Petco Park Monday. This is the fourth time the club has been to the playoffs in the last six years.
It was another nail-biter victory for the Friars. Much like last year’s playoff clinching triple play, this time around the historic play came thanks to a walk-off knock from catcher Freddy Fermin.
The Brewers, who currently sit atop the league with 95 total wins, are anything but pushovers. The hard-fought victory from the Padres had to be won in extra innings after the Brewers got off to an early 3–1 lead in the second inning. The Padres slowly but surely chipped away at it while pitching held them at bay with seven scoreless frames. Even during the 10th inning, both teams were still tied, leaving Rookie reliever Bradgley Rodríguez to close out the game for his first career win.
This is the fourth time this season the Padres have gone into the 11th inning, and the fifth walk-off win during extras.
Mike Shildt’s Coaching
Mike Shildt is the second Padres manager to take the Padres to multiple playoff appearances. The only other manager to do this for the Padres was Bruce Bochy, who led the Friars to the postseason 4 times during his tenure.
So far, Shildt has led the club to 86 wins this season. Of the remaining five games left, he needs four more to guarantee another 90-win season—the fourth of his career.
Shildt was very congratulatory after the historic game, but remained steadfast. “We’re still looking to go compete because we still have some unfinished business this season…” he said.
Unfinished Business
Elaborating on his previous comments, a division title for the Padres is still within reach, with the Padres 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and five games left. In addition, home-field advantage for the upcoming wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs is also very plausible.
To not begin their wildcard series at Wrigley Field, the Cubs would need to stumble with no more than three wins over their final five games, while the Padres must surge with at least three victories in that same stretch to force a deadlock in the Wild Card race.
League rules state that the next factor would be head-to-head results. However, the clubs are 3–3 against each other. Therefore, the next tiebreaker would be intra-division record. The Padres hold the lead in this respect, but both teams have three games remaining against teams in their division. A 2–1 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks would guarantee a tiebreaker advantage.
Right now, the Padres are 48–28 at Petco Park while they’re 38–43 on the road. A home-field advantage appears necessary to ensure postseason success for the Friars. Nick Pivetta, the likely starting pitcher for the Padres’ postseason rotation, is 9–1 at Petco and 5–4 on the road. Amongst qualified players in the National League, Pivetta is in the Top Five in wins and ERA, and No. 1 in WHIP and opponent average at home.
Five Games Left
With the Padres clinching the postseason berth, what remains is far from a straight line. The Padres will play their remaining regular-season games at Petco Park. With two more games to go against the Brew-crew and a final homestand against division rival, the Diamondbacks, the end of the 2025 season will be anything but exciting.
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