NL Wild Card Series: Padres Rock Boyd, Cubs in Game One

Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado of the Padres celebrate a run in Game One of the 2026 NL Wild Card Series against the Cubs

Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

September 29, 2026

Padres 8, Cubs 0 — NL Wild Card Game One

Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, boosted by three early home runs and an RBI double, as the San Diego Padres blitzed the Chicago Cubs, 8–0, Tuesday night at Petco Park in San Diego, giving the Padres a 1–0 edge in the best-of-three Wild Card series. Early extra-base hits off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd gave the Padres a large lead, and they never looked back.

“We scored early, got a lot of momentum going on, especially home runs from two of our biggest players, and then we were able to add on a lot of the innings,” Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters. King added, “It gives me confidence knowing that the team has confidence in me to pitch in these games. But then when you have our superstars show out like that in the bottom of the first, it makes it a lot easier.”

Padres – Cubs Game Summary

The Padres took a 2–0 lead in the first after Fernando Tatis Jr smashed a homer on the first pitch of the game. Two batters later, Manny Machado belted a one-out solo homer to left. Machado struck again in the third, doubling Tatis home from first to make the score 3–0. It became a 4–0 game one inning later when Xander Bogaerts blasted a towering homer to the second balcony of the Western Metal Supply Building in the left-field corner.

Boyd left the game after four, and the relievers poured gasoline on the fire. The Padres loaded the bases against the first reliever, Javier Assad, with two outs. Ryan Rolison came in to stop the bleeding but coughed up a two-run single by Jackson Merrill before Carson Kelly allowed a passed ball to make the score 7–0.

In the seventh, Tatis beat out an infield single to the shortstop. He stole second on a pitch to Dustin Harris, up next. Kelly’s throw went awry, bouncing off the diving Tatis and scooting into left field. Tatis popped up, turned on the jets, and scored from second on the error, making the score 8–0.

What Went Right for the Padres

Starting Pitching

Michael King dominated the Cubs from the get-go, taking a no-hitter into the seventh. When the Cubs broke into the hit column, it was on an infield single. Machado dove to his right to stop a Nico Hoerner skimmer. When he got up, the ball slipped out of his grasp like a wet bar of soap, allowing Hoerner to reach. Ultimately, King lasted seven innings, walking three and striking out eight.

Slam Diego

The Padres smashed 13 hits, with four going for extra bases. All four of the extra-base hits drove in runs.

Tatis finished 2-for-3 with a homer, an RBI, a walk, a stolen base, and three runs scored. Machado went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double, two RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. Also chipping in multiple hits were Ty France, Merrill, and Bogaerts. Merrill also drove in two runs.

A Hero’s Triumphal Return

Local product Joe Musgrove, who hasn’t pitched in two years, was a surprise addition to the roster when they were due Tuesday. He pitched the ninth, entering to a rousing, heartfelt ovation from the Friar Faithful. Though the Cubs loaded the bases against him, Musgrove pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the victory.

Musgrove, a graduate of Grossmont High School in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, threw the first no-hitter in Padres history on April 9, 2021. Mark Grant said on the NBC broadcast that “I went to high school with Joe Musgrove” has become a local flex in the San Diego area.

In the postgame press conference, King said of Musgrove’s entrance, “I never go back out to the field after I’m done pitching, but as soon as I saw him warming up, I had to go back out there to watch it. He means so much to this team and this city. To see the grind of rehab that he’s had to go through for two straight years, it was awesome. To then get out of a bases-loaded jam, that’s the big-game Joe we all know and love. I fully expect him to keep going throughout this postseason.”

Stammen added, “It was emotional for a lot of people and probably especially Joe. This fan base has always loved Joe because he’s one of their own, and rightly so. They should.”

What Went Wrong for the Padres

Very little. This was a complete victory, one that set a Padres franchise record. This was the largest victory margin in a shutout ever recorded by the Padres in a postseason game.

Stammen told reporters, “The big three runs in the fifth with two outs gave us a cushion we felt comfortable with. Then Michael pitched a great game, had a no-hitter for 6 1/3. We were able to save (closer) Mason (Miller), Adrian (Morejon) a little bit, and then finish with Joe. We couldn’t write it up any better.”

What Went Right for the Cubs

Also very little. They simply could not get anything going offensively. King and Yuki Matsui owned them, combining to strike out nine. It took until the ninth inning for the Cubs to even have multiple runners on base in the same inning. Manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game, “We didn’t square many balls up, and that’s a sign of a pitcher making a lot of good pitches and controlling counts.”

What Went Wrong for the Cubs

Boyd was shelled, allowing four runs on five hits — four going for extra bases. He ultimately coughed up four runs on five hits across four innings, walking four and striking out three.

The Cubs had little help in the form of relief pitching, with Assad allowing two earned runs and Aaron Civale allowing one. Rolison also allowed all three of his inherited runners to score.

Quotes

“For Joe to finish that game is pretty awesome. It’s a good way to cap it off. Now he’s back into the field. He’s got that first one out of the way. Hopefully we can use him if we make a run here in the playoffs a little bit more often.” — Craig Stammen

“I know that there’s crazy stats on winning Game 1 of a Wild Card. So I think we had a lot of emphasis on making sure we took care of Game 1. We got 12 more wins to go, and it’s merely the start. We’ve got to keep the momentum going into tomorrow and make sure that we’re all dialed in on the next 12 instead of only celebrating this one.” — Michael King

“We’ve got a job to do to finish the series off. We’ve got to come tomorrow and bring it. The Cubs are a great team. They didn’t play their best game tonight, but I guarantee they’re going to play their best game tomorrow. So we’ve got to match them. We’ve got the San Diego Faithful behind us. I know we’re going to feel that extra man behind us that’s going to give us a little extra boost. If we can get them going again like we did today, we have a good chance.” — Craig Stammen

Looking Ahead

King earned the win as Boyd took the loss.

The Cubs and Padres will play the second game of this best-of-three series Wednesday night. Cubs right-hander Kevin Gausman (9–12, 4.51 ERA) will start against Padres righty Nick Pivetta (3–2, 2.86 ERA). First pitch from Petco Park will be at or shortly after 7 pm Pacific/9 pm Central.