Chicago Cubs in the playoffs: Recapping their wild-card series win vs. San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs used stellar pitching, elite defense and a methodical offensive approach with timely hits to beat the San Diego Padres to advance to the NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, their division rivals and owners of baseball’s best record.

The Cubs were 6-13 at Wrigley Field in elimination games — including 0-3 in winner-takes-all games — before their Game 3 win. Those previous win-or-go-home losses occurred in the 1945 World Series, 2003 NL Championship Series and 2018 wild-card game. They were 4-4 overall in such games, with their last win coming in the 2017 NLDS at the Washington Nationals.

Here’s how the series unfolded.

Game 1: Cubs 3, Padres 1

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Cubs fans in the bleachers celebrate a 3-1 Cubs opening wild-card game win over the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

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Seiya Suzuki jolted the 39,114 fans onto their feet at Wrigley Field with a 112.2 mph laser off Padres starter Nick Pivetta into the bleachers to tie the score in the fifth inning. Moments later, catcher Carson Kelly took Pivetta deep to left-center field to put the Cubs ahead on back-to-back homers.

Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Andrew Kittredge and Brad Keller combined to toss 4 2/3 perfect innings in relief for a 3-1 victory in the best-of-three series — the Cubs’ first playoff win since 2017 and their first postseason game since 2020. Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly in the eighth provided a late insurance run.

Playoff newcomers stood out as Suzuki, Kelly, Hoerner (two singles) and Michael Busch (single and intentional walk to set up the sac fly) were responsible for five of the Cubs’ six hits. Read more here.

Game 2: Padres 3, Cubs 0

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San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a 2-run home run off of Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Shota Imanaga in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the NL wild-card series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 1, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

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The Cubs face a win-or-go-home Game 3 against the San Diego Padres after a 3-0 loss evened the best-of-three National League wild-card series in front of 41,083 fans who were left waiting for a moment to erupt and energize Wrigley Field.

“It would have been really nice to just get this series over with today,” center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “But we’re also prepared to come back tomorrow and do it again.”

The Cubs’ lack of offense again created a slim margin for error. They didn’t have much of an answer for Padres starter Dylan Cease or San Diego’s notoriously tough bullpen. On a quiet day for a lineup that produced just four hits — one after the fourth inning — manager Craig Counsell’s pitching decisions come under scrutiny.

Game 3: Cubs 3, Padres 1

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Cubs relief pitchers Andrew Kittredge, from left, Daniel Palencia and catcher Carson Kelly celebrate after beating the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

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Andrew Kittredge made sure to take a moment on the mound to soak in the atmosphere before he threw his first pitch.

The 40,895 raucous fans packed into Wrigley Field were on their feet radiating anxious tension as the Cubs’ last two outs seemed elusive to finish off the Padres in Game 3 of the wild-card series. Reliever Brad Keller hit two Padres with pitches, giving them two runners on and the go-ahead run at the plate. The Cubs, on the verge of advancing, again went to Kittredge, acquired at the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles, for a third consecutive day.

Flashback to 1984 as Cubs and Padres meet again in the postseason

Flashbacks from 1984 are a painful but necessary part of understanding the history of the Cubs and Padres as they meet in a wild-card series at Wrigley Field.

It really was the best of times for Cubs fans, who had gone 39 years without a postseason team, only to watch Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe and a scrappy bunch lift the Cubs to a National League East title.

And then it turned into the worst of times for those same fans, who watched the Cubs blow a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series and lose Game 5 in San Diego thanks in no small part to a ground ball through the legs of first baseman Leon Durham, whose glove was sticky from a Gatorade spill. Read more here.

Nico Hoerner takes consistency — and ‘competitive fire’ — into postseason

His impact on the field and on those around him did not go unnoticed by his teammates. Beyond contending for the National League batting title, what Hoerner does behind the scenes resonates within the clubhouse. Known for his prep work in the cage and weight room, the little things at times can be as valuable as on-field results.

“I think what people don’t necessarily understand about Nico is just his competitive fire and spirit,” shortstop Dansby Swanson told the Tribune. Read more here.