Padres pummel Cubs behind Tatis’ leadoff blast, King’s no-hit bid in Game 1

San Diego — Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered a spectacular performance late in the game, hitting the first leadoff homer on the Cubs’ very first pitch as Michael King kept a commanding lead with a no-hitter extending into the seventh inning. The Padres rolled to an easy 8-0 victory over Chicago in their NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night.

Manny Machado also found the gap early, adding a homer in the inaugural frame and capping off the scoring with an RBI double in the third inning. Joining them were Xander Bogaerts, who knocked down another homer off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, and Jackson Merrill, whose two-run single helped seal the sweep in the late innings.

San Diego provided ample support for King, who commandingly struck out eight over seven sturdily pitched innings while effectively neutralizing the Cubs’ offensive firepower. King opened the heat by dismissing probable NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong with just three pitches, setting the benchmark for the entire contest.

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Nico Hoerner got the Cubs’ only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh, but King racked up two additional strikeouts to earn the last of several standing ovations from the raucous sellout crowd watching his third career playoff start.

Game 2 is Wednesday night at Petco Park. The series winner now faces the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five division series.

Chicago managed just one hit before giving up to Joe Musgrove, the Padres veteran making his first major-league appearance since October 2, 2024, in the ninth inning. The Cubs recorded two singles and a walk before Musgrove struck out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto to preserve the shutout in his return from Tommy Johnson surgery.

Their dominant performance carried through multiple innings of this series opener; San Diego scored more runs in the first five frames than Chicago did across all three games at Wrigley Field last year. Finishing this season with the league’s sixth-best record, two wins ahead of Chicago, the Padres have set franchise marks with their third consecutive playoff berth and fifth straight winning record.

Boyd unleashed explosive power with his opening changeup, which Tatis answered with a towering 405-foot line drive reminiscent of the park-busting blast from Game One of earlier this year. Moments later, Machado smashed another changeup to left-center, igniting chaos at Petco with his club-record ninth postseason longball before walking in the third and scoring on Machado’s double to home plate.

In the fifth, San Diego loaded the bases against reliever Javier Assad, allowing Merrill to crack a two-run single to center before Jackson France rounded the bases on a passed ball. King stayed composed throughout, picking apart the Cubs’ starting pitcher and limiting Chicago to nine total hits despite their potent offense.

King silenced concerns about the injury-plagued bullpen as he captured key strikeouts throughout the contest, delivering another standout showcase in Week Two. Manager Nick Pivetta returns to a short rest with five games elapsed since missing time due to a near-five-month right elbow ailment, while Kevin Gausman assumes duty starting for the Cubs under relief calls.