Seiya Suzuki’s 424-foot tying homer off Nick Pivetta jolted the Cubs, followed by Carson Kelly’s go-ahead blast as Chicago grabbed control in a 3-1 win in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card. Matthew Boyd steadied the Cubs after an early Padres threat, and Nico Hoerner added insurance in the eighth before Brad Keller closed it out. San Diego couldn’t capitalize on early chances, leaving Chicago with momentum heading into the series.

The late surge capped Suzuki’s four-game homer arc to finish the regular season and carried into postseason power, while Swanson’s defense and Hoerner’s timely hit underscored Chicago’s depth. For fantasy, the Cubs’ offense looks primed to ride its balance, while San Diego must regroup quickly to avoid a quick exit in a pivotal rematch.

San Diego clinched a 2025 postseason berth with a 5-4 walk-off win over Milwaukee as Freddy Fermin delivered the decisive 11th-inning hit. Luis Arraez contributed a seventh-inning game-tying single, and Gavin Sheets lifted the rally with a productive fielder’s-choice sequence. The Padres’ bullpen, bolstered at the deadline by Mason Miller, locked down five-plus innings of one-run relief, underscoring their strength come October.

With five games left, SD sits 2.5 off the Dodgers in the NL West and about the same margin behind Chicago for the Wild Card, keeping home-field in play. If the playoff field holds, a Cubs showdown in the three-game Wild Card is possible, making the Padres’ late-season depth and timely hitting critical for October success.

In a revealing sign of their resilience, the Padres balanced clutch hitting with bullpen depth, positioning them as a dangerous, battle-tested contender as the chase for the NL crown continues.