The Padres were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the Cubs 3-1 in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Things went downhill quickly for Yu Darvish following a scoreless first inning. Kyle Tucker led off the second inning with a single, followed by a double from Seiya Suzuki. Darvish then hit Carson Kelly with a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit an RBI-single to center field to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead, and with the bases still loaded with no outs, Mike Shildt brought in Jeremiah Estrada to face Dansby Swanson after Darvish was only able to record three outs. Swanson drew a walk to bring in the Cubs' second run, but Estrada would strike out Matt Shaw and induce an inning-ending double play to limit the damage to two runs.
The first Padres' hitter to reach scoring position came in the 4th inning when Jackson Merrill hit a double with two outs, but he was stranded. San Diego had another scoring opportunity in the 5th inning, when Gavin Sheets advanced to third base on Freddie Fermin's two-out double. With runners on second and third and two away, Fernando Tatis Jr. flew out to end the threat.
The Padres' bullpen did its job, as the Cubs didn't score again until Michael Busch's solo home run in the bottom of the 7th. Estrada pitched 2 innings, Michael King struck out the side in the 4th inning, and Wandy Peralta pitched a scoreless frame. Robert Suarez entered the game in the 6th inning as Mike Shildt tried to keep the deficit at 2. He allowed two runs but escaped the 6th unscathed. Suarez returned to pitch the 7th inning, but allowed Busch's solo homer followed by a double to Nico Hoerner, before being relieved by Adrian Morejon.
The Padres' best chance to tie or win the game came in the 9th inning. Jackson Merrill hit a leadoff home run to put the Padres on the board. Xander Bogaerts was up next, and with a full count, took a pitch that was well below the strike zone, but was rung up by the home plate umpire for strike 3. It was a call that was clearly wrong and would have put Bogaerts on 1st base with no outs and the tying run at the plate. Ryan O'Hearn and Bryce Johnson were each hit by a pitch following Bogaerts' strikeout. The Padres should have had the bases loaded with no outs trailing 3-1, but instead had runners at 1st and 2nd with one out. Jake Cronenworth hit a slow chopper to third base, but was thrown out by half a step for the second out of the inning, though both runners advanced. Down to their final out and with Fernando Tatis Jr. in the on-deck circle, Freddy Fermin flew out to center field to end the game and the Padres season. It was a disappointing end to an entertaining season, as the Padres will look to regroup this offseason and make another run at it in 2026.
You can watch the Jamul Casino Resort Padres Postgame Show below, with full highlights from the game and Mike Shildt's postgame press conference.