The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West title, setting the stage for the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs to face off in the Wild Card round as the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, promising a postseason full of history and drama. However, home-field advantage remains undecided, with the Cubs currently holding a 2.5-game lead.
This will only be the second postseason meeting between the franchises. The first came in the 1984 NL Championship Series, when the Padres overcame a 2-0 deficit to win three straight at home. That series remains infamous in Chicago for Steve Garvey’s dramatic walk-off two-run homer in Game 4 and the Padres’ Game 5 rally that ended the Cubs’ pennant hopes. ESPN holds the broadcast rights for this year’s Wild Card round, adding another touch of symmetry, as the 1984 series aired on the same network.
The regular season provided no clear advantage. The Cubs and Padres met six times in April, splitting the games evenly, with each club taking two of three at home. That balance, combined with the stakes of a best-of-three Wild Card, sets up a true toss-up series.
Pitching plans could prove decisive. Padres manager Mike Shildt has indicated that Nick Pivetta is lined up for Game 1, with the rest of the rotation still unsettled. Michael King, Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease, and Randy Vasquez are candidates to fill out the remaining two spots. The Cubs have not publicly revealed their pitching alignment, but are likely to counter strategically against San Diego’s deep rotation and lineup.
The stakes are significant. The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who hold the NL’s top seed. Given the Cubs’ narrow grip on home field and the Padres’ October pitching depth, the series mirrors its 1984 predecessor in unpredictability.
More than four decades later, Padres-Cubs returns to the postseason stage, but this time as a best-of-three Wild Card clash. History and numbers hint that fans are in for a high-stakes showdown where every pitch could make or break the game.
