SAN DIEGO -- It was already just about a perfect San Diego night.
Michael King flirted with a no-hitter. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts had all gone deep. The Padres were steamrolling the Cubs, on their way to an 8-0 victory in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. And a beyond-raucous Petco Park was singing Blink-182 in unison in the middle of the eighth inning.
And just then, tucked away in the corner of the left-center-field bullpen, Joe Musgrove took off his sweatshirt, climbed atop the mound and started throwing.
Somehow, this script just kept getting better.
“Today was a beautiful night of baseball,” Tatis would later say. “For every San Diegan.”
From start to finish, the Padres couldn’t possibly have drawn up a better Game 1. King was brilliant throughout, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Nico Hoerner dribbled a one-out single down the third-base line. It was the longest individual no-hit bid by a pitcher in the postseason since Aníbal Sánchez worked 7 2/3 for the Nationals in the 2019 NLCS.
And King had a lead to work with from the very start. Tatis launched the first pitch he saw from Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd over the center-field fence. Two batters later, Machado tacked on a homer of his own -- marking the first time the Padres had hit two home runs in the first inning of a playoff game. The rout was on.
“Home runs from two of our biggest players, and then we were able to add on,” manager Craig Stammen said. “We couldn't write it up any better.”
Musgrove’s appearance was the cherry on top. He hadn’t pitched in nearly two years, having dealt with multiple setbacks this summer in his attempt to return from Tommy John surgery. His mere inclusion on the Wild Card Series roster qualified as a major surprise.
Shortly after that roster announcement, Stammen joked that there were no soft landings in the postseason. But this was close. The Padres led by eight. Musgrove emerged from the bullpen to a deafening roar. He loaded the bases, but escaped the jam by punching out Michael Conforto with the type of curveball that looked like vintage Joe Musgrove.
Petco Park exploded one last time. The Padres had stormed past the Cubs with a scorching hot September to earn home-field advantage in this Wild Card Series -- and they put it to good use in Game 1.
“The crowd was great,” said Cubs manager Craig Counsell. “They were awesome. They had a lot to cheer about tonight -- and we didn't give them anything to be quiet about.”
The night began with King, the Padres ace, facing Pete Crow-Armstrong, the presumptive National League MVP -- the type of matchup that defines postseason series like this one.
King’s statement couldn’t possibly have been any clearer. First pitch: a sinker that tailed over the inside corner. Strike one. Second pitch: a nasty sweeper, no chance. Third pitch: a 97.6 mph fastball at the top of the zone. Crow-Armstrong couldn’t catch up. It was the hardest pitch King has thrown in more than three years.
“Adrenaline is a crazy drug,” King said. “And I'm looking forward to it for the next five weeks.”
Indeed, this wasn’t just a Game 1 victory. It was the type of Game 1 victory that made you think the Padres might just be able to wrangle 12 more of them and bring the franchise its first World Series title.
But … one step at a time, of course. San Diego still needs to finish off the Cubs to set a date with the Brewers in the NL Division Series. Tuesday marked a major step in that direction -- in large part because the Padres preserved all of their high-leverage relief arms for Games 2 and 3.
In the history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win that series 21 of 24 times (a whopping 88%). No team has won Game 1 at home and failed to advance.
“Setting the tone,” Machado said. “Setting the tone early. Michael went out there, had a helluva first inning, set the tone for us to go there offensively. As an offensive group, we wanted to continue what we've been doing all year. … We got the energy on our side. Petco was rocking today. It was unbelievable to play in front of.”
While King cruised, the Padres poured it on. Bogaerts homered in the fourth. Jackson Merrill delivered a two-out, two-run single in the fifth. King carried his no-no into the seventh, when Hoerner shot a dribbler toward third.
Machado didn’t have a play. But, well, he is Manny Machado, so he gave it his best effort, only for the ball to squirt out of his hand on the transfer.
“Good hitter, got to a good pitch,” King said. “There were also probably four other balls that were hit pretty hard that we were defensively placed pretty well. … So I wouldn't say that I felt like I had no-hit stuff.
“But when you're going out in the seventh with a no-hitter -- you definitely are thinking about it.”
And, sure, a no-hitter would’ve been cool. But so was Joe Musgrove pitching for the first time in two years -- and putting the finishing touches on a postseason victory, as Petco Park chanted his name.
“Yeah,” said Tatis. “We couldn't script it any better, what happened tonight.”