On October 2, 2025, the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1, ending their National League Wild Card Series and propelling them to the National League Division Series for the first time since 2017.
Going into the win-or-go-home Game 3, the series was level at one game a piece. The Cubs took the first game 3-1, thanks to back-to-back home runs from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly. San Diego evened up the series on Wednesday after an elite pitching performance by Mason Miller, backed by a Manny Machado blast to send the Wild Card to a deciding game. Jameson Taillon of the Cubs was set to face Yu Darvish, former Cubs pitcher. Boos filled Wrigley Field on a calm Thursday night as Darvish took the mound.
The game got off to a great start for the Cubs, scoring two in the second inning thanks to a Pete Crow-Armstrong RBI single. Darvish was relieved from his duties early, finishing with 1.0 innings pitched, four hits, and two earned runs. The game remained 2-0, with gold-glove caliber defense from Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who made three incredible plays to hold San Diego scoreless. The Cubs struck again in the 7th inning, when Michael Busch homered to right center, giving Chicago a comfortable 3-0 lead. There were a number of challenged calls throughout the game, with a controversial one coming against the Cubs when Nico Hoerner was called out at home in the bottom of the seventh. Criticism of the umpire carried throughout the crowd despite the Cubs’ lead.
In the 9th inning, Cubs reliever Brad Keller was sent out for his second inning of work. He immediately gave up a home run to Jackson Merrill, cutting the lead down to two. A very controversial strike three call against Xander Bogaerts gave Chicago their first out, but back to back hit-by-pitches had the Padres threatening to tie or take the lead. Keller was pulled, getting replaced with Game 2 starter Andrew Kittredge. With two outs and runners on second and third, catcher Freddy Fermin popped out to Crow-Armstrong in center, securing their victory.
Next, the Cubs advance to the National League Divisional Series where they will face the Milwaukee Brewers, marking the first time in MLB history that these National League Central rivals will face off in the playoffs.