None of that matters now. The Cubs are back and they are not going to be an easy out as they showed the Padres today. The Padres played well, but they got beat. The Cubs need one more win to earn an all expenses paid trip to Milwaukee. Whew. If that isn’t the worst lottery prize I’ve ever heard of.

Veteran left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd did his part for the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO — The sudden pop of back-to-back home runs by Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory on Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, pushing the San Diego Padres to the brink of playoff elimination.

Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back homers, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series. Chicago also got a perfect performance from its bullpen in the franchise's first playoff win since the 2017 National League Championship Series.

It had been a long time since Wrigley Field shook the way it did on Tuesday afternoon. A nervous energy humming through the crowd transformed into full frenzy after the baseball launched by Seiya Suzu

For the first time in five years, the Cubs made their return to the postseason against the Padres as Game 1 kicked off on Tuesday.

The Cubs are set to face Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta on Tuesday. He posted a 2.87 ERA in 31 regular-season games this year, including two starts against the Cubs. In the first, the Cubs tagged him for three runs in three innings. But he held them at bay in the next meeting, limiting the Cubs to one run and four hits through six innings.