SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the first leadoff homer in Padres playoff history on the Cubs’ first pitch, Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and San Diego rolled to an 8-0 victory over Chicago in their NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night.
Manny Machado also homered in the first inning and added an RBI double in the third during an emphatic opening statement by the 91-win Padres. Xander Bogaerts also homered off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, and Jackson Merrill added a two-run single later.
San Diego provided more than enough support for King, who struck out eight over seven stellar innings while thoroughly throttling the majors’ highest-scoring team. King set the tone by striking out probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong with the game’s first three pitches.
Nico Hoerner got the Cubs’ only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh, but King racked up two more strikeouts to earn the last of several standing ovations from the raucous sellout crowd watching his third career playoff start.
Game 2 is Wednesday night at Petco Park. The series winner faces the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five division series.
Up next
Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86 ERA) starts Game 2 for the Padres in his fifth game back from a near five-month absence with a right elbow injury. The Cubs haven’t named their starter.
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