Michael King Carries No-Hit Bid into seventh as Padres Rout Cubs 8-0 in Wild Card Opener

The San Diego Padres opened the 2026 NL Wild Card Series with a dominant assertion Monday evening at Petco Park, blanking the Chicago Cubs 8-0 behind Michael King carrying a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and Fernando Tatis Jr. delivering a leadoff house run on the sport’s very first pitch.

Tatis set the tone earlier than the group may settle in, lining the opening pitch of the postseason into the seats, per NBC Sports, and the Padres by no means seemed again towards Chicago starter Matthew Boyd.

King was masterful all through. The right-hander held the Cubs hitless into the seventh inning earlier than Chicago lastly broke by way of with an infield single — his solely hit allowed within the outing, Yahoo Sports reported. The effort was notably noteworthy given the opponent: Chicago led the National League in offense in the course of the 2026 common season, per Yahoo Sports. Despite that distinction, King overwhelmed the Cubs lineup from begin to end.

Manny Machado added an RBI double to San Diego’s offensive outburst, per NBC Sports, because the Padres unfold their run manufacturing throughout a number of innings in help of King’s mastery.

The Padres entered the sequence as slight favorites, per Fox Sports, and Monday’s efficiency validated that billing. San Diego leads the best-of-three sequence 1-0 and wishes yet one more win to succeed in the NL Division Series. Chicago, which rode its high-powered offense to a powerful common season, should now win each remaining video games — beginning with Game 2 on September 30 at Petco Park — to outlive.