The Wrigley Field faithful had been waiting seven years to celebrate a postseason victory, and on Tuesday afternoon, they finally got their chance.
Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly launched back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series. The victory marked the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2017 NL Championship Series, snapping a drought that included a sweep by Miami in the 2020 wild card round.
“Wrigley was alive today,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The fans were incredible, and our guys fed off that energy.”
The Cubs’ comeback began when Suzuki stepped into the batter’s box against Padres starter Nick Pivetta. The Japanese outfielder, already riding a four-game homer streak to close the regular season, hammered a 424-foot drive into the bleachers in left-center to tie the game at 1.
Pivetta had retired 11 straight Cubs before Suzuki’s blast ignited a towel-waving crowd of 39,114 on a picture-perfect autumn afternoon.
Moments later, Kelly — a Chicago native making his postseason debut — delivered his own magic, sending a towering shot just over the wall in left-center. As he rounded first, Kelly raised his arm in triumph, soaking in the ovation. The homers marked the Cubs’ first postseason back-to-back shots since Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler did it in the 2016 NLCS against the Dodgers.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Kelly said. “To do it here, in front of family and friends, in October baseball — that’s why you play the game.”
While Pivetta (five innings, nine strikeouts) struck out nine and kept the Padres within reach, San Diego’s lineup couldn’t solve Cubs pitching. Starter Matthew Boyd allowed just one run over 4 1/3 innings before Counsell turned the game over to his bullpen.
From there, Chicago’s relievers were flawless. Daniel Palencia (win) struck out Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill in a sharp outing. Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Kittredge each retired three straight, and Brad Keller closed it out with a perfect ninth for the save.
“Every guy that came in just attacked,” Counsell said. “That’s as clean as you’ll see a bullpen throw in the postseason.”
The Padres’ lone run came in the second inning. Merrill and Xander Bogaerts ripped consecutive doubles to open the frame, but Bogaerts was stranded at third after Boyd worked out of the jam. San Diego had another opportunity in the fourth, putting runners at the corners with one out, but shortstop Dansby Swanson made a spectacular over-the-shoulder grab on Ryan O’Hearn’s soft liner to keep the Cubs close.
“That play changed the inning,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We had a chance to break it open, but Swanson took it away.”
The best-of-three series continues Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Dylan Cease, once a Cubs prospect before being traded to the White Sox in 2017, gets the ball for San Diego after going 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in the regular season. Chicago will counter with Kittredge as an opener, followed by lefty Shota Imanaga.
For the Cubs, who were powered by first-timers Suzuki and Kelly, the moment carried the weight of both history and hope.
“This is just the start,” Suzuki said. “We want to keep going.”
