Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back homers, serving to the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday in Recreation 1 of their NL Wild Card Sequence.
Chicago additionally bought an ideal efficiency from its bullpen within the franchise’s first playoff win for the reason that 2017 Nationwide League Championship Sequence. The Cubs had been swept by Miami within the wild-card spherical in 2020 throughout their final postseason look.
Recreation 2 of the best-of-three collection is again at Wrigley Area on Wednesday afternoon.
Suzuki opened the fifth inning with a 424-foot drive to left-center off Nick Pivetta, tying it at 1 and sending a cost by way of a towel-waving crowd of 39,114 on a picturesque afternoon. Pivetta had retired 11 in a row earlier than Suzuki prolonged his homer streak to 5 video games going again to the common season.
Kelly adopted with a towering shot that drifted simply over the wall in left-center. The catcher and Chicago native held his proper arm within the air as he rounded first base.
It was the MLB postseason debut for each Suzuki and Kelly, who mixed for the franchise’s first set of back-to-back homers within the playoffs since Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler went deep on Oct. 15, 2016, towards the Dodgers.
Pivetta struck out 9 in 5 strong innings, however San Diego’s lineup was shut down by Matthew Boyd and 4 relievers.
Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts produced an early lead for the Padres with back-to-back doubles within the second. Bogaerts superior to 3rd on middle fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s throwing error, however he was stranded there when Boyd retired Ryan O’Hearn (grounder to shortstop), Gavin Sheets (popup to 3rd) and Jake Cronenworth (grounder to shortstop).
San Diego put runners on the corners with one out within the fourth, however Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson made a pleasant working catch to assist Boyd escape once more.
Boyd exited after Freddy Fermin’s one-out single within the fifth. As shadows began to creep throughout house plate, Daniel Palencia retired every of his 5 batters for the win, together with strikeouts of Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.
Drew Pomeranz and Andrew Kittredge every bought three outs for Chicago earlier than Brad Keller dealt with the ninth for the save.
Up subsequent
Dylan Stop takes the mound for San Diego on Wednesday. Chicago was ready till after the collection opener to announce its Recreation 2 starter.
Stop went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 begins this season. The 29-year-old right-hander was drafted by the Cubs in 2014, however was traded to the White Sox in July 2017.
“I undoubtedly don’t have any onerous emotions in direction of them, however yeah, it looks like a lifetime in the past,” Stop stated.
