Sep 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ryan O'Hearn (32) runs after he hits a three RBI double against the Chicago White Sox during the sixth inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Padres All-Star Sends Message to Cubs Ahead of Wild Card Series

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 5:00 PM ET

What has been likely for a while is now official: the Padres are headed to Chicago to face off against the Cubs in a best-of-three Wild Card series starting Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The damage was done Saturday after the Cubs beat the Cardinals 7-3 to clinch the No. 4 seed in the National League and home field advantage in the Wild Card round.

"Now it's all set in stone," left fielder Gavin Sheets told reporters. "We know who we got, we know what we got, we know where we've got it."

For the Padres, finding success in the postseason will mean adopting a road dogs mentality.

"Road warriors," first baseman Ryan O'Hearn said. "We're going to Chicago to win."

If the Padres are going to do as O'Hearn says, they will hope for different luck than they experienced in their last road trip to Wrigley.

The Padres traveled to the Windy City in early April of this season, dropping two of three to the Cubs. The team was batting just .215 after their first two losses to the Cubs before an 8-7 win in which they hit .325/.449/.400 as a team.

Those will be the numbers the Padres will hope for in Chicago this time around. In order to do so, the Padres coaching staff has already been spending time strategizing about the starting pitching rotation. Padres scouts have been keeping a close eye on the Cubs for weeks, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“We spent the majority of the last couple days and a lot of time today getting prepared and ready to go," Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

While the Padres are making their second straight postseason appearance and third in four seasons, this is the Cubs' first appearance since 2020. With a revitalized group of core players, the Cubs are excited to host the Padres instead of having to travel to Southern California.

“Being able to clinch home-field advantage for the first round is really special,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson told reporters. “We’ve worked a lot all year to be able to get to this point. You do a lot of things as a group to gel and to get to this point, to build chemistry. It’s just a part of the journey. It’s not the end spot, but it’s part of it."

The Padres will take on the Cubs Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 12:08 p.m. PT.