Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Jake Cronenworth (9) celebrates after hitting an RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Padres Star Shouts Out Dodgers Fans Ahead of Postseason

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The MLB playoffs add an understandable layer of intensity to road games. Fewer fans are walking away from the middle of an inning to go get a hot dog or a beer, instead they're in their seats, locked in on each pitch and making their voices heard.

“Just how much tension and emphasis there is on every pitch,” Padres first baseman Ryan O’Hearn said to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Jeff Sanders. “Every pitch matters. It can be mentally exhausting as a player, but in such a good way. … You’re locked in on every single pitch. At any time, the game can change.”

The Padres are preparing for a likely road trip to Chicago to open the postseason against the Cubs in a three-game, win-or-go-home Wild Card series. Based on his experience with previous road playoff series against the Dodgers, Phillies and the Mets, second baseman Jake Cronenworth is preparing for another tough road environment.

“Just the atmosphere,” Cronenworth said. “Not just [at PetCo Park], which is amazing as we’ve seen, but even on the road, I think it’s a cool thing. Every team has its own unique environment that’s toward their stadium and toward their team and I think that’s what makes the playoffs so special. Philly was awesome. Dodger Stadium is always a great road environment (and so is) New York.

“That’s what makes baseball so special.”

The Padres have struggled at Dodger Stadium this season, winning just one of their seven road games against LA. Cronenworth has had middling results at Dodger Stadium, averaging .238 at the plate and striking out seven times with two RBIs.

As far as the playoffs go, the Padres have had mixed success at Dodger Stadium in their recent postseason appearances. In 2024, Cronenworth and the Padres fell 3-2 to the Dodgers, winning one of their three road games in the NL Division Series. Two years prior, however, the Padres earned a road win at Dodger Stadium and closed out the NLDS at home, winning 3-1 over LA.

At this point in the regular season, it is essentially a guarantee that the only way the two division rivals could meet in the postseason would be an epic NL Championship Series matchup.