Back-to-back homers lift Cubs over Padres 3-1 in Game 1 of wild-card series

Seiya Suzuki crossed home plate in the fifth inning Tuesday and put about as much power into his high-five with Carson Kelly as he had into the swing that sent the tying home run into a sea of roaring fans in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field.

“He was pretty juiced, I’ve got to say,” Kelly said after the Cubs’ 3-1 victory over the Padres in Game 1 of the wild-card series. “A lot of passion for this game.”

Then, as if the energy had passed from one player to another, Kelly launched the go-ahead homer over the left-field wall.

Those back-to-back blasts were the turning point as the Cubs claimed their first playoff win since 2017. It was just the fourth time in postseason history they hit back-to-back home runs, according to MLB.com. The most recent was in 2016, when consecutive shots by Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler helped lift them over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

“It’s huge,” Kelly said of the result Tuesday. “Having a chance to clinch [Wednesday] and move to the next round is all you can ask for.”

History puts an even finer point on it. In 20 wild-card series since the best-of-three format was utilized in the unique 2020 postseason and then fully implemented in 2022, the team that won Game 1 advanced to the divisional round in all but two cases.

The Cubs’ effort Tuesday was well-balanced. Starter Matthew Boyd deftly navigated traffic on the bases. The bullpen shut down the Padres’ offense for 4⅔ innings. The defensive effort included a pair of highlight-reel plays by shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Offense was the biggest unknown entering the series. Although the Cubs’ bats had been heating up toward the end of the regular season, it wasn’t clear if the trend would continue. In their last two wild-card appearances in 2018 and 2020, they had managed just two runs across three games.

In this game alone, they topped that, and all three players who drove in runs were competing in their first major-league playoff game. But through the first four innings, the Cubs had put on just one baserunner against Padres starter Nick Pivetta.

“No one’s panicking,” said second baseman Nico Hoerner, who accounted for the third run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. “But, obviously, you get deeper in a game with no runs, and just huge uplifting swings from Seiya and Carson there against Pivetta, who was throwing the ball really well, and [that] really flipped that game around.”

Suzuki, who hit five home runs in the last four regular-season games, turned on a thigh-high fastball and ripped it out with an exit velocity of 112 mph.

“I can’t really explain it,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “With the past week, coming into this game, I feel like there’s been a playoff switch that’s been turned on.”

Kelly battled to a 2-2 count before sending a letter-high fastball for a ride.

As both teams’ relievers took over, the performances on offense reversed. The Padres failed to rally. And against their heralded bullpen, the Cubs chipped away.

In the eighth, Swanson led off with a single, advanced to second on Matt Shaw’s sacrifice bunt and took third on a wild pitch. Hoerner then sent his fly ball to center to give the Cubs a little cushion.

“He seems to always get the job done in those kinds of moments,” Swanson said. “But to be able to add on and give yourself an extra run of breathing room is huge.”

With a win Wednesday, the Cubs would punch their ticket to an NL Division Series against the Brewers. If they lose, they’ll get another shot Thursday.