The Cubs and Padres had to wait until the full slate of wild-card games finished Wednesday to find out what time they’d play the deciding Game 3 on Thursday.
Late Wednesday night, it became official: The Cubs and Padres will play the series finale at 4:08 p.m. Thursday at Wrigley Field. The win-or-go-home contest will air on ESPN.
Facing elimination, the Cubs have right-hander Jameson Taillon taking the mound opposite Padres right-hander Yu Darvish, a beloved former Cub.
Thursday’s broadcast schedule hinged on how many wild-card games were set to be played.
The Guardians beat the Tigers, and the Yankees beat the Red Sox to send both American League wild-card series to three games.
Then, in the latest time slot Wednesday, the Dodgers completed a two-game sweep of the Reds to advance to the NLDS, where they’ll face the Phillies.