Michael King flirts with no-hitter as Padres dominate Cubs in wild-card Game 1

The San Diego Padres ended the regular season as the hottest team in baseball. It's how they started the postseason, too.Michael King flirted with a no-hitter, Fernando Tatis Jr. had a vintage performance, and plenty of other players contributed to an 8-0 Padres win over the Chicago Cubs to open their wild-card series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.The game Tuesday was the largest shutout win in Padres postseason history.The tone was set as early as the first inning, when King struck out Cubs stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, then Tatis and Manny Machado clubbed home runs off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Petco Park grew more euphoric with every beat, and the home fans didn't have much reason to lose that high over the next eight innings.Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres crowd knew on contact 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mtZMh4BTst— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026 Even with the lopsided score, King's performance meant the game was worth watching into the seventh inning. The right-hander, who rejoined the Padres last winter on a deal clearly designed to let him establish his value for another go at free agency this coming offseason, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.He did so despite facing a Cubs team that led MLB in runs scored in the regular season and went 5-1 against the Padres with 9.2 runs per game in 2026.In the end, it was only an infield single off the bat of Nico Hoerner that got Chicago into the hits column. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki — none of them could get anything going against King's deep pitch mix.Eight strikeouts for Michael King 🔥He's through seven shutout innings! pic.twitter.com/KqUO5miIq7— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026 Getting 17 whiffs was impressive for King, but just as effective were 20 called strikes. Chicago is one of the most patient lineups in MLB, and King made them pay for that strength by sneaking sinker after sinker into the zone early in the count to build a quick advantage.The Padres clearly wanted to get him a no-hitter, in addition to the win. We know that because the most frustration any of their players showed all night came from Manny Machado after he failed to get a hold of that Hoerner single. The former Gold Glover was visibly furious with himself as he picked up the ball.Tatis, meanwhile, continued to do Tatis things. He finished the game 2-for-3 with 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base and the homer to lead off the game.FERNANDO TATIS JR. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! pic.twitter.com/hsHlrxILZk— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026 The scene was a team giving its fans everything they wanted, all the way up the ninth inning, when San Diego brought back Joe Musgrove. The San Diego area native had not pitched since the 2024 postseason and received a standing ovation, dugout included, as he entered the game to finish off the victory.It all added up to a statement win from the Padres, who are now one win from drawing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. They have won 18 of their past 21 games, which does not sound like the sort of challenge a top seed is supposed to face off the bat.Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NL wild-card round.