PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

The Padres are officially out of the 2025 MLB playoffs after losing 2-1 in the series to the Chicago Cubs. On Thursday Oct. 2 the Padres lost 1-3, only able to get one run off in the ninth inning. Both teams were competing in the National League Wild card series. 

Tatis Jr. and Machado celebrate after winning Game 2 on Oct. 1. Photo courtesy of @padres/Instagram

  The Wild card round is a best of three series and the winners of the two Wild Card Series move on to the Division Series, best of five where they go on to play the top seeds. 

Last year, the Padres swept the Atlanta Braves in the wild card series and were then eliminated by the Dodgers in five games during division play. This year’s season, to the dismay of many fans, has concluded much quicker. 

  While the Padres lost at Wrigley Field they still accomplished something that no other team has in the brief history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series. The Friars are the first team to lose Game 1 on the road, then bounce back to win Game two.

  A lot of star players including pitcher Joe Musgrove, Xander Bogaerts and Jason Adam faced injuries that affected their performance and ability to play. 

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove did not throw a pitch this season as he recovers from an offseason Tommy John surgery- more formally known as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, used to repair ligaments inside the elbow.  Musgrove hoped to return for the playoff run but did not fully recover in time. 

Machado after first pitch splitter. Photo courtesy of @padres/Instagram 

  Similarly, San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adam suffered a season-ending ruptured left quadriceps tendon in a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 1, 2025, after which he underwent surgery. Adam was a key player in the Padres’ bullpen and a 2025 All-Star whose presence was missed during the wild card series. 

   Bogaerts was able to play against the Cubs and started 120 games at shortstop and another nine at designated hitter this season, but it’s also the second straight season a fracture will cost him extended playing time. Bogaerts fractured his foot at the end of August and while he took the field last week was still recovering. 

 Despite the Padres accomplishments this season, most  are  still  pretty upset with the way things unfolded this year. USD sophomore Cooper De Vries watched the game during his lab and expressed his dismay about the game. 

  I’m disappointed, I’m over it,” De Vries said. “It wasn’t our year, it was our year last year, this year we got f—–, all the guys got hurt, I don’t know nothing came together.”

  De Vries was not the only student upset with the results, 

  USD senior Elle Kaveh also spoke about her feelings about the Padres early elimination. 

  “Although the Padres loss was not wildly unexpected, it was still brutal to watch,” Kaveh said. “I had more faith in the team this season with Tatís Jr. being back. I’m still annoyed at the turnout, but I’m even more devastated since I’ve spent like $67 on hot dogs and drinks this season for it all to go to waste like that against the Cubs.”

  The Padres will turn their attention to the offseason, focusing on recovery and roster adjustments ahead of the 2026 season. As of right now the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 2–1 and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians, 2–1 in the American League wild card round. 

 In the National League wild card-round, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds, 2–0 and the Cubs defeated the Padres. 

The Cubs are now set to play the Milwaukee Brewers while the Dodgers take on the Philadelphia Phillies. In the American league, the Yankees are playing the Toronto Blue Jays while the Detroit Tigers face the Seattle Mariners. 

 By Saturday, Oct. 11, this round of games will conclude and by Oct. 12 the NLCS (National League Championship Series) and ACLS (American League Championship Series) will start. The winner of each league will then compete in the World Series, scheduled to have their first game Oct. 24, 2025 and if all seven games are necessary, conclude by Nov. 1, 2025.

Machado hit a first pitch splitter for a two-run home run at Wrigley Field. Photo courtesy of @padres/Instagram