The San Diego Padres routed the Chicago Cubs 8-0 in the NL Wild Card Series opener as Michael King dominated, carrying a no-hitter through six innings and into the seventh while the Padres offense scored early. Fernando Tatis Jr. clubbed the first leadoff home run in Padres playoff history on the Cubs' first pitch, helping build a multi-run lead that never let up. Chicago managed only sporadic baserunners and went hitless through much of the game against King; the Padres pushed across multiple runs by the fifth inning to put the game away. In the AL Wild Card Series opener, the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 6-3, an early series edge for Chicago. The Astros drew a sparse crowd for their playoff opener at the White Sox, and Chicago’s win sets the teams up for Game 2 as each club looks to extend its postseason advantage.
