San Diego Padres Clinch 3rd Consecutive Postseason Berth with Win Over Dodgers
The San Diego Padres secured a third postseason berth on September 25, 2026, by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 at Dodger Stadium. Ethan Salas and Fernando Tatis Jr. ignited a late-inning offensive surge, backed by starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, locking in October baseball for the franchise.
Clinching Victory at Dodger Stadium
The Padres clinched their postseason ticket on the road in Los Angeles, overcoming a tense division rivalry matchup. Playing at Dodger Stadium on September 25, 2026, San Diego used a disciplined pitching performance and timely hitting to break open a scoreless tie in the middle frames and capture a 4-2 victory.
With this win, the club stamps its ticket to the postseason for the third year in a row, maintaining a consistent presence in the National League playoff picture. The team entered the contest with a full lineup featuring Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field, Manny Machado at third base, and 닉 피베타 (Nick Pivetta) taking the ball as the starting pitcher.
Late-Inning Execution Breaks Scoreless Tie
Both starting pitchers traded zeros through the early frames, as Pivetta matched up against Los Angeles starter Tyler Glasnow. The breakthrough finally arrived in the top of the sixth inning when Ethan Salas and Tatis Jr. strung together consecutive hits. That set up a sacrifice fly by Dustin Harris that allowed Salas to race home with the game’s first run.
San Diego extended that narrow lead in the top of the seventh. Jackson Merrill doubled and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk, forcing a pitching change as Justin Robleski replaced Glasnow on the mound. Jake Cronenworth followed with an infield single that plated Merrill. Salas then singled to center to drive in Bogaerts, and 송성문—running as a pinch-runner for Harris—crossed the plate on a subsequent single by Tatis Jr., pushing the advantage to 4-0.
Late Dodgers Push Falls Short
Los Angeles attempted a late-inning response against the San Diego bullpen. In the bottom of the eighth, facing reliever Adrian Morejon, Mookie Betts drew a walk and Freddie Freeman singled to put runners on the corners. A balk by the pitcher allowed Betts to trot home for the Dodgers’ first run.
The home team threatened again in the ninth against Mason Miller. Tommy Edman reached base on a dropped third strike with a subsequent wild pitch, then stole second base before scoring on an RBI double by Shohei Ohtani to narrow the gap to 4-2.