[Tuesday’s wild-card schedule | Guardians-Tigers | Padres-Cubs | Live blog]
After an exciting first day of action, the MLB playoffs are back in full force Wednesday. Eight teams once again take the field, fighting to advance or remain in contention for a World Series title. If Wednesday’s first game was any indication, fans are in for a fantastic day of baseball.
Advertisement
The Padres blanked the Cubs in Game 2 to force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday.
San Diego came out with its back against the wall, down 1-0 to Chicago in this three-game wild-card series, and answered the call. Dylan Cease got things off to a solid start for the Padres, going 3 2/3 innings while giving up 3 hits and 0 runs and striking out 5 batters.
The Padres’ offense did its part, scoring in the first inning on a Jackson Merrill sacrifice fly that brought in Fernando Tatis Jr. and tacking on with a fifth-inning blast from Manny Machado that made it 3-0. The Cubs’ bats had no pop Wednesday, as they managed just four hits in the contest.
Advertisement
Chicago went through six pitchers in the game, with Shota Imanaga relieving opener Andrew Kittredge and lasting 4 innings while giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits, with 3 strikeouts on 67 pitches.
Mason Miller was brilliant in 1 2/3 relief innings for San Diego, notching five straight strikeouts and the fastest postseason pitch in pitch-tracking history. Robert Suarez finished off the game with a four-out save, giving up just one hit on 18 pitches.
In the MLB postseason, an unknown player can become a legend with one swing. Despite being the No. 9 hitter, it was Brayan Rocchio who rose to the occasion Wednesday and lifted the Guardians in Game 2. In what — to that point — had been a game bereft of offense, Rocchio smacked a 99.9-mph fastball from Troy Melton into the right-field bleachers for a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the eighth.
Advertisement
That hit sparked a Guardians rally. Steven Kwan added a double, and Daniel Schneemann followed with a double of his own to give the Guardians a late 3-1 lead. A few batters later, Bo Naylor smacked a three-run homer to put the game out of reach. Guardians closer Cade Smith kept the Tigers off the board in the ninth to secure the 6-1 victory.
Until that offensive explosion, it was a tight, low-scoring affair in Game 2. That should make for an excellent winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as we cover all the action on Day 2 of the 2025 MLB playoffs.
MLB playoff bracket, wild-card schedule for Game 2
No. 3 Cleveland Guardians 6, No. 6 Detroit Tigers 1
No. 5 San Diego Padres 3, No. 4 Chicago Cubs 0
No. 5 Boston Red Sox vs. No. 4 New York Yankees, live on ESPN
No. 6 Cincinnati Reds vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Dodgers, 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN
MLB wild card Game 2 live blog
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the wild-card round continues Wednesday: