MLB Wild Card Game 1 Live Updates, Results, Highlights From Red Sox vs. Yankees and Every Game

A leadoff homer and a clutch baserunning play are good. Looking good while doing both is better.

Series: Padres 1, Cubs 0

When: Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. ET

Matchup: Kevin Gausman (CHC) vs. Nick Pivetta (SDP)

The Cubs had the highest-scoring offense in MLB during the regular season, so getting shut out on three hits is not what they had in mind for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. That part will need to be fixed in Game 2.

Pivetta made a late return to the Padres' rotation in September after sitting out all of May, June, July and August. He looked good, making four starts and posting a 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings.

The Padres will only need so much from him in Game 2. After saving his best bullpen arms in Game 1, Craig Stammen is sure to use them aggressively in the second game.

This was just all Padres, all the time.

They scored in five of their eight turns at bat, hitting three home runs in the process. Michael King gave up just one hit in seven innings. They used Joe Musgrove but did not need Mason Miller or most of their other late-inning options.

It's a dream scenario for them and a nightmare scenario for the Cubs.

Literally just once before, anyway.

It's Musgrove's first appearance on a major league mound since October 2, 2024. Few expected the San Diego native to be active for this series, and now here he is to close out a Game 1 victory.

Baseball always finds a way, folks.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman have seven at-bats between them. They are 0-for-7 with six strikeouts.

PCA is also lucky he didn't get run by third base umpire Bill Miller after jawing at him for a strike-three call on a check swing. Not that it would have mattered at this point, of course.

Michael King couldn't keep the no-hitter going, but the Padres still have a 1-hitter entering the eighth inning.

The last playoff one-hitter was in 2022 by the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLCS… against the Padres… in San Diego.

The sequence:

Is the crowd feeding off Nando? Or is Nando feeding off the crowd?

The answer is yes.

Could Manny Machado have thrown out Nico Hoerner on that play? One doubts it. He has a great arm, but it was a jam shot and Hoerner runs well.

Even so, not exactly a clean line drive to the outfield. Gives you an idea of how nasty King is tonight.

That's it. That's the update.

He's at 83 pitches, so he likely won't see this thing through all the way to the end. San Diego's amazing bullpen can do that if need be.

After an awkward check swing in St. Petersburg on Sunday, there was already suspicion that Anthony's right hand was bothering him again. This is devastating for the Red Sox.

Jackson Merrill had the two-out, bases-loaded single and then Ty France scored on a passed ball.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are still looking for their first hit.

There have been three all-time in the playoffs, with the last coming courtesy of four Houston Astros pitchers in the 2022 World Series.

As long as we don't name names, this is not a jinx.

Series: Yankees 1, Red Sox 0

When: Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET

Matchup: Sonny Gray (BOS) vs. Max Fried (NYY)

Gray was Boston's ace this year, going 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA. So with their season on the line, their situation on the mound could be worse.

Whatever Gray does might not mean much without run support, though. The Red Sox scored 18 fewer runs than any other team in September. Even if Cam Schlittler was on the mound, a shutout in their first playoff game is not encouraging.

Fried has been hit-or-miss in the playoffs throughout his career, but the Red Sox know how good he can be. The lefty fired 6.1 scoreless innings against them in Game 1 of last year's Wild Card Series.

The Yankees couldn't have scripted this any better:

The Red Sox had a 1-0 lead over the Yankees in last year's Wild Card Series, and couldn't hold it. This result does not bode well, either, especially if Roman Anthony can't return after leaving Game 1 early.

That's the Padres' third home run of the game, and no doubt about it at 104.9 mph and 399 feet down the line.

It's a night for laughers, apparently. Between this game and Red Sox-Yankees, the home teams had scored 13 runs without allowing one.

It's his second home run and fourth hit of the game, with six runs batted in as well.

He's only the fifth player to hit all three of those marks in a playoff game, and the first since Chris Taylor in 2021.

When you hit a leadoff home run in the playoffs, any pose will do.

Without Aaron Judge, it needs to be all hands on deck if the Yankees are going to get past Boston in this series.

Between Lombard, Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice tonight, it's so far, so good.

This double clocked at 108.0 mph, even harder than the 103.3 mph homer Machado had earlier.

Matthew Boyd is not exactly quieting the narrative that the Cubs don't have enough starting pitching for October.

Because it was back-to-back sweepers. Get it?

King also threw the fastest pitch he has thrown all year in this game, touching 97.6 mph in the first inning.

A run scored on the play, but holy smokes. That's a clutch double play, followed by a harmless fly to center to end the inning.

It's 4-0 Yankees, but that beats 6-0 or worse if you're the Red Sox.

That's a single, double and home run for Rice tonight, and off of three different lefties. A good night for Massachusetts natives-turned-Yankees.

The bases are still loaded with nobody out. This is the game right here for the Red Sox.

He was in there to get a pitcher's best friend, and he did it. Close call at first base, but the Red Sox did not challenge.

We had figured he was done after 107 pitches and six innings. He had one more out and 10 more pitches in him, though he leaves with the tying run coming to the plate after Wilyer Abreu singled.

Two solo homers = tens of thousands of satisfied customers at Petco Park. And it's still the first inning.

Petco Park was already humming, and now the Padres have a lead courtesy of Tatis. This was 405 feet, and it might have been caught by Pete Crow-Armstrong if it was only 404.

He threw 29 curveballs, the most he had ever thrown in a major league start, regular season or postseason.

He also had 24 whiffs, the most he's ever had in a regular or postseason start.

That's six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, plus one hit and one walk apiece. After 107 pitches, his night is almost certainly finished.

He's now made two playoff starts against the Red Sox, and he's pitched a total of 14.0 shutout innings with 22 strikeouts. Baller.

Andruw Monasterio pinch-hit for Roman Anthony with one out in the sixth inning. No explanation as of yet. He did miss close to four months with a hand/wrist injury this season.

Whatever the case, not ideal for the Red Sox.

The Cubs were the highest-scoring team in baseball this year, and that may need to live up to that billing to beat the Padres.

Their pitching really found its stride with a 3.53 ERA in the second half, while Michael King had a 2.84 ERA after the calendar flipped to July.

The Red Sox swapped out Payton Tolle for Erik Miller, but one lefty is apparently as good as another for Rice. This was a bomb at 108 mph off the bat and 423 feet.

No strikeouts in the fifth after eight through the first four innings, and his velocity and command were noticeably shaky. He's at 89 pitches, so the Red Sox may succeed at making New York's pen handle the last three-plus innings.

Everyone gets one, regardless of the uniform.

Tolle began the inning by allowing an infield single to George Lombard Jr. and a walk to Amed Rosario, who clinched it on a clutch ABS challenge. But then, a popout by Anthony Volpe and a double play by Spencer Jones.

Lombard went too far off the base on the play. Gotta freeze on line drives, even if they're soft ones.

And yeah, not sure what Willson Contreras saw on that called third strike. That was nearly right down the middle.

The record for strikeouts in a postseason game is 17, set by Bob Gibson in the 1968 World Series. Just in case anyone was wondering.

Now, cut to Biff Tannen saying "There's something familiar about all this."

When Cam Schlittler did this the first time, he ended up firing eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks.

That includes two of Roman Anthony, who Schlittler got to offer on a check swing at 99 mph to end the third.

He's at 51 pitches. With the way he looks, getting him out of this game before the seventh might be Boston's best hope.

This was on the third single of the inning, following knocks by George Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe. With the way Cam Schlittler looks, it could be enough.

He's also averaging 99.4 mph on the fastball, so he has about as much adrenaline as anyone could have expected.

This was after he stranded Ben Rice at second in the bottom of the first inning. Long way to go still, but it's always 5 o'clock somewhere.

Series: White Sox 1, Astros 0

When: Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET

Matchup: Sean Burke (CHW) vs. Hunter Brown (HOU)

Brown is the Astros' ace, and he finished this year strong with a 2.67 ERA for his last 12 starts. They're going to need some length from him after using eight pitchers in a bullpen game in Game 1.

The White Sox are very much in the driver's seat after winning Game 1. In the Wild Card Series, teams that win Game 1 are 15-1 at winning the series.

The White Sox grabbed an early 1-0 lead and extended it to 5-0 before the Astros finally answered. Their rally for three runs was too little, too late.

The White Sox had 11 hits in the game, seemingly all of which involved shortening up and going to the opposite field. If that was a deliberate approach, it was masterfully executed.

Grant Taylor handled the last 2.1 innings to close it out for Chicago, throwing 54 pitches and striking out five.

He touched 101 mph three times in Roman Anthony's opening at-bat, ultimately striking him out on a check swing at a splitter.

Josh Hader, working as Houston's eighth pitcher of Game 1, got through the top of the ninth with no damage to keep it 6-3.

Christian Walker, Lucas Spence and Cam Smith are due up for the Astros in the bottom of the ninth. They trail 6-3.

Aaron Judge is not on the Yankees' Wild Card Series roster, yet that apparently doesn't mean he couldn't have been introduced before Game 1 against the Red Sox.

Interesting, to say the least. There will presumably be an explanation after the game.

Grant Taylor, seemingly running on fumes after throwing 36 pitches, got Yainer Diaz looking at a 3-2 pitch to end the frame. The Astros got a run, but stranded runners on first and second.

Shoutout to Kyle Teel for winning two ABS challenges behind the plate in that inning, one of which preceded Isaac Paredes' strikeout for the second out.

It's 6-3 White Sox heading to the ninth inning.

It was a bang-bang play at first base, but the call on the field was that Munetaka Murakami's foot came off the bag. The White Sox challenge and the call stood.

It's officially a missed catch error, and now Houston has the tying run at the plate with two outs.

They have used seven pitchers to get through the first eight innings, all for what is trending toward a Game 1 loss.

When Hunter Brown goes for Houston in Game 2, Joe Espada might have a high pitch count in mind.

This is about as good of a pitching matchup as you can ask for. Cam Schlittler is a shoo-in for the AL Cy Young Award, while Payton Tolle should have AL Rookie of the Year votes coming his way.

Notably, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not in the starting lineup against Tolle. Aaron Boone clearly wanted to get as many right-handed bats in there as he possibly could.

As a reminder, Aaron Judge is not part of the Yankees' Wild Card Series roster. The Red Sox do have Garrett Crochet.

Bennett Sousa went on to strike out Braden Montgomery, but he also reached because the third strike got past Yainer Díaz. The Astros are fortunate that Randal Grichuk didn't attempt to score from third. They managed to get out of the jam with their third double play of the day.

Also, the boo birds made another appearance at Daikin Park.

The spin on that ball was insane, so nice job by the slugger to stick with it.

Houston has four hits in this game, and just one has come from the top six spots in the order. Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve are a combined 0-for-6.

Miguel Ullola did give up a home run to Colson Montgomery, but three innings of one-run ball is exactly what the Astros needed after AJ Blubaugh stumbled as the opener.

The vertical break on the fastball showed on the swings White Sox hitters were taking. Ullola was working in the middle of the zone, but still blowing it by guys.

It's now 5-2 White Sox after Velázquez took Sean Newcomb for a ride for a two-run homer. He had been sent up to pinch hit for Taylor Trammell.

Still work to do for the Astros, but at least the fans are awake after going back and forth between bored and angry through the first half of the game.

A better third baseman than Isaac Paredes might make that play and get at least one out. Whatever the case, there were more boos from the crowd at Daikin Park.

The Astros at least avoided further damage, with Josh Hendrickson getting Colson Montgomery to ground into an inning-ending double play.

It sure looks like it. Although if I'm being honest, I'd understand all this better if there was some kind of David Attenborough narration.

After Sam Antonacci led off the top of the fourth with a groundout to Jose Altuve, Will Venable challenged whether Altuve was set up on the grass. That would have been a positioning violation. You don't see many (or any) of those.

It didn't work. The call on the field stood, and the White Sox lost one of their two challenges.

This one was absolutely crushed, landing 432 feet away in center field. That's not an easy poke at Daikin Park.

The White Sox manager let Hagen Smith face likely AL MVP Yordan Alvarez for a second time, and with a runner on third, no less. That was playing with fire, but Smith induced a groundout to end the third inning.

Still 3-0 White Sox.

This was in the bottom of the second inning, and was officially recorded as an "Injury Delay" on the MLB Gameday app. No further commentary.

No wonder opposing hitters had just a .093 average against it this season.

Nice piece of hitting by Antonacci with the bases loaded. The White Sox have sent 10 men to the plate and collected three runs on three walks, three hits and a hit batter.

Astros fans are currently booing. There is nobody out on the second inning of their first playoff game of the year, and the bases are still loaded.

What? We didn't say it was good history.

Not a great look for the modern opener craze, but at least Hagen Smith is doing it right for the White Sox. He got three outs and everything.

It's 1-0 White Sox after Munetaka Murakami's sac fly to center, scoring Sam Antonacci from third base. This was after two walks by Astros opener AJ Blubaugh, who then walked a third batter.

He's coming out of the game after throwing 27 pitches and getting two outs. Left-hander Bryan King is coming in.

The White Sox lost an all-time record 121 games in 2024. Pope Leo XIV was elected in May of 2025. Now, the White Sox are a playoff team in 2026.

Coincidence? Or some kind of intervention?

It's a bullpen game for the Astros by necessity. Their rotation was decimated by injuries this season, and ace Hunter Brown last pitched four days ago.

It's also a bullpen game for the White Sox. The best starters they have are Davis Martin and Sean Burke, and both pitched in the last weekend of the regular season as well.

Series: Braves 1, Phillies 0

When: Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET

Matchup: Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) vs. Tyler Mahle (ATL)

It's win-or-go-home for the Phillies, and they'll need as much from Sánchez as they can get. Given the shallowness of their bullpen, having Jhoan Duran throw 27 pitches just to blow Game 1 is brutal.

He's no Chris Sale, but Mahle was terrific for Atlanta since coming over from the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline. He finished the year with a 1.99 ERA in nine starts with the Braves.

The first game of Tuesday's slate was a back-and-forth contest between NL East rivals that took its final turn in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Facing Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, Austin Riley got a down-the-middle fastball at 100 mph and didn't miss it, cranking a go-ahead and ultimately game-winning three-run homer.

Since the best-of-three format of the Wild Card Series was introduced, the team that has won Game 1 has also won the series 15 times in 16 tries.