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The Houston Astros 2026 season ended much the way it existed all season long: unfulfilled promise, frustration, some excitement that ended in disappointment. The unfulfilling season capped off with an unfulfilling ending.

So many issues that the Astros had to work through this season exposed their lack of major-league caliber depth. It unfortunately coincided with some older players losing their stare downs with Father Time.

So where do the Astros go from here (position player edition):

A) Make a decision on Jeremy Pena.

This is the most important offseason decision the team has to make. Are they willing to pay Jeremy Pena and make him the next Astros lifer, following in the footsteps of Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Jose Altuve? If they aren’t, will they look to maximize his value the way they did Kyle Tucker, or will they let him walk for nothing as they did most recently with Alex Bregman and Framber Valdez?

Paying him a long term deal (which Astros owner Jim Crane has been loathe to do for anyone) comes with the risk of Pena experiencing a significant performance drop-off towards the end of the contract. Pena just completed his age-28 season, and has one more year of arbitration before he hits free agency.

If they were to write him an 8-year deal that included eating up his final year of arbitration, it would take him through his age-36 season. Jose Altuve just completed his age-36 season, and it was by far the worst season of his career. Altuve is also a franchise icon. Pena could be in the same vein when you consider his resume (All-Star, Gold Glove winner, ALCS MVP, World Series MVP, World Series champion, team leader) and his current importance to the team. Pena is a team leader, offensive catalyst, and their clear best defender at the position (despite his occasional mental lapses in this injury-marred season).

If they were to trade him, they could get a Kyle Tucker-esque return, which has proven to be a very strong return for the Astros. Paredes is a top-3 bat on the team with a tailor-made swing for Daikin Park, Cam Smith developed more power this season and is some pitch recognition from becoming an All-Star, and Hayden Wesneski has turned into a solid middle-of the-rotation pitcher. They may even be able to get more for Pena because he plays a premium position, has the postseason pedigree, the leadership pedigree, and his contract demands won’t be so absurd per year that only 3-5 teams can consider him.

The only thing they cannot do, especially with the team not being a World Series contender, is have him play out the season and walk away for nothing at the end of the year. That would be franchise malpractice.

B) Find a trade partner for Christian Walker.

Walker isn’t Jose Abreu. 29 HR and 87 RBI don’t grow on trees. He did post a 103 OPS+, so he was slightly above league average as a hitter, despite the low batting average (.226) and low OBP (.299). His defense was also still above average, as his 3 Outs Above Average (OAA) were tied for sixth-best in MLB.

But there are too many strikeouts, too many GIDPs, too many missed RBI opportunities. Finishing his age-35 season, it really looks nearly identical to his age-34 season that had many questioning if Father Time had called him with bad news.

The Astros have an infield log jam, and either Isaac Paredes or Carlos Correa are both superior options to Walker at 1B at this point, and both are more productive and on better contracts.

Walker’s comments regarding Astros fans after Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series against the Chicago White Sox didn’t win him any fans, either. I am a firm believer that once a player takes shots at the fans, it’s time for them to go. This is especially true with underperformers who have not had any major accomplishments in the team uniform.

C) Settle the positions of Isaac Paredes and Carlos Correa.

Paredes has 1B experience, but has played more 3B. While he is not an elite defensive 3B by any metric (-3 OAA, tied for 31st), his defense has not been a real negative factor impacting games for the Astros in either of the past two seasons.

Correa is a superior defender at 3B, but his tendon injury must be accounted for. If the tendon injury limits Correa’s ability to play 3B, whether it’s lateral movement or ability to charge balls or throw on the run, moving Correa to 1B should be an option on the table.

Correa would be a big target at 1B (he’s 6’3”), his ability to snag short hops at 3B should translate to his ability to pick short hop throws at 1B, and his natural athleticism and high baseball IQ should translate to his learning a new position easily. While it would make sense to have the better defender at 3B, if Correa has a potential physical limitation, playing him at 1B would make more sense. Additionally, just as Correa wanted to move to 3B to make playing easier on his body, a move to 1B would take more burden off him physically. As demonstrated this season, the Astros really need Correa’s bat in the lineup.

D) The Astros have to change how they manage the DH spot.

Yordan Alvarez made just 24 starts in LF this season, his fewest in which he played a full season. He also maintained his reputation of hitting better when he plays the field. The presumed favorite for AL MVP this season hit .305 with a .422 OBP and .997 OPS as a DH. As a LF, he hit a ridiculous .376 with a .476 OBP and 1.239 OPS.

Essentially as a DH Yordan is an All-Star. As a LF, he’s Babe Ruth.

Jose Altuve has become nearly unplayable at 2B this season. He was an MLB-worst -10 OAA. His limited range was on display in the first inning of Game 2 of the AL Wild Card game vs. the White Sox when he was unable to get to a ground ball while diving that Nick Allen would have gotten to standing up. Father Time really came for Jose Altuve this season, and the franchise icon just couldn’t beat him back down.

Altuve made 127 starts at 2B this season, and only 7 at DH. While it’s a very small sample size, Altuve posted a .689 OPS as a 2B and a .922 OPS as a DH.

Those numbers on their own don’t say much, but when we add them to last season’s splits, the picture becomes clearer.

In 2025, Altuve played 63 games at 2B, and posted a .759 OPS. He played 45 games in LF, and post a .742 OPS. In 49 games as a DH, his OPS was .816. Altuve’s numbers are better when his body is fresher.

This should demonstrate that the Astros need to stop making Yordan a full-time DH, and have him share the spot with Altuve.

Altuve clearly needs more DH time, and hits better there. Alvarez, while a poor fielder due to limited range, brings a ton of offense and power to an OF that was incredibly weak at the plate in 2026. Also, it turns out, Alvarez is superhuman at the plate when he plays the field.

Alvarez has never played more than 56 games in LF, and now the Astros need to ask him to play about 75. They also need to ask Altuve to drop to about 75 games in the field. It’s a big ask of both players, but it seems like the best way to manage both of them going forward and maximize their success.

Major League Baseball did in fact look into the substance that many people seemed to notice on Sonny Gray’s neck during the Red Sox’s Game 2 wild-card series loss to the Yankees, The Post confirmed.

Sports talk host Craig Carton first reported on WFAN on Thursday that the league had looked into it.

While the Yankees walloped the Red Sox to complete the sweep, plenty of baseball fans noticed what appeared to be a strange substance on Gray’s neck when he was on the mound, raising plenty of questions. 

Gray appeared to touch it at various times while on the mound, and baseball fans were quick to point out the discoloration on the right side of his neck. 

Did Major League Baseball look into whatever was on Sonny Gray's neck? @craigcartonlive called the league to find out: pic.twitter.com/DwieOdG2Vj

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 1, 2026

Carton said on air that he was told by Major League Baseball that it was on top of the situation and that the umpires had checked his hat, glove and hands after every inning he pitched. 

“He was checked after every inning. The spin rate was not up at all compared to his starts throughout the regular season,” Carton said. “They did a full check because, obviously, if you’re watching the game, like we all are, you saw the right side of his neck was discolored.”

Gray pitched 4 ⅔ innings and allowed only a solo home run to Luis Garcia Jr. before he was pulled from the game at 70 pitches. 

Sonny Gray obviously had sticky stuff on his neck, a breakdown pic.twitter.com/ii41NNMsDK

— Jimmy O'Brien (@Jomboy_) October 1, 2026

The veteran right-hander seemed to question the decision to pull him from the game. 

“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that’s a fact. I would have liked to live or die with me in that moment, but that’s the competitor I am,” he told reporters. “You can probably ask the guys and they felt the same way. I felt strong. I felt confident.

“I felt convicted. What can you do? You know.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit 45 home runs and stole 41 bases this season. Only six players in major league history had done that before him.

In two playoff games against the San Diego Padres, he and Alex Bregman went a combined 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts.

The Cubs scored more runs than any team in baseball during the regular season. They scored one in the wild-card round.

They weren't the only ones that didn't actually make it to October and are hitting the golf course early.

The Boston Red Soxscored two runs in 18 innings against the New York Yankees. In Houston, Astros right-hander Hunter Brown threw 36 pitches in an elimination game and got two outs. The Chicago White Sox pinned four runs on him in the first.

None of this came out of nowhere.

Boston finished 26th in the majors in home runs. The Cubs built a rotation with the idea the lineup would cover up the warts. Houston needed a club-record 19 starting pitches to get through 162 games.

The postseason found the fatal flaws.

Here's what sank each team and what it will take for them to get back stronger next fall.

Why Chicago Cubs lost to San Diego Padres

The Cubs lineup was supposed to carry them. For six months, it did.

Chicago led the majors in runs and hit 220 home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club. Most nights, the lineup covered up the Cubs fatal flaw: pitching.

The rotation was flawed from the start. Shota Imanaga allowed 34 home runs, the most in the majors. They tried to fix it by acquiring Kevin Gausman, who posted a 5.04 ERA after the trade, and Clay Holmes, who had never started a postseason game.

The plan was to outscore everybody and it lasted for one inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado homered off Matthew Boyd in the first inning of Game 1. Michael King took it from there.

The Cubs went 8-for-62, a .129 batting average over the two games.

The fix starts on the mound. Imanaga, Gausman, Boyd and Holmes are all headed to free agency, so Chicago is rebuilding the rotation. Help is coming, just not soon. Cade Horton, who finished second in 2025 Rookie of the Year voting, had Tommy John surgery in April. Justin Steele, a 2023 All-Star and under contract through 2027, will be back from his second elbow surgery. Jaxon Wiggins, the Cubs' top prospect, can hit 100 mph, but also had a 7.83 ERA in Triple-A.

The Cubs have to spend on a stopper, one starter they can rely on and give the ball to for Game 1. They need to go all in on a pitcher, so why not go for broke with Tarik Skubal, the two-time American League Cy Young winner. He is going to be expensive, but he turns them into a contender.

Why Boston Red Sox lost to New York Yankees

Willson Contreras' solo homer in the sixth inning of Game 2 ended a streak of 26 2/3 innings without a run for the Red Sox.

Boston scored two runs in two games.

The offense looked a lot like the one Boston had all season. The Red Sox finished 23rd in the majors in runs and 26th in home runs. Against the Yankees, they managed seven hits in 18 innings.

The lack of runs shaped everything else.

First-year manager Chad Tracy pulled both his starters, Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray, with two outs in the fifth inning and Boston trailing 1-0. He said he felt he had to be aggressive because the team could not score.

He managed like one run would beat him and with the lineup he had, it could.

The fix is getting what general manager Craig Breslow dealt away in 2025 and hasn't replaced: a middle-of-the-order power hitter - or two.

Brandon Lowe, who hit 35 homers for Pittsburgh, is a free agent they could probably get at a bargain. Boston also needs more from players already on the roster. Jarren Duran's production has dropped two years running, and Roman Anthony needs to stay healthy.

Why Houston Astros lost to Chicago White Sox

Hunter Brown needed 36 pitches to get two outs.

He had a 2.68 ERA over an eight-start stretch late in the season, the closest thing Houston had to a sure thing. The White Sox scored four runs on him and chased him in the first inning. The offense rallied to within a run, but the bullpen couldn't hold it and the season was over.

Houston's rotation spent most of 2026 on the injured list. Brown strained his shoulder in April. Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier went down within weeks. The Astros were 20-31 by mid-May and used a franchise-record 19 starting pitchers. Their starters carried a 4.97 ERA, 28th in the majors, into September. The staff walked 628 batters, the most in the American League.

Yordan Alvarez is the only reason the Astros were able to pull out the American League West title with an 81-81 record. He won the AL batting title at .316, hit 42 homers and led the majors in on-base and slugging percentage. He is under contract through 2028. Since he signed a six-year extension in 2022, the Astros have won one playoff series. They are wasting his prime without pitching.

The fix is two dependable starters to slot in behind Brown. Imai can opt out of his three-year, $54 million deal. Mike Burrows had a 5.99 ERA before he went on the injured list. Javier has been up and down when healthy. None of them is a sure thing for 2027.

Michael King has an opt-out after this season. Though he missed chunks of time with a thoracic-outlet nerve issue and a knee inflammation, he just threw a gem in the wild card round.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoffs fatal flaws: Why Cubs, Red Sox and Astros got swept – and how to fix them

We’re getting the AL playoff matchup we deserve with Yankees-Rays, the league’s two top teams, though it’d be cooler if it were one round later than this best-of-five AL Division Series. 

Oh, well. Maybe the shorter dose will jolt the intensity even higher because this will be intense. Even if Yanks-Rays doesn’t have the dates-back-to-Babe Ruth lore of Yanks-Red Sox, it still has the right kind of heat to make this a compelling October. 

The Rays are a pesky lot who seem to have it coded into their DNA to annoy the Yankees. What fun! They pitch, run, bunt and, oh, have a guy who smashed the second-most home runs in the AL -- Junior Caminero, one of the great young hitters in the game. 

Tampa Bay won the season series, 7-6, and even got to clinch and celebrate their AL East Division title at Yankee Stadium. The only previous time the Yanks and Rays met in the playoffs was in the five-game 2020 ALDS won by Tampa Bay. 

This year’s models are well matched -- they scored at nearly the same rate this season (the Yanks, at 4.59 runs per game, were 0.05 better), even if their offenses hum differently. The clubs, led by the Rays, were 1-2 in the AL in steals. Tampa Bay (.728) had a better team OPS by eight points. The Yanks’ 3.24 ERA topped the Rays’ 3.70. 

There’s even pre-series intrigue -- will Aaron Judge be healthy enough to make the Yanks’ roster? We’ll know by the time the series begins Saturday night at the Rays’ home, Tropicana Field.

WHAT THE YANKEES HAVE GOING FOR THEM

If you watched the dismissal of the Red Sox, it looks like every dang thing, right? 

They outscored Boston, 18-2, and outhit the Sox, 26-7. They raked with RISP (.450 average). Their lefties mauled Boston’s left-handed pitchers (an absurd .429 average and 1.002 OPS over the two games). The Red Sox batted .117 in the series and did not score for the first 14 innings. The Yanks even stole four bases. 

“We played great baseball in a lot of ways,” Aaron Boone said after the series. 

Things figure to be much more difficult against Tampa -- in plain language, the Yanks ain't going to be scoring nine runs per game in this dogfight. 

Still, they should generate offense, especially since they’re blazing hot -- Boston manager Chad Tracy said some form of “they swung the bats great” five different times in his postgame press conference after Game 2. 

Ben Rice was a one-man game wrecker in the opener, and Luis García Jr. and Cody Bellinger smacked homers in Game 2. Even Austin Wells, a frustrating null set at the bottom of the order most of the regular season, was tremendous against Boston, batting .500 with four RBI. 

And Judge could really impact the series if his calf is healed enough. 

Then there’s the rotation, a pinstriped behemoth all year and into the postseason. Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón (1.42 ERA in September) figure to start Game 1. Cam Schlittler, the best pitcher in the AL all year, is lined up for Game 2 and Game 5, a nice slot for the Yankees. 

“That has been the biggest strength for us throughout the year,” Boone said of the rotation, a constant when Judge missed time. “It sustained us. It got us through some difficult times.” 

Schlittler and Max Fried ate up 12.1 innings against Boston, meaning the Yanks’ bullpen had a mostly light load. 

WHAT THE RAYS HAVE GOING FOR THEM

Only Kyle Schwarber (101) has more home runs than the 87 Caminero has over the last two seasons. Caminero, just 23 years old, slugged 42 home runs this year and showed evidence of evolving into an even tougher out -- his on-base percentage soared 49 points to .360.

As a team, the Rays thrive when they put the ball in play. They struck out the fewest times in baseball. They tied Milwaukee for the highest batting average (.258) and led everyone in batting with runners in scoring position (.283), despite producing some of the lowest hard-hit numbers in the sport. 

Speaking of hard contact, outfielder Chandler Simpson doesn’t really make any. That’s OK -- it’s not his game. He batted .306, second in the AL, and frustrates opponents with speed and slap. He led the AL with 46 stolen bases.

The Rays will run some quality pitching at the Yankees, including presumptive Game 1 starter Drew Rasmussen, who led the AL in WHIP and K/BB ratio and relies on three fastballs with differing movement, a la Schlittler. Fordham product Nick Martinez (15-6, 3.10 ERA) was perhaps the most savvy free agent signing last winter, and ex-Met Freddy Peralta had a 0.79 ERA over his final six starts and was the AL Pitcher of the Month for September.

The last time Rasmussen pitched against the Yanks, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning the day the Rays clinched the division. In his career, he’s 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA against the Yanks.

The Rays tied for the best home record in baseball (55-26) and, even if the Yanks are a good road team, it’s a big advantage playing three games in a best-of-five at the Trop. It’s a gray, sterile atmosphere and experience tracking fly balls with the roof as a backdrop can be important. Dome, sweet dome, indeed.

THE YANKEES WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…

The starters are the thing. Again. Schlittler is authoring a postseason resume that ultimately will be like few others if he keeps adding October gems. It’d be fascinating if Game 5 comes down to his start. Fried might not have had his best stuff in Game 2, but he also didn’t have any trouble with the Red Sox and now Cole and Rodón await their turns. 

The above mentioned “difficult times” Boone talked about were those vexing days when the Yankee offense would vanish. It’s happened in previous Octobers to the Yankees, which perhaps is why the flashes they got from the running game against Boston seem so promising. If their lineup flags, perhaps they can force offense – like the Rays do – with speed. 

Rice has hit free and easy for weeks now after seeing his numbers tumble when Judge first went out during the regular season. He’ll be a constant threat. 

And if Judge does make it back and can give them a lightning bolt or two, watch out. 

THE RAYS WILL WIN THE SERIES IF…

Caminero puts on a show and the rest of the Rays continue their frenetic baseball stylings. 

Annually, there is a ton of hand-wringing over home runs and October baseball. Detractors whine: “You can’t rely on the long ball.” Maybe. But hitting home runs is an extremely effective way to win playoff games. 

Already this year, teams that out-homer their opponent are 5-1, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com. Last October, teams that did it were 30-5. 

Yeah, it’s nice to find other ways to score and the Rays will. But if Caminero parks a few, Tampa Bay is all the more dangerous. He was one of baseball’s best against fastballs, in terms of slugging and OPS. But there’s pressure on him, too, because the Yanks, who out-homered the Rays, 223-169, during the season, seem much more likely to go deep as a team. 

If Caminero has a power outage, perhaps the Rays will discombobulate the Yanks by flooding the basepaths and putting runners in motion. 

PREDICTION

Yanks in five. 

Maybe there’s some recency bias involved, but it’s hard to pick against the Yankees after watching them annihilate Boston, especially knowing their rotation is healthy. 

And it wasn’t just stars that fueled two routs -- hitters up and down the lineup, even as young as 21 (George Lombard Jr.), made huge contributions. A repeat might be enough to get the Yanks all the way to the ALCS.

It ends tonight.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

Gotta have it.#RedOctoberpic.twitter.com/yg6CVaoWTa

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 1, 2026

For the Braves:

Game 3. #LetItFlypic.twitter.com/t1p31mOp0U

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 1, 2026

Let’s talk about it.

Sean Burke does, in fact, have a family.

It even includes a mother, father and plenty of other relatives the Chicago White Sox pitcher made sure to shout out after his AL Wild Card Game 2 performance lifted the recently woebegone franchise to its first playoff series victory since winning the 2005 World Series.

It was a necessary correction for Burke, who, the night before a 7-3 White Sox win eliminated the Houston Astros, told James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times that baseball is his life.

"I don't have family," Burke quipped. "No girl, no kids. This is all I do."

He still does not have any children, Burke confirmed – so far as he knows, his teammates joked. 

For a franchise whose last three seasons were defined by lowlights and humiliation, Burke’s comments typified the turnaround not just of his ballclub, but the wider perception of the White Sox. The quote took off online. Memes were spawned, and those who'd never paid Burke any mind suddenly had reason to lock in for his next appearance.

"Yeah our Ace answered the question, 'how do you feel for tomorrow's start' with basically 'if I died nobody will mourn me', he might throw a perfect game." A Sox fan posted in response.

Burke had to settle for four innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts. He gave up three solo home runs, but sat down AL MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez twice with a fastball-knuckle curve combo the slugger couldn't catch up to. 

After Chicago’s lack of rotation depth forced manager Will Venable to throw a bullpen game for Game 1, Burke's 72-pitch outing was exactly what the ballclub required to avoid taxing its relievers even further. It also sparked a new rallying cry of sorts in the clubhouse: "Celibate for Sean" echoed across the clubhouse amid the raucous celebrations in Houston, and his teammates tried their best to get the phrase trending on social media not long after.

WE CELIBATE FOR BURKE THIS POSTSEASON https://t.co/I4KQU6qWVA

— Anthony Kay (@TonyBuckets18) October 1, 2026

"Celibate for Sean!" 😭 pic.twitter.com/nrRkf6qdLGhttps://t.co/tOkaehpmc1

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 1, 2026

For those who have followed Chicago's magical run all season, these shenanigans are nothing new. The pregame dugout dance party that's since gone viral was a staple of the summer. Before Pope Leo XIV invoked "abundant blessings" on his beloved Southsiders, rehabbing pitcher Mike Vasil was casting spells across the diamond with a $20 wand purchased off Amazon in April. 

The White Sox later gave out replica wands in a rare impromptu promo night for a player who hasn't even appeared in a game this season. When Vasil finally threw his first pitch off flat ground since Tommy John surgery in the spring, the whole team came out to cheer him on. 

"It's like a fraternity," Chase Meidroth said hours after his three-run homer on Tuesday slammed the door on Houston’s comeback. "It's like a college team."

Vasil has served as the team's Minister of Vibes since getting hurt, keeping the energy up, making sure his teammates are partying hard and conducting impromptu interviews, like the one that allowed Burke to clear the air after his comments went viral. 

just for clarification: Sean Burke does have a family 😂 pic.twitter.com/0fnS78MUAe

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) October 1, 2026

That family was with Burke on the field in Houston after Game 2. They’ll be locked in when he makes his next start against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS. And even if Burke were living that loner life, he'd still have 40,000 fans dressed in all black waiting for him back on the South Side when the White Sox play their first postseason game at Rate Field since 2021.

Whether the team stays "celibate for Sean," the brotherly love in the dugout that's taken Chicago this far will remain ineffable.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Young, irreverent White Sox 'like a college team' partying through MLB playoffs

The Padres did the opposite of what they did last year in the postseason: They overcame the Cubs.

Now they have a date with the Brewers on the horizon, but even then, they still have bigger fish to fry.

Harold Reynolds, a former Mariners star and baseball analyst, appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday and said the biggest National League threat isn’t the Padres — it’s the Dodgers.

“They won 100 games and it’s, ‘Oh, bad year.’” — Harold Reynolds thinks people don’t understand how dangerous the Dodgers are. pic.twitter.com/UrGWAp5Bg5

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 1, 2026

“They’re really dangerous. The problem is, they gotta face the Dodgers,” Reynolds said of San Diego. “I don’t think people realize how good the Dodgers are. They won a hundred games and it’s ‘Oh, bad year.’ They lived through and now they’re healthy, and they’ve got pitching and depth.”

Reynolds said the Dodgers are “loaded” and said he believes they will win the World Series. He compared the Dodgers-Padres rivalry to Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.

“Karl Malone was great. But he didn’t win because Jordan won MVPs. That’s kind of what we’re seeing right now,” Reynolds said.

Since 2020, the Dodgers and Padres have blossomed into one of MLB’s best rivalries, especially during the postseason.

Before Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Cubs, new Padres owner Jose E. Feliciano took a jab at the Dodgers by saying, “The owner of the Dodgers owns a lot of dinosaurs.”

The Dodgers have had the edge over the Padres, going 7-5 against them in the playoffs over the last six years.

The Padres have taken one playoff series against the Dodgers, during the 2022 season, but failed to capitalize on it as they ended up losing in five games against the Phillies in the NLCS.

The Dodgers have been the polar opposite, eliminating the Padres from the 2020 NLDS and going on to win the World Series.

In 2024, the teams met again in the NLDS. Los Angeles got the last laugh, overcoming a 2-1 deficit, forcing a fifth game and winning the series.

Since then, LA has won back-to-back World Series, while San Diego has struggled to find its footing.

The Padres were impressive in Tuesday and Wednesday night’s games, but they still have a long road to go to win their first World Series in franchise history.

If the two meet in the postseason this year, it would be during the NLCS.

A San Diego Padres fan with the X username @Eggorian went viral for using social media to find a date for his beloved team’s playoff game.

“Do you want to go to the #Padres / Cubs playoff game on Wednesday night with me? This is me. I sit here….dugout club section 4. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I no longer have a date for the game and want to fix that,” his initial X post wrote.

“Are you: 1) Female / 2) Single / 3) Age 30-55 / 4) A Padres fanatic / If so, you qualify!,” the post continued. “If you’re interested, send me a DM.”

The fan got flamed for using social media to find a date.

However, a recent update revealed that he had no shortage of interest, even if the interest didn’t suite his taste.

“It’s been an interesting couple of days. 100s of DMs received…Most of them from men and large women under 30. I did not have a date when I hopped in my car at 4pm yesterday. While driving I received a DM from a friend of @julie_at_law saying that I should ask her 41 year old friend to go. So I did,” the X user wrote on Thursday morning.

“She accepted and we went. By all accounts, we had a great time. Healthy conversations about a variety of topics. Our opinions didn’t always align and believe it or not…that’s OK. Most importantly, the Pads closed out the Cubs and are moving on,” he added.

It sounds like love is in the air for this fan.

Perhaps the second date will arrive when the Padres face the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.