SAN DIEGO — From a Fernando Tatis Jr. leadoff home run to a shutdown performance from stating pitcher Michael King, Game 1 of the National League wild card series couldn't have gone better for the San Diego Padres.

Or worse for the Chicago Cubs.

The Padres dismantled the Cubs in an 8-0 laugher on Tuesday night, as Tatis and Manny Machado started the fireworks with a pair of first-inning home runs before King settled in to 6 1/3 hitless innings before yielding a Cubs base hit.

On Wednesday, the Cubs will look to overcome long odds, as teams who win Game 1 of the wild-card round are 21-3, with 17 two-game sweeps. Home teams have gone 9-0, with eight sweeps, after winning Game 1.

First pitch in Game 2 is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 30, with Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.51 ERA) set to take the mound for the Cubs, facing Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86 ERA) for the Padres.

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Alec Bohm put the Phillies on top.

Some technology helped Philadelphia keep its season alive.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Phillies completed their 4-3 comeback over the Braves in Game 2 of the wild-card series with the help of the automated ball-strike challenge system.

Atlanta’s Dominic Smith took an 0-2 fastball from Andrew Painter that home plate umpire Andrew Beck initially called inside and off the plate for a ball at Truist Park on Wednesday.

But Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto quickly challenged the call. The veteran catcher was right, as the pitch did clip the inside corner for strike three.

It marks the first time ABS — which was introduced to the majors this year — has been used at the major league level to end a playoff game.

The pressure-packed 10th inning was just the final chapter in what was a roller-coaster Game 2 for the Phillies. Atlanta grabbed the lead in the bottom of the seventh after Bryce Harper misplayed a fly ball from Drake Baldwin that put the Braves ahead by one. A Matt Olson sacrifice fly made it 3-1.

But one inning later, Kyle Schwarber and Harper hit solo homers to get the Phillies even before Bohm played hero in the top of the 10th with a solo home run off Didier Fuentes to right field, just clearing the high wall.

Painter, normally a starter, provided yeoman’s work out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings and three punchouts — all of which came in the final frame.

The Phillies might be the first MLB team to seal a playoff win on an ABS challenge, but they’re not even the first pro team to do so in the last week. The Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets (Dodgers) won the Triple-A National Championship over the weekend via an overturned ABS decision.

A win-or-go-home Game 3 is set for 2 p.m. Thursday in Atlanta.

The Philadelphia Phillies were six outs away from boarding a chartered flight Wednesday, headed home for the winter, facing perhaps the most tumultuous offseason in nearly a decade.

Interim manager Don Mattingly surely would be fired, with calls immediately placed to Alex Cora to replace him. Many of his coaches would be dismissed along with them. And the roster could be facing a dramatic change, with some of the Phillies’ biggest stars perhaps being placed on the trade block.

Then, like a thunderbolt coming down the sky, it happened, turning a 3-1, eighth-inning deficit into a dramatic 4-3 Phillies victory over Atlanta, saving their season, and setup up a dramatic winner-take-all game Thursday at Truist Park.

The Phillies, who nearly suffered one of the greatest collapses in baseball history, losing 14 of 23 games and almost coughed up a four-game lead with five remaining, are now guaranteed to play in October after all.

It began April 4, 2013, with the first pitch from Vidal Nuño to Pawtucket’s Brock Holt. It ended Sept. 19, 2026, when Stephen Jones of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp uncorked a wild pitch with Kenedy Corona batting, enabling Yanquiel Fernandez to score the winning run from third base.

In between, there have been a lot of highs and lows and memorable moments for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple-A franchise as the RailRiders. 

Since minor-league baseball returned to northeastern Pennsylvania in 1989, the franchise has been known by three nicknames. First was the Red Barons as a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate until 2006. In 2007, it became a New York Yankees affiliate and adopted the same moniker as the parent club. In 2013, to coincide with the major renovations of its home, PNC Field, it changed from Yankees to RailRiders, which was the winner of a fan name-the-team contest and honored the region having the first trolley system in the United States. 

Now, after 13 seasons, the RailRiders’ final ride has pulled into the station. The name is being rebranded, and the new one will be announced in November. 

As the RailRiders, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished with an all-time record of 1,028 wins and 834 losses. Only three times did it have a losing season: 2013, 2014, and 2023.

Six times the RailRiders made the playoffs. Three times they lost in the International League championship series (2017, 2018, 2025). But in 2016, they defeated the Gwinnett Braves in four games to capture the IL title, then beat the Pacific Coast League champion El Paso Chihuahuas to claim the Triple-A national championship.

There were plenty of memorable games throughout franchise history. One came on September 3, 2019. The RailRiders and Syracuse Mets tied for first place in the International League North Division and played a one-game playoff to decide the title. Syracuse led, 7-1, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the RailRiders scored five runs to pull within 7-6. Syracuse scored six runs in the top of the eighth to make it 13-6. But the RailRiders rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the eighth to win, 14-13. 

Three of the franchise’s seven no-hitters were thrown by RailRiders. Luis Gil, Reggie McClain and Stephen Ridings combined for one against Rochester on July 21, 2021. Sean Boyle tossed a seven-inning no-no in the second game of a doubleheader on August 19, 2021, at Worcester. This season, on June 5th at Syracuse, Brendan Beck and Carson Coleman teamed up for one.

Even the team’s final game as the RailRiders will long be remembered. Trailing Jacksonville 4-0 after two innings, they rallied to tie the game at 5 and force extra innings. With no arms left in the bullpen, position player Edinson Duran came on to get the final out in the top of the 10th with the bases loaded. The RailRiders won in the bottom of the 10th when Fernandez scored on Jones’ wild pitch.

“It was pretty poetic, tying the game in the eighth, showing no quit, could have easily rolled over. Then going extras and having Duran come in (to pitch) was a blast,” Beck said. “He works his butt off, so for him to go out there and pick us up like that and keep that inning at a zero, it felt like there was no way we weren’t going to score in the bottom of the 10th. It was an awesome game, great way to end the season.”

Beck became the fourth player in franchise history and second RailRider to be named International League Pitcher of the Year, joining Greg Weissert in 2022. This season, Beck led the IL in earned-run average (2.93), strikeouts (151), innings (135.1), WHIP (1.06), opponents’ batting average (.210), and tied for second in wins (10). 

Ben Gamel became the third player in franchise history and lone RailRider to be named IL Player of the Year in 2016. One day after winning the honor, the Yankees traded him to the Seattle Mariners for minor-league pitchers Jio Orozco and Juan De Paula. 

Many notable players have worn a RailRiders uniform.

Hall of Famer Derek Jeter spent seven games on a rehab assignment in early July 2013 while recovering from a broken ankle. During his time here, it became a daily game to see where he was spotted in downtown Scranton.

Later that month, Alex Rodriguez played three games here while coming back from offseason hip surgery. He hit a two-run home run in the second at-bat of his first game.

Curtis Granderson and D.J. LeMahieu were other notable Yankees who rehabbed here over the years. This season, pitchers Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, catcher Austin Wells, and outfielder Cody Bellinger all had rehab stints.

Current Yankees slugger Aaron Judge played 154 games with the RailRiders in 2015 and 2016 and five more games on a rehab assignment in 2019.  He totaled 28 home runs and 95 RBIs. Prospects such as Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, Anthony Volpe, Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, Spencer Jones, and George Lombard Jr. also spent time here.

“A lot of great players have played for the RailRiders,” Beck said. “To be the last ones to do it is fun. The future is exciting as well. Looking forward to starting something new next year.”

When manager Shelley Duncan played in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from 2007-09, the team was known as the Yankees. But in his four seasons as manager, the term “RailRiders” has come to mean a lot to him.

“I just always think about the character of every team that I’ve had,” said Duncan, whose record as RailRiders manager is 327-195. “I’ve been lucky to be a part of some good groups that fought all the way to the end. Some good memories and some good relationships. Each year has been a different team, and each year has been very special.”

The new nickname has already been decided, and team officials said it will reflect the “beauty, heritage and outdoor legacy” of the region. Whatever it is, it will have a tough act to follow. The RailRiders’ era was quite a successful and enjoyable time. 

The Phillies’ season looked all but over. Thanks to a horrendous fielding error by Bryce Harper, the Phillies found themselves trailing the Braves by two runs in the eighth. But thanks to back-to-back home runs by Kyle Schwarber and Harper, a go-ahead home run by Alec Bohm in the tenth, and some gutsy pitching by rookie Andrew Painter, the Phillies beat the Braves 4-3 to tie the Wild Card series at one win apiece.

The game started out promisingly for the Phillies’ offense. Trea Turner led off with an opposite field double, advanced to second on a ground out, and scored on Harper’s RBI single.

A single by Bohm put runners at the corners, but Bryson Stott hit a ball back to the pitcher and Harper was thrown out at home to end the threat.

The Braves answered back in the bottom of the inning. Cristopher Sanchez started the game by walking Ronald Acuna, Jr, and it ended up costing him thanks to Matt Olson’s RBI single two batters later.

The game then settled into a pitchers’ duel between Sanchez and Tyler Mahle. The Phillies continued to flail at Mahle’s split fastball and could only manage three hits over the next six innings. Sanchez ran into trouble in both the fifth and sixth but was able to pitch out of the jam both times.

Despite a rising pitch count, Sanchez began the seventh and started the inning with a walk. The next batter attempted a bunt, and Bohm made a poor decision to try to get the runner at second, putting two on with nobody out. Sanchez bore down to strike out Acuna and then got Drake Baldwin to hit what looked like a routine fly ball to right. However, …

After an intentional walk, a sacrifice fly by Olson put the Braves up 3-1.

The Braves lifted Mahle in favor of lefthander Dylan Lee, presumably to get Schwarber and Harper out. That move didn’t work out so well.

With the back-to-back jacks tying the game at three, manager Don Mattingly chose to bring in rookie Andrew Painter. It was a tough spot for a rookie, and it looked like it might have been a mistake when his first six pitches missed the strike zone. But a mound visit seemed to settle Painter. He coerced a double play and a foul out to end the inning.

After trading zeroes in the ninth, the Phillies had two outs in the tenth when Alec Bohm lifted what looked like a routine fly ball to right field. But somehow, it kept carrying and gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead.

It isn’t clear if Jhoan Duran was unavailable or if it was just Painter’s game, but the rookie came back out for his third inning. Painter started out the inning with a strike three that nicked the strike zone by about a nanometer. After a single and another strike out, Michael Harris kept the game alive by flicking his bat at a ball that somehow found grass.

With two out and two on, Painter got two quick strikes on Austin Riley and then delivered a pitch that was so perfect that ABS had to call it a strike.

With the win, the Phillies have set up a pivotal game three on Thursday. It would be nice if they could get out to an early lead and coast to victory. It would also be nice if I could win the lottery.

See you tomorrow!

Bryce Harper had a rollercoaster of an afternoon Wednesday.

In the seventh inning of Game 2 between the Braves and Phillies, with men on first and second and the game tied 1-1, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin hit a fly ball to right field in play for Phillies star Bryce Harper to grab at Truist Park.

Harper hesitated before running backward for the ball, which hit the tip of his glove and bounced right out, forcing him to chase it down.

The Braves scored a run on the play to take the lead, and later scored again in the frame on a sacrifice fly by Matt Olsen to take go up 3-1.

Just minutes later, however, Harper redeemed himself with a home run to tie the game in the top of the eighth.

Kyle Schwarber had made it 3-2 just moments before with a mammoth homer of his own. The Phillies went on to win the game, 4-3, in 10 innings.

The blast marked Harper’s second RBI of the day. He scored Philadelphia’s first run of the game on an RBI single on Braves’ starter Tyler Mahle’s fifth pitch of the game in the first inning.

The Braves won Game 1, 5-3, putting the Phillies’ backs against the wall on Wednesday.

The Phillies of recent weeks are used to that feeling, as they were just steps away from a historic collapse last week when the Diamondbacks threatened to steal the final NL wild-card spot from them.

Philadelphia clinched their spot in the wild card round with a win in Game 162 on Sunday.

Losing 9-0 against your blood rivals to open off the postseason is bad enough. But the pain of last night was brought to another level by losing 9-0 while your leadoff hitter and the face of the franchise mysteriously leaves the game after two awkward strikeouts.

As we discussed last night, Roman Anthony appeared to re-aggravate his bad right hand in the final game of the season against the Rays. And as OTM’s Matt Gross points out, footage from last night shows that he had his hand heavily taped up prior to the game:

And, as it turns out, despite the fact that he returned at the end of August and performed as the lineup’s top hitter during an otherwise sleepy stretch run to end the season, Anthony has been battling the hand the whole time. In fact, Andruw Monasterio had been informed before the game even started that he may be called on to replace Anthony in the lineup. “He took a check swing and then another swing and his hand flared on him. And it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there,” Chad Tracy said. “It’s difficult. You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something, it’s fine, it goes away … [Tuesday] some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Update, 4:20 PM: Anthony is not just out of the lineup tonight, he’s out for the series:

Update, 5:30 PM: And just to make things a little weirder, Anthony will be replaced in the lineup by none other than Curtis Mead, who has effectively not played at all for the Red Sox this year due to injury.

With Anthony out, Jahmai Jones will DH and leadoff, while Nate Eaton will play left.

Anthony was hardly the only hitter to struggle against Cam Schlittler last night. And making matters worse was the fact that the Sox had been preparing to face him for weeks. But Schlittler had a surprise in store for the Sox, as he unleashed his curveball far more than he typically does. “He was landing it just for some get-me-overs to try to get back into counts and getting ahead early. Good on him to kinda mix it up there,” said Caleb Durbin. “I thought he was doing a better job today of mixing up in the zone and lower in the zone with fastballs and his curveball.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

It won’t matter how the lineup performs tonight if Sonny Gray can’t keep the Yankees off the board. Gray has an ugly history with the Yankees. The arguable nadir of his career occurred during his brief time in pinstripes and he has since said he never wanted to play for the Yankees in the first place. But he doesn’t necessarily regret his time in the Bronx. “I think there’s a lot of people and a lot of players that can have one bump in the road and not get back on the tracks,” he said, “and for me, there’s been bumps along the way and that may have been a little bit of a bigger bump than others. But then to be able to recenter, to refocus, to continue to have confidence in yourself and not get off the wagon, get back on the wagon and continue to move forward in your career and in your life as well … ultimately it made me a better person.” (Tara Sullivan, Boston Globe)

Ben Rice, unfortunately, did always want to play for the Yankees, despite the fact that he grew up in Cohasset and likely has an opinion on South Shore style bar pizza. But his New England roots aren’t the only unusual thing about him, as he’s also the rare Ivy League grad in the big leagues. (Ronald Blum, Boston.com)

Sonny’s hatred of the Yankees is, of course, welcome around these parts. But it’s possible that the Yankees are doing one thing in particular better than everyone else: constructing their roster for these short Wild Card round series. (Michael Baumann, FanGraphs)

But roster construction alone isn’t going to win a playoff series, and this particular playoff series is not yet over. “I mean, I haven’t heard the fat lady sing yet,” Payton Tolle said last night. “So we’re just going to keep going out there. I believe in us. So it’s going to be fun to watch these guys compete tomorrow.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)