Padres Clinch Franchise-Record Third Straight Playoff Berth With 4-2 Win Over Dodgers

The San Diego Padres clinched a franchise-record third consecutive postseason berth with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, securing their fifth October appearance in seven seasons, Reuters and The Washington Post (via the Associated Press) reported.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ethan Salas delivered RBI singles during a three-run seventh that broke the game open, and Dustin Harris drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth after San Diego’s first hit of the night ended Tyler Glasnow’s no-hit bid, Reuters said. Austin Hays also contributed an RBI single as the Padres won for the 15th time in their past 17 games.

Glasnow carried a no-hitter into the sixth before Salas singled to center. Tatis followed with a single, and Harris’ sacrifice fly put San Diego ahead 1-0. Glasnow was charged with three runs on three hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts after Justin Wrobleski absorbed the rest of the seventh-inning damage, according to Reuters.

Nick Pivetta opened with 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his final regular-season start, allowing four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts on 87 pitches. Yuki Matsui (4-1) earned the win with a scoreless frame, and Mason Miller gave up a run with two outs in the ninth before locking down his 38th save, Reuters reported.

For readers tracking the National League race on Sports, the Padres (89-70) will open the playoffs in the wild-card round and currently hold the top NL wild-card spot by one game over the Chicago Cubs (88-71). The clinch also marked the first time San Diego has reached the postseason three straight years.

The Dodgers (97-62) still locked their own objective: a first-round playoff bye and a top-two National League seed. Los Angeles sealed that path when the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves earlier Thursday, Reuters said. The Milwaukee Brewers (100-59) separately clinched the NL’s No. 1 seed with a 5-1 win over Philadelphia, leaving the Dodgers as the league’s No. 2 seed after the loss.

Mookie Betts had three of Los Angeles’ seven hits after dropping to the No. 2 spot in the order. Shohei Ohtani, in his second game back from the injured list after biceps discomfort, returned to the leadoff spot and went 2-for-5 with a two-out RBI double in the ninth. The Dodgers’ first run came in the eighth when Betts was awarded home on a balk by Adrian Morejon, Reuters noted.

A crowd of 53,027 helped Los Angeles pass the 4 million mark in home attendance for a second consecutive season. For San Diego, the handshake-line celebration at Dodger Stadium capped a late surge that turned a wild-card chase into franchise history — a third straight playoff berth, with October baseball now locked in for both Southern California clubs on different brackets.