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Ivory CoastPadres Lock Up Home Field for Wild Card Series Against Cubs
The San Diego Padres beat Arizona 10-7 to secure the No. 4 seed and home advantage against the Chicago Cubs.
Clinching Home Field at Petco Park
The San Diego Padres locked up home field advantage for the postseason on Saturday night. Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts each homered in a 10-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
The win earned San Diego the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs. The Padres will host every game in a best of three Wild Card Series against the fifth seeded Chicago Cubs beginning Tuesday. The winner moves on to face the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in a best of five Division Series.
Saturday marked the 65th sellout of the season in San Diego, with 44,698 fans watching the Padres reach a 90-71 record. That gave the franchise its third straight 90 win season, a team record, and its seventh in club history.
Rematch With the Cubs
This series gives San Diego a chance at payback. Chicago eliminated the Padres 2-1 in the Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field last year.
The Cubs also had the edge during the regular season this year. They took two of three games in San Diego in late April, then swept a three game series in Chicago in late June and early July.
"The guys played great today and they've had a great season, and the reward is getting to play a couple playoff games at home," rookie manager Craig Stammen said. He noted that the Cubs knocked them out of the playoffs last season, so his team will need to bring their best.
Machado Connects and History Looms
Machado hit a three run homer on Saturday, his 30th of the season. It marked his eighth career season with at least 30 home runs, and his fourth with the Padres.
"Obviously, playing in front of our home crowd is going to be huge," Machado said. He added that starting the postseason at home is an exciting opportunity for the club.
This marks the third postseason matchup between the franchises. In the 1984 NLCS, the Cubs won the first two games before San Diego rallied to win three straight home games, helped by Steve Garvey's walk-off home run in Game 4. San Diego went on to reach its first World Series that year.
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