Overview

• Chicago beat San Diego 3-1 in the decisive Wild Card game to secure its first postseason series win since 2017.
• The best-of-five NLDS opens Saturday in Milwaukee in the rivals’ first postseason meeting.
• The Brewers finished with the best regular-season record in Major League Baseball.
• The Cubs held a narrow 7-6 edge over Milwaukee across 13 regular-season matchups.
• The Brewers’ official X account teased a heated series with the message, “Buckle up. It’s about to get very spicy.”