Overview

• The Cubs won the NL Wild Card series with a 3-1 Game 3 victory at Wrigley Field, ending San Diego’s season.
• Trailing in the ninth, Jackson Merrill homered before Xander Bogaerts was called out on a low pitch by plate umpire D.J. Reyburn, a decision widely criticized in coverage.
• Two subsequent hit-by-pitches put Padres runners on first and second, underscoring how an accurate ball call on Bogaerts could have created a bases-loaded, none-out scenario.
• San Diego’s offense faltered throughout the series, going 3-for-26 with runners in scoring position and finishing Game 3 hitless in those spots, with the top trio of Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Manny Machado combining to go 0-for-22 in the two losses.
• Postgame video showed Padres players and staff angrily confronting umpires in the dugout, and a separate locker-room clip of Machado rejecting CBS 8’s Jake Garegnani’s request to assess the season drew widespread attention, with multiple reports noting MLB’s ball-strike challenge system will debut next year.