2026 MLB wild-card series Day 2: Takeaways, analysis

          play
          Chase Meidroth smashes a huge 3-run shot to pad White Sox's lead (0:49)

          • ESPN
          Oct 1, 2026, 12:58 PM

          Who is ready for some more postseason baseball?

          The Philadelphia Phillies started things off with yet another dramatic comeback win to even the series against the Atlanta Braves and force Game 3. The Chicago White Sox followed that up with a sweep of the Houston Astros to become the first wild-card team to move on to the division series. Next up: The New York Yankees knocked out their rival Boston Red Sox from the postseason with a second straight blowout victory. And in the late game, the San Diego Padres throttled the regular season's best offense once again, sweeping the Chicago Cubs.

          We've got you covered with pregame lineups, sights and sounds from the ballparks and postgame takeaways on every Day 2 matchup.

          Key links: Mega-preview | Bracket | Schedule

          Jump to:
          PHI-ATL | CHW-HOU | BOS-NYY | CHC-SD

          Sights and sounds

          We have all the best moments from the ballparks on the second day of the playoffs.

          San Diego Padres 4, Chicago Cubs 1

          San Diego wins series 2-0

          It was over when ... Gavin Sheets took his first swing of the night. There were two outs in the bottom of the fourth, and the Cubs had trimmed their deficit to one run in the prior half inning. Sheets, who spent almost all of September battling plantar fasciitis, came off the bench and turned on a 101 mph fastball low and in from Daniel Palencia, launching it 394 feet to right field for a two-run homer. With that, the Padres had a 4-1 lead, and their dynamic bullpen had already been activated. Bradgley Rodriguez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller took it from there, sending San Diego to the National League Division Series.

          Stat that defined the game: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman went hitless in 15 at-bats across the series, combining for eight strikeouts. No team scored more runs than the Cubs during the regular season, and yet San Diego's pitching staff held them to one run on six hits in 18 innings during the wild-card round. If you're looking for reasons, start at the very top. Crow-Armstrong and Bregman are the ones who make Chicago's offense go, and yet in San Diego, they never got going: In Game 1, Michael King and his plus fastball overpowered them, and in Game 2, Padres manager Craig Stammen ran out a collection of arms to shut down the duo once again. -- Alden Gonzalez

          Key moments from the Padres' win

          Miller shuts it down

          Sheets with a big home run to extend the lead

          Nico Hoerner gets Cubs on the board

          Bogaerts, Salas strike first for Pads

          Ethan Salas makes history

          Tatis feeding off playoff energy

          Takeaways

          New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 2

          New York wins series 2-0

          It was over when ... Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet struck out Spencer Jones -- and didn't record an out. Pitching for the first time since late April due to left-shoulder issues, Crochet came on in relief in the sixth inning with Boston facing a 2-1 deficit. He got an atrocious swing from Jones on a sweeper in the dirt, and after the ball kicked away, Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman was slow in retrieving the ball and firing it to first base. Jones, originally called out, was deemed safe after replay, setting the stage for the biggest inning so far of the postseason. Three singles later, Crochet was out, and four batters after that, Cody Bellinger followed an intentional walk to Ben Rice with a three-run homer to cap the six-run frame. It all started with the out that wasn't -- and ended Boston's season in grim fashion. -- Jeff Passan

          Stat that defined the game: To win this series, the Yankees' left-handed hitters needed to produce against left-handed pitching. The Red Sox carried five left-handed relievers -- plus left-handed starters for Games 1 and 3. The Yankees' best hitters -- with Aaron Judge left off the roster and Giancarlo Stanton limited to pinch-hitting duties -- are left-handed. It was Boston's path to victory. The strategy worked in neither contest. In Game 2, Yankees left-handed hitters went 4-for-6 against left-handed relievers Erik Miller and Crochet between the fifth and sixth innings, which set the stage for Bellinger's three-run home run off right-hander Garrett Whitlock to blow the game open. Yankees left-handed hitters finished the series 11-for-22 with a 1.182 OPS against lefties. The success fueled the club's 18-run explosion. -- Jorge Castillo

          Key moments from the Yankees' win:

          Belli breaks it wide open!

          Wells' sac fly makes it 4-1

          Lombard gets the run right back

          Contreras puts Boston on the board (at last)

          Bellinger brings home Yanks' 2nd run

          Luis Garcia Jr. goes yard

          Chicago White Sox 7, Houston Astros 3

          Chicago wins series 2-0

          It was over when ... Chase Meidroth took Bryan Abreu deep for a back-breaking three-run blast in the sixth. This came just minutes after it looked like Houston was about to overcome Chicago's early 4-0 edge. With two on in the fifth inning and the lead down to 4-3, Anthony Kay came out of the bullpen to get Yordan Alvarez on a fly to left. After a walk to Isaac Paredes loaded the bases, Jose Altuve flied out to end the threat. After the White Sox drew two walks to start the sixth, Meidroth showed bunt on Abreu's first two offerings. Following a double steal, Meidroth went back to swing mode and launched what turned out to be a series-clinching blast. The White Sox's Cinderella ride continues into the American League Division Series.

          Stat that defined the game: Alvarez managed just a lone single in eight at-bats during the brief series, a .125 average to go with some failings in high-leverage spots. He also failed to make a grab on a well-struck Sam Antonacci drive to start the game, something a more mobile left fielder might have caught. Alvarez is still great and on his way to win the AL MVP Award. But it was a rough couple of days for him in the wild-card round. -- Bradford Doolittle

          Key moments from Chicago's win:

          White Sox win first playoff series since 2005

          Chicago breaks game open with huge three-run homer

          Altuve joins the fun with Houston's third solo home run of the night

          Houston answers with leadoff homer from Peña

          Make that four runs in the 1st!

          Philadelphia Phillies 4, Atlanta Braves 3

          Series tied at 1-1

          It was over when ... It appeared to be over when Bryce Harper misplayed Drake Baldwin's relatively routine fly ball that turned into a generously-scored RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Braves a 2-1 lead (and they added another run). But then Kyle Schwarber and Harper hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth off Dylan Lee, who hadn't allowed a home run all season to a left-handed batter. Alec Bohm then hit the game-winning home run in the 10th off Didier Fuentes -- just Bohm's second opposite-field home run all season.

          And then it was actually finally over when Andrew Painter struck out Dominic Smith with two runners on in the bottom of the 10th -- on a walk-off challenge on the third strike. The Phillies' season is alive.

          Star who defined the game: The Phillies getting to Lee was the big shocker to begin with, and Bohm going to right field was also a shock, but the biggest shocker might have been Painter pitching the scoreless eighth, ninth and 10th innings for the Phillies. With Jhoan Duran having thrown 27 pitches on Tuesday and manager Don Mattingly not trusting anybody else in the bullpen -- which had the worst ERA in the majors in September -- he turned to his rookie, who had started in 23 of his 25 appearances. Gutsy call ... and it worked. -- David Schoenfield

          Key moments from Phillies' win:

          Bohm's blast seals Phillies' 10-inning victory

          Philly evens the score with back-to-back homers

          Phillies get one back via a Schwarbomb

          Atlanta breaks through in 7th as Harper misplays ball in outfield

          Olson drives in Acuña to even the score