Padres win 1st playoff series since 1998, will face Dodgers in NLDS
The San Diego Padres are moving on.
San Diego eliminated the St. Louis Cardinals with a 4-0 win in Game 3 of the wild-card series on Friday. It's the franchise's first playoff series victory since 1998.
Facing a shortage of arms, manager Jayce Tingler pieced together the shutout using nine different pitchers who combined to strike out eight batters while allowing only four hits. It's the first time in MLB history - both in the regular season and playoffs - that nine pitchers combined for a shutout win, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
The Padres were led offensively by Fernando Tatis Jr., who went 1-for-2 with a double, run scored, and two walks. First baseman Eric Hosmer plated Tatis as the eventual winning run on his fifth-inning double, while rookie second baseman Jake Cronenworth homered late.
With the win, the Padres advance to the NLDS for the first time in over a decade. They'll face the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. San Diego went 4-6 against Los Angeles this season.