By Richard Pereira
Copyright clutchpoints
Jed Hoyer didn’t hesitate to name the MVP of the Chicago Cubs’ series win over the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card round on Thursday evening.
Chicago had an excellent 2025 campaign, finishing with a 92-70 record. They finished second in the NL Central Division, only trailing the Milwaukee Brewers.
They took Game 1 by a 3-1 score before falling to the Padres in a 3-0 shutout throughout Game 2. Despite San Diego’s advances, Chicago persevered to take down the visitors 3-1 in the tiebreaker, moving on to the next round of the postseason.
Hoyer reflected on the series win after the game, per Marquee Sports Network. The one area that stood out to him the most was the defense, especially after only conceding five runs throughout the entire three-game series.
“I thought the defense was the MVP of the series,” Hoyer said.
“I thought the defense was the MVP of the series.”
Jed Hoyer on the Cubs’ defense in the NL Wild Card Series. pic.twitter.com/z22N8LvSPt
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 3, 2025
How Jed Hoyer’s Cubs played against Padres
David Banks-Imagn Images
It was a huge series win for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs, beating the Padres as they continue their journey in the playoffs.
Chicago took the lead and never looked back after putting up a pair of runs in the second inning with an RBI single and an RBI walk with bases loaded. They later got a home run from Michael Busch in the seventh inning.
San Diego stayed silent on the scoreboard until the top of the ninth inning. Jackson Merrill was the player who finally hot them on the board with a solo shot to right-center field. Despite his efforts, it wasn’t enough to ignite a comeback as their season comes to a close.
The Cubs’ bullpen did an excellent job limiting the Padres to one run, only conceding in the final frame. They gave up seven hits after 33 at-bats, including the home run in the ninth inning. Jameson Taillon started on the mound as he lasted four innings, striking out four batters while allowing two hits. Daniel Palencia earned the win while Andrew Kittredge obtained the save.
The Cubs will look forward to Game 1 of the NL Divisional Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. The contest will take place on Oct. 4 at 2:08 p.m. ET.
