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Wearing a hat backward and his old Padres jersey, Wil Myers strode purposefully to the Petco Park pitcher’s mound. He reared back and fired a strike to Jake Cronenworth, smiled, waved, and soaked in the adulation for a brief moment.
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With Tuesday’s ceremonial first pitch out of the way, the Padres could begin their playoff series against the visiting Cubs.
The start of the game marked the end of a long, anxious day spent waiting for the NL Wild Card Series to begin. The final game on the first day of the postseason started at exactly 7:11 p.m. with a strike from Michael King.
For anxious Padres fans, it couldn’t have come soon enough.
Here’s a look at the stomach-churning buildup to Game 1, from before dawn to first pitch:
3 a.m.: The Athletic releases its 2026 MLB Postseason Hope-O-Meter, a poll about fans’ level of optimism heading into the playoffs. More than two-thirds of Padres fans say they are optimistic, putting them fourth behind fans of the Brewers (90.5%), Dodgers (87.3%) and Rays (86.1%). Of course, if 67.1% of Padres fans are optimistic, that means 32.9% of Padres fans … aren’t. (We think we know these people.)
8:44 a.m.: Major League Baseball tweets that the Padres will win the World Series. Was their X account hacked? Are the playoffs rigged? No. An “MLB: The Show ‘26” simulation has the Padres beating the Cubs, Brewers and Braves to advance to the World Series, then beating the White Sox in the Fall Classic. The Dodgers and Rays? Gone in the division series. The Padres and White Sox? A World Series matchup that the Vatican would be proud of.
9 a.m.: The Padres team store opens early for fans looking to get their hands on playoff merch, like a “There’s Nothing Like October” hoodie (even though it’s September) for $115.
9:40 a.m.: The Padres unveil their postseason roster, and Joe Musgrove is on it. Musgrove, who hasn’t pitched since the 2024 postseason, is a surprise addition to a Padres bullpen that’s been among the best in baseball.
10 a.m.: Nine hours before first pitch, the lowest “get-in” price is $79 (fees included) for a Gallagher Square pass and $89 for an upper-deck seat, according to SeatGeek. Parking at nearby garages is more than $100.
10:51 a.m.: BreakingT drops a Padres-themed T-shirt ($34) just in time for the playoffs. The brown tee reads “We don’t wear blue,” a quote said by Manny Machado less than a day earlier. (Talk about a quick turnaround.) The backstory: Machado teased CBS 8 reporter Karthik Venkataraman for wearing a royal blue jacket to Monday’s news conference. “Are you from San Diego? Why are you wearing blue?” Machado asked him.
2:30 p.m.: The Padres unveil Tuesday’s starting lineup. Austin Hays is at designated hitter and Samad Taylor in left field. Neither player was on the opening-day roster. Tuesday’s starting catcher, Luis Campusano, was on the bench that day; so was starting first baseman (and team MVP) Ty France.
3 p.m.: Four hours before first pitch, the Gallagher Square ticket is still for sale on SeatGeek for $78. The cheapest 300-level ticket drops to $85. Parking is still a problem.
4 p.m.: The Padres begin taking BP. Among those watching: Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.
4:20 p.m.: Padres fans line up to enter Petco Park off Tony Gwynn Drive, 40 minutes before gates open. Across the street, a sidewalk vendor does brisk business selling water bottles, sunflower seeds and … late-1980s-era Mark Grant jerseys?
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4:30 p.m.: Standing just outside the home-plate gate, about 30 San Diego police officers hold an impromptu pregame briefing. Unbeknownst to them, Elite Security guards are having a similar huddle about 50 feet away, inside the turnstiles.
5 p.m.: Gates open to fans. On SeatGeek, the lowest “get-in” prices drop to $55 (for a Gallagher Square pass) and $67 (for a seat in Section 318).
5:46 p.m.: Members of the Padres grounds crew provide a brief moment of Zen, meticulously raking the home plate area and dragging the infield. In the outfield, a lone worker sucks up pieces of trash and sunflower seeds with a handheld vacuum. In center field, a clock begins to tick down. Things will soon get much busier – and way, way louder.
5:58 p.m.: The Zen is interrupted by back-to-back commercials played on the video board, with the volume set to 11. The first: a commercial for “The Rally Cap,” billed as “Major League Baseball’s Official Signature Cocktail” (it’s an Arnold Palmer made with Traveller Whiskey). The second? A PSA for battery recycling delivered by Bernie Brewer and Dinger the Dinosaur.
6 p.m.: An hour before kickoff, Gallagher Square passes are down to $50 on SeatGeek, while the cheapest 300-level ticket has climbed to $93.
6:09 p.m.: New Padres owners José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones receive cheers and applause from Padres fans as they walk through the Budweiser Loft inside the Western Metal Supply Co. building. Both are dressed casually in Padres caps and jeans – and come accompanied by security guards in blazers.
6:30 p.m.: A mostly full Petco Park begins to rock. Fans stand and dance, waving their giveaway rally towels, as players begin to stretch in the outfield. The camera lingers on a woman holding a massive Musgrove-jersey beach towel and fans cheer.
6:41 p.m.: Slightly Stoopid lead singer Miles Doughty rings the mission bell, and the opening ceremonies begin.
6:48 p.m.: Pregame introductions are underway. The first big roars of the night are reserved for pitching coach Ruben Niebla and catcher/prodigy Ethan Salas. Bullpen buddies Yuki Matsui and Adrian Morejón receive loud cheers.
6:50 p.m.: Musgrove is introduced, and the stadium feels like it might split in half.
6:51 p.m.: Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is booed with the lusty hoots typically reserved for Dodgers.
6:56: Eighty sailors from the USS Essex and USS America unfurl a giant map-shaped American flag in center field as Switchfoot lead singer Jon Foreman performs “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
7 p.m.: A young Padres fan named Weston walks to a microphone behind home plate and says the two words that turn pregame nerves into in-game anxiety:
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“Play ball.”
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This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 8:41 PM.