San Diego’s historic September surge has overtaken National League rivals, putting the friars on the brink of securing home-field advantage and a shot at postseason redemption.
There is no hotter team in baseball at the current moment than the San Diego Padres. Coming off the back of a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, San Diego is now 15-5 in the month of September and has won 14 of their last 16 games.
Heading into the final month, the Padres were swinging back and forth with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League Wild Card spot. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Padres have not only all but locked up their postseason spot, but are now also in position to host a Wild Card series.
The Padres have shifted into an entirely different gear this month, now heading into the postseason as the hottest team in baseball. According to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, the Padres’ record in this final month has been the club’s most defining stat of the season.
San Diego sits one game ahead of the other two Wild Card teams as it stands – the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies. By overtaking both clubs, which were both five games ahead entering the month, the Padres have a home postseason series in the grasp.
That home series is vital, and the Padres saw it firsthand last season. Taking on the Cubs in the Wild Card in 2025, the Padres lost Game 3 in Chicago to end their season. Now, they’re in position to get their revenge on the Cubs, this time as the host.
San Diego still has another four games to go, all of which won’t come easy. Tonight’s series finale against the Dodgers will be as tough as it gets, and the final three games against a desperate Diamondbacks squad won’t be any easier. A lot can change over the weekend, especially with such a close NL Wild Card race, but as it stands, the Padres are in the best spot they could be in.
Despite some rough goings at different points in the season, the Padres have completely reinvented themselves at the perfect time – and they absolutely needed to if they were to make it into the playoffs.
In baseball, anything can happen, and that’s no different when October arrives. The Dodgers won it all last season despite playing in the Wild Card round. The same goes for the 2023 Texas Rangers. With the run the Padres are heading into the postseason with this year, who’s to say they won’t add their name to that list?
There are still games to go, and a great September doesn’t mean nearly as much if they end it in poor fashion. If their fame continues to burn, however, there will be no team in baseball that the Padres can’t beat in October. Home-field advantage in the Wild Card is just the start.
