Seiya Suzuki hits home runs in five consecutive games as the Chicago Cubs defeat the San Diego Padres to take Game 1.

In his first-ever MLB playoff appearance, Chicago Cubs' Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki hit a solo homer to tie the game, aiding his team in a 3-1 home victory against the San Diego Padres, marking a successful start to the Wild Card Series.

Padres starter Nick Pivetta recorded six strikeouts and gave up just one hit in the first four innings, keeping the Cubs' lineup in check. The Padres scored first in the top of the second inning with back-to-back doubles by Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts. However, in the bottom of the fifth, Suzuki hit a solo home run to even the score, followed immediately by a homer from Carson Kelly, giving the Cubs the lead.

Pivetta then struck out three consecutive batters, but the damage was done. After pitching five innings, he exited the game. In the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs added an insurance run with a hit, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly. The Padres' offense stalled thereafter, recording 14 consecutive outs from Freddy Fermin’s hit with one out in the top of the fifth until the game ended, resulting in a narrow two-run victory for the Cubs.

Suzuki’s season started strong but faded later on. Before the All-Star break, over 92 games, he posted an OPS of 0.867 with 25 home runs. However, in the 59 games after the break, his OPS dropped to 0.688 with only seven home runs. Between August and September, in 35 games, his batting line was just 0.208/0.331/0.250, with an OPS of 0.581.

Nevertheless, he finished the regular season on a high note, hitting safely in seven consecutive games with an OPS of 1.280, including home runs in the last four games. Adding today’s game-tying solo homer, Suzuki has now homered in five straight games spanning the regular season and playoffs, totaling six home runs in those games. He is the first player in MLB history to homer in the final four regular-season games and then again in his first playoff game.