Machado’s three-run blast helps Padres clinch wild card home-field advantage

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Manny Machado rounded third base as Petco Park was covered in waving yellow rally towels. Once he touched home plate, it felt all but certain that the San Diego Padres were going to clinch home-field advantage in the Wild Card round.

The Padres were down 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Machado launched a three-run home run to right field. It was his 30th homer of the season, marking the eighth season of his career in which he has reached that milestone. It was also career home run No. 399.

"30 home runs in a down season isn't too bad," Padres manager Craig Stammen said sarcastically. "His consistency is why he's on the trajectory that he is in his career, and he's a leader on our ball club…sticking with it this year, fighting through a lot of slumps, and him not feeling that great speaks volumes to the person he is, and character that he has, and baseball player that he is."

Most importantly, it helped lead the Padres to a 10-7 victory and secured them three potential playoff games at Petco Park beginning Tuesday.

"That's huge, man," Machado said. "Ultimately just getting into dance and then obviously finishing it and playing some home games I think it's gonna be great."

It was a strange back-and-forth game until Machado’s three-run home run changed everything. There were players who slipped, misjudged fly balls and even a rare rookie mistake.

Saturday night was a rare off night for Walker Buehler, who lasted 3.2 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs on 73 pitches.

"That was terrible," Buehler said. "It was awful, but at the end of the day, if we win, then I win, and again, a big night and a big positive for us."

The Padres got started early offensively when Dustin Harris and Machado singled in back-to-back at-bats, with Machado’s hit moving Harris to third base. Jackson Merrill followed with a single to center that brought Harris home for an early 1-0 lead.

David Frerker-Imagn Images

Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller (22) celebrates with catcher Ethan Salas (8) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.

The Padres eventually loaded the bases with one out after Ty France was hit by a pitch, but Gavin Sheets popped out and Xander Bogaerts struck out to end the threat.

In the top of the second inning, Geraldo Perdomo walked before Corbin Carroll singled to left. A rare mistake followed from rookie catcher Ethan Salas, who tried to pick off Carroll at first but threw the ball away, allowing Perdomo to score and tie the game at 1-1.

After a quick inning for the Padres, Tim Tawa singled to left and advanced to third when Ketel Marte grounded out. Gabriel Moreno then singled to right. Fernando Tatis Jr. fired a throw home, but it wasn't in time, giving Arizona a 2-1 lead.

Things got weird in the bottom of the third inning.

Harris hit a ball to right that Carroll appeared to be in position to catch, but he misjudged it and slipped while trying to make the play. Harris took advantage and raced to third. He later scored when France grounded out, tying the game at 2-2.

Merrill was intentionally walked before the weirdness continued. Sheets hit what appeared to be an easy fly ball to center, but Tawa misjudged it and the ball dropped about 10 feet in front of him, allowing Merrill to score and give the Padres a 3-2 lead.

It wouldn’t last long.

After striking out Carroll, Buehler hit Nolan Arenado with a pitch. Two batters later, with two outs, Buehler surrendered a two-run home run to James McCann that gave Arizona a 4-3 lead.

After allowing a single to Tawa in the next at-bat, Buehler’s night was over. He was noticeably frustrated as he walked off the mound, but Yuki Matsui was able to get the Padres out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Salas reached first on an infield single after a bobble by reliever Jose Cabrera. Tatis then walked on four straight pitches.

Two batters later, Machado launched a ball toward right field that sent Petco Park into a frenzy as it cleared the wall. His 30th home run of the season turned the game around and gave the Padres a 6-4 lead, with the crowd roaring as Machado the bases.

"He's a Hall of Famer for a reason," Cronenworth said. "That's why he's where he's at in his career. He's one shy of 400 homers and he's got all the hits. But when he's going, it's it's it's awesome, especially to see it."

In the bottom of the fifth, Bogaerts provided some insurance by hammering a ball over the left-field wall for his 13th home run of the season, extending the Padres’ lead to 7-4.

David Frerker-Imagn Images

Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a one-run home run during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.

The runs kept coming in the sixth. Merrill and Sheets singled before Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Jake Cronenworth then drove a ball to center that brought home two more runs as the Padres continued to pull away.

Padres closer Mason Miller came in with a 10-4 lead and quickly saw it evaporate as he gave up three hits and walked two to give up three runs but was able to get the three outs.

Twenty-four hours after clinching a Wild Card spot, the Padres had an abysmal showing in an 11-4 loss to Arizona. Maybe it was simply an off night because the Padres looked much more like themselves Saturday and got exactly what they needed: a victory that ensured they will stay in San Diego for the first round of the postseason.

"There's a reason why we've had so much success at home because we feel really comfortable playing here," Stammen said about the fans. "We've got 40,000 fans that show up every single night, which is no one else in the big leagues gets that. And then they're loud and they're energetic and they give us energy."

There is still plenty at stake for Arizona. If the Diamondbacks beat the Padres on Sunday and Philadelphia beats Tampa Bay, Arizona will claim the final Wild Card spot because head-to-head against Philadelphia. Stammen said they will rest some starters on Sunday afternoon.

"We're gonna rest some of our guys, but everybody that we're putting in the lineup is a major league baseball player and capable of doing anything out on that field, including some spectacular stuff," Stammen said.

The Padres will close out the regular season Sunday against the Diamondbacks on Sunday at 1:10 pm PT before turning their attention to Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday afternoon at Petco Park.