CHICAGO -- The Cubs have been striving to return to the postseason since dismantling the old core group that helped the franchise end its 108-year World Series drought in 2016. The Padres have been one of baseball’s elite teams in recent years, though they have yet to bring home the organization’s first title.

The Cubs and Padres are now set for a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series clash that begins on Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

“You’re kind of on cloud nine,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “knowing that there’s 12 teams playing and you’re one of them. And you’ve got one of the most fun baseball games to play on Tuesday. We’re ready for it. We’re looking forward to it.”

For the Cubs, this marks the team’s first trip to the playoffs since 2020 , which came at th

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