MLB Wild Card Game 1 Recap: Yankees, Padres, White Sox and Braves Strike First

Graphic: Provectus Media (PM)

The 2026 MLB postseason opened with authority Tuesday night. Four Game 1s, four 1-0 series leads: two emphatic shutouts in the Bronx and San Diego, a road win in Houston and a late stunner in Atlanta.

Yankees 9, Red Sox 0

Cam Schlittler dominated Boston with 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk on a career-high 117 pitches. Ben Rice powered the offense, going 4-for-5 with a fifth-inning solo homer and an eighth-inning grand slam off Brayan Bello to finish with six RBIs. Red Sox starter Payton Tolle took the loss.

Padres 8, Cubs 0

Michael King carried a no-hit bid into the seventh and finished with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. Fernando Tatis Jr. set the tone with a leadoff home run, and the Padres cruised from there.

White Sox 6, Astros 3

Jordan Hicks earned the win in the opener in Houston, and Grant Taylor closed it out with a seven-out save, striking out five over 2 1/3 innings. Colson Montgomery homered in his postseason debut.

Braves 5, Phillies 3

Austin Riley wiped out a brutal regular season with one swing, crushing a go-ahead three-run homer off Jhoan Duran, who had retired the first five batters he faced, in the eighth inning. “Everybody knows kind of how my season went, not the way I wanted it to,” Riley said. “But that’s the beauty of the postseason. You kind of get a clean slate.” Dylan Lee earned the win with a scoreless eighth, and Raisel Iglesias handled the ninth for the save. J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple in the seventh had briefly given Philadelphia the lead after Chris Sale exited.

What's on today: Game 2

All four series continue Wednesday, and every Game 1 winner can close out its series:

- Phillies at Braves, 12 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. ET (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)

- White Sox at Astros, 3 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. ET (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)

- Red Sox at Yankees, 6 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. ET (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)

- Cubs at Padres, 8 p.m. MT / 10 p.m. ET (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)