With walk-off win, Padres head back to playoffs

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres are headed backmost to the playoffs for the 4th clip successful six seasons.

The Padres clinched a playoff berth with a 5-4, 11-inning triumph against the three-time NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers connected Monday night.

Freddy Fermin, acquired from Kansas City astatine the commercialized deadline connected July 31, singled successful automatic runner Bryce Johnson with 1 retired successful the 11th to acceptable disconnected a chaotic solemnisation successful beforehand of a sellout assemblage of 42,371 astatine Petco Park.

The Padres pulled to wrong 2½ games of the idle Los Angeles Dodgers successful the NL West contention and 2½ games down the idle Chicago Cubs successful the contention for the National League's archetypal of 3 wild-card spots.

Manny Machado, shirtless, wearing sunglasses and drenched with brew and champagne, says helium feels bully astir the team's chances successful the playoffs.

"Everything is different. But we've got heart," Machado said. "Everybody wants it. It's ever a challenge. Baseball's a challenge. It's hard."

Fermin was being interviewed erstwhile Machado stopped by and poured a changeable of tequila into his mouth.

"I judge with this unit we have, we are going to the World Series," said Fermin, a catcher. "It is precise special, this moment. I don't person words for this moment. Very special. First step, we've got to support rolling this."

The Padres' roadworthy appears to beryllium tougher than past year, erstwhile they swept the Atlanta Braves successful a location wild-card bid to gain a changeable astatine the rival Dodgers. San Diego led 2-1 earlier their bats went truthful acold that they didn't people successful the past 24 innings arsenic they mislaid the bid successful 5 games. The Dodgers went connected to triumph the World Series.

"What this radical has done this year, and adjacent past year, to enactment this into place, and for america to spell to the postseason 2 years successful a enactment for the archetypal clip since 2005-06, is genuinely special," 2nd baseman Jake Cronenworth said.

If the existent standings hold, the Padres would sojourn the Cubs for a best-of-three wild-card series. The victor would determination into the part bid against the Brewers, who clinched their 3rd consecutive part rubric Sunday and are successful the postseason for the seventh clip successful 8 seasons.

It has been an absorbing play for the Padres, who led the part for overmuch of April earlier slipping backmost arsenic they played .500 shot successful May and sub-.500 shot successful June. The Dodgers ne'er could unfastened a large lead, but the Padres ne'er could regain the lead, but for little stretches successful August.

A.J. Preller, president of shot operations and wide manager, pulled disconnected a large overhaul astatine the commercialized deadline connected July 31, acquiring reliever Mason Miller from the Athletics, Fermin from Kansas City and outfielders Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano from the Orioles.

The Padres became the archetypal large league squad to nonstop 3 relievers to the All-Star Game erstwhile Jason Adam, person Read Entire Article