The Chicago Cubs played their first postseason game at Wrigley Field in eight years on Tuesday afternoon and beat the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the wild card series.
The Cubs sent All-Star pitcher Matthew Boyd to the mound who delivered 4.1 innings and gave up just one run, and Chicago's bullpen backed Boyd with 4.2 shutout innings.
The Cubs offense hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth innings to take the lead and added an insurance run in the eighth inning. After the game, the Cubs announced an opener will start Game 2 against the Padres, but Boyd all but confirmed who will follow the opener for the Cubs.
Who will pitch for the Cubs on Wednesday?
The Cubs announced relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge will start Game 2 against the Padres on Wednesday. Kittredge will likely go one inning to open the game for Chicago before a starter will enter the game.
In his postgame interview, Boyd all but confirmed it will be pitcher Shota Imanaga who comes in after Kittredge to cover a bulk of the innings in Game 2.
When asked by Marquee Sports Network's Elise Menaker what a Game 1 win means, here was Boyd's response.
"It's huge. You get an opportunity to go out there and give yourself a chance to end the series tomorrow, with Shota on the mound," Boyd said. "Anytime he's on the mound, we love our odds."
Seiya Suzuki and Matthew Boyd's kids ended the press conference with a "Go Cubs Go" 😂 pic.twitter.com/pF8jKBsgzI
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 30, 2025
You've got to believe word around the clubhouse is tomorrow is Imanaga's game. The Padres have three right-handed batters at the top of their lineup, and four of the final six batters from Tuesday's lineup are left-handed hitters.
Cubs' manager Craig Counsel has always been a strategic manager, and starting Kittredge tomorrow could be his way of getting he best matchups for his pitchers.
The veteran reliever delivered a scoreless inning in Tuesday's Game 1 win, and will now open Game 2, and all signs point to Imanaga entering after Kittredge gets through the first few batters.
The Padres will send their ace, Dylan Cease, the mound in an elimination game for San Diego.