Cubs' pitcher Matthew Boyd to start Game 1 in postseason game against Padres
While the Padres had to fly from the West Coast after Sunday's regular season finale, the Cubs get to sleep in their own beds for their best-of-3 series as the NL's top wild card team.
The reality of there being postseason baseball is sinking for both teams who went through workouts at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs and Padres split their regular-season series, with all six of those games happening back in April. Matthew Boyd pitched twice against them then, and it'll be the southpaw taking the mound as the Game 1 starter.
The 34-year-old veteran is coming off a season where he was named an all-star for the first time. He was stellar in the first half and has remained steady.
Boyd has gone through a lot in 10 big league seasons, including battling injuries. Now he's getting the ball in the Cubs' biggest game of this season—something he's taking a lot of pride in.
"This is cool cause it's cool for so many different reasons," he said. "It's cool cause you never know when the opportunity presents itself. I've waited my first eight years to get the chance of a postseason, didn't really get to be a part of it. I mean, on the field, I only threw one out. You never know when the opportunity is going to come again."
He said to do it with the Cubs and this particular group of teammates it may never be the same again.
Boyd became emotional when referencing his grandfather, who grew up in Chicago. He said his grandfather said the best day of his life was when the Cubs clinched the World Series in 2016.
Boyd will go up against the Padres' best pitcher, Nick Pivetta, in Game 1 in front of a raucous Wrigley Field crowd.
In two starts against the Cubs earlier this season, Pivetta has a 4.00 ERA.