The Chicago Cubs crashed out of the NL Wild Card, dropping both Game 1 and Game 2 to the San Diego Padres. While their pitching certainly didn’t help, it was the offense that truly delivered a gut punch, setting an all-time MLB postseason record for futility.
Making History, But the Bad Kind
Seriously, this is rough. The 2026 Cubs didn’t just lose; they broke the MLB postseason record for the lowest slugging percentage in a multi-game series. We’re talking about a horrific .145 slugging percentage across those two Wild Card games against the Padres. That’s not just bad, that’s historically bad! They’re the first team EVER to post a sub-.150 slugging percentage in a postseason series. For context, the previous record holders were the 2020 Twins with .153, the 2022 Rays at .154, the 1998 Rangers with .174, and the 2019 Cardinals at .179. The Cubs’ mark of .145 isn’t just a new record, it’s a completely different league of offensive collapse.
A Regular Season Powerhouse Turned Postseason Bust
What makes this record so mind-boggling is the whiplash. This wasn’t some anemic offense all year. The Cubs actually LED Major League Baseball in slugging percentage during the 2026 regular season, posting a stellar .428 mark! How do you go from the best in the league to the worst in history when it matters most? The numbers from their postseason appearance are just tragic: they went 8-for-62 at the plate, good for a .129 batting average. They mustered just one double, zero triples, and no home runs, scoring a grand total of one run. Their OPS+ stood at a miserable 7, with a .374 OPS. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Ian Happ, Matt Shaw, Michael Conforto, and Dansby Swanson all went hitless in the series. The only silver lining, if you can even call it that, was Nico Hoerner’s lone double, which came when the Cubs were down 4-1 in the ninth inning against Mason Miller, with only two outs remaining.
Man, talk about a brutal finish to a season that promised so much. The drop-off from leading MLB in regular season slugging to a historically low .145 mark in the Wild Card is absolutely staggering. This offensive showing against the Padres will definitely be remembered as one of the worst ever, and it’s gotta leave a bitter taste in Chicago for a long, long time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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