[jg2977]

🎙️ Joe Buck:
Good afternoon from PETCO Park in San Diego, where the postseason is underway and the crowd of 34,359 has already made this feel like October baseball should. Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres — and it was San Diego taking the opener, 6–3.
🎙️ Alex Rodriguez:
Joe, this had everything you want in a playoff game — tension early, a momentum swing in the middle innings, and then a star player taking over late. And that guy was George Setton. Three hits, a home run, three RBIs — he completely controlled this game.
Early Chess Match
🎙️ Buck:
Through three innings, not much to separate the two starters. Alex Ramirez for San Diego, Lucas Wolton for Colorado — both working carefully, both working around traffic.
But in the fourth, San Diego breaks through. An error by shortstop Tony Ramirez allows the first run to score. Not a hit — but in October, those little cracks turn into openings.
🎙️ Rodriguez:
And that’s playoff baseball, Joe. You don’t always have to barrel balls at 110 miles per hour. You pressure the defense. You make them execute. Colorado didn’t.
Rockies Punch Back
🎙️ Buck:
Colorado answers in the fifth. Dustin Gates — two triples on the day, tying a franchise postseason record — gets it started. Then Santillan and Watson with clutch two-out RBIs. Just like that, the Rockies lead 3–1.
🎙️ Rodriguez:
And that’s big-time situational hitting. Two-out RBIs in the postseason? That’s championship DNA. For a moment, it felt like Colorado had seized control.
Padres Respond Immediately
🎙️ Buck:
But the Padres didn’t blink.
Bottom of the fifth — Chris Perkins triples. Setton follows with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Steve Schleicher drives in another. Tie game, 3–3.
🎙️ Rodriguez:
That’s what great teams do. They don’t let the game speed up on them. Perkins set the tone all day — three hits, and he also tied a playoff record with two triples. That’s impact speed.
The Defining Swing
🎙️ Buck:
Seventh inning. Tie ballgame. One out.
Setton.
🎙️ Rodriguez (excited):
This is a hanging pitch from Wolton — 110 off the bat, 435 feet to left-center. That’s not a cheap home run. That’s a superstar swing in a postseason moment.
🎙️ Buck:
And just like that, San Diego back in front, 4–3.
Insurance and Shutdown
🎙️ Buck:
In the eighth, Cesar Morin adds a solo homer. Perkins triples again — remarkable day — and Setton drives him in for his third RBI of the afternoon. Padres lead 6–3.
🎙️ Rodriguez:
And then Don Kantorski shuts the door. Four strikeouts in two innings. That’s dominance out of the bullpen.
Final Thoughts
🎙️ Buck:
Final score: Padres 6, Rockies 3. San Diego takes a 1–0 series lead and now has two chances to eliminate Colorado.
🎙️ Rodriguez:
Joe, here’s the big takeaway: Setton was the best player on the field, and in short series, that matters. When your best guy plays like that, the entire dugout believes.
If Colorado wants to extend this series, they have to clean up the defense and cash in on opportunities. Because tonight, San Diego showed composure, power, and depth.
🎙️ Buck:
Game 2 tomorrow from San Diego. The postseason is just getting started — and already, the intensity feels different.