Cubs' Wild Card meltdown is team's worst postseason implosion in nearly 20 years

Just like that, the Chicago Cubs' season is over. A wildly inconsistent, yet exciting regular season culminated in 89 wins and the second NL Wild Card berth, as they squandered home-field advantage down the stretch in September - a misstep that quickly proved fatal as the San Diego Padres dominated them on back-to-back nights this week at Petco Park.

With massive roster turnover looming, not to mention a looming lockout that could jeopardize the 2027 season, there are real questions about what next year looks like for this team. We'll get into all that in the coming days and weeks, but first, I have to circle back on the immediate thought I had watching the Padres celebrate on Wednesday night.

"Boy, this feels a lot like 2007 and 2008."

In both of those seasons, the Cubs won the NL Central (something the 2026 Cubs fell wildly short of, finishing 14 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers) - but after major regular-season success, they vanished in the postseason, suffering sweeps in the first round. Chicago won 85 games in 2007 and followed it up with an impressive 97-win campaign the next year, but both seasons ended the same way: in disappointment.

The pitching was a major strength for the team both years, but when the calendar turned to October, nothing went their way.

In '07, the Cubs drew the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS - and the Dbacks swept the best-of-five series in three games, outscoring Chicago 16-6. Hoping to channel that disappointing early exit the following year, Lou Piniella's club paced the National League with 855 runs in the regular season, cruising to an NL-best 97 wins. But then they ran into the Dodgers in the NLDS and, despite a different opponent, it was the same result: a sweep.

Both 2008 and 2026 Cubs offenses went cold when it mattered most

Chicago averaged just two runs per game in the series (which sounds like a lot given the Cubs scored just one run this week in the two games against San Diego, for a 0.5 run/game average). Derrek Lee and Mark DeRosa put up solid numbers at the plate but, as a team, they just couldn't get anything going against the Dodgers.

Against the Padres, the top of the order for the 2026 Cubs vanished, with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman and Michael Busch combining to go 0-for-21 with nine strikeouts. That set the tone for the offense which, after a high-scoring regular season, wound up costing the team everything in the playoffs.

I know I have a different perspective now than I did as a teenager watching in '07 and '08, but the feelings remain the same. Disappointment, frustration and anger. I knew the Cubs weren't the sure-fire World Series threats we hoped they were back in spring training, but never in my worst nightmares did I envision them being so solidly outplayed on the national stage and sent packing before the calendar even hit October.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow