The San Diego Padres, with Michael King starting pitching, will play the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Landon Knack starting pitching, on September 24, 2024 (9/24/24) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

As the National League Wild Card playoff battle gets underway, here’s how to watch the game.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for FREE through a trial of DirecTV Stream.

What: NL West game

WHO: San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

When: September 24, 2024

Time: 7:00 p.m. PT (10:00 p.m. ET)

Where: Dodger Stadium

TV: TBS

Transmitter finder: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling.

Livestream: DirecTV Stream (Free Trial)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — If baseball gods really exist, they surely thanked Dylan Cease when he was traded from the lowly Chicago White Sox to the San Diego Padres during spring training.

The importance of leaving the South Side and heading to Southern California became clear late Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.

In the visitors’ dressing room, Cease’s old team-mates somberly packed up for the flight home after equalling the modern record of 120 defeats.

At the end of the hall, the mood was high after a comeback win in front of another sellout crowd that all but assured Cease and the Padres a playoff spot.

“We’re fighting for the playoffs and beyond. I love this team, so I’m just happy to be here,” Cease said.

Now that their magic number has been whittled down to one, Cease and the Padres can celebrate a playoff berth as early as Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium when they open a crucial three-game series against their biggest rivals.

The Padres, who have 90 wins for the first time since 2010, have a three-game lead over Arizona for the NL’s first wild card. But they also have a chance to win the NL West for the first time since 2006. They trail Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers by three games, with six to go. The Padres hold the tiebreaker against the Dodgers with a head-to-head record of 7-3.

Cease (14-11, 3.42 ERA) starts Wednesday night.

Securing a playoff spot will be the last memorable moment for Cease this season. After being signed for four players on March 13, he had to scramble to find his passport and bag so he could join the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, where they were playing a season-opening, two-game series against the Dodgers.

On July 25, he threw his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win at Washington, joining Joe Musgrove as the only Padres pitchers to accomplish the feat. They’re more than just no-no bros. Cease wasn’t sleeping well in his apartment in a noisy inner-city neighborhood, so Musgrove invited him to stay at his guesthouse in a secluded neighborhood.

“It’s just as fun as playing baseball,” said Cease, who also called the Padres the most versatile team he’s ever been on. “I think we’re all optimistic. The resilience of this team is amazing to see. It’s just a lot of fun to be a part of.”

Cease reached the playoffs with the White Sox in 2020 and 2021. But they went 81-81 in 2022 before losing 101 games last year.

“It’s a lot more satisfying to win. And I know that sounds obvious, but you know, it’s definitely taxing to lose that much,” Cease said. “It just seeps through everything. So to be on a team where we’re playing well and we’re competing, we all have a lot of energy every game. It’s awesome. It really is. I’m really happy to be here.”

The Padres are nearly at full strength as October approaches and would love to win their first World Series title in honor of owner Peter Seidler, who died Nov. 14 at age 63.

Yu Darvish and Musgrove are back in the rotation after long absences. Slugger Manny Machado has bounced back from a slow start following offseason elbow surgery. Fernando Tatis Jr. and his bravado are back after a two-month injury-free spell. Center fielder Jackson Merrill is making a strong push for NL Rookie of the Year.

Cease has been one of the few constants all season. The 28-year-old right-handed pitcher leads the team with 32 starts, 184 1/3 innings pitched and 220 strikeouts.

“It was a nice shock for the club when we went to Korea knowing we had another No. 1,” said manager Mike Shildt.

With Darvish out for three months and Musgrove for two, the Padres had a guy in Cease “you can count on every fifth day to get you off to a good start,” Shildt said. “He’s done a tremendous job for us. He’s done a tremendous job for us.”

Cease’s no-hitter was no surprise. He came within one of a no-hitter with Chicago in 2022 against Minnesota before it was broken by Luis Arraez, who is now his Padres teammate.

“It’s nice to have someone else at the club and I’m glad it’s him,” said Musgrove.

Cease said Musgrove, who grew up in the suburb of El Cajon, “is kind of the mayor here, so to be able to do that and be the only two, it’s really cool and special.”

In his last start, Cease hit a one-hitter in the ninth of a 4-0 win over AL East leader Houston on Wednesday. He called it the third-best start of his career, behind his no-hitter and near no-hitter.

In his lone postseason start, he lasted just 1 2/3 innings in a 12-6 win over Houston in the 2021 AL Division Series.

“I couldn’t control the adrenaline,” he said. “I definitely didn’t capitalize on that moment as much as I would have liked. It’s a next level of intensity and pressure and all that. I’m glad I experienced that then and hopefully it helps me.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb