Updated Saturday, September 5, 2026.
The Fox national game on Saturday night puts the American League’s top wild card in San Diego against a Padres team holding the last National League playoff spot by half a game. The Padres took the series opener 3 to 2 on Friday. Here is everything you need to watch the middle game.
| Matchup | New York Yankees (80 and 61) at San Diego Padres (74 and 67) |
| Date | Saturday, September 5, 2026 |
| First pitch | 7:15 p.m. ET (4:15 p.m. in San Diego) |
| Venue | Petco Park, San Diego |
| National TV | Fox |
| Streaming | Fox One, the Fox Sports app, or any live TV service that carries your local Fox station |
| Series | Padres lead 1 to 0 after Friday’s 3 to 2 win; finale Sunday at 4:10 p.m. ET |
First pitch by time zone
| Eastern | Central | Mountain | Arizona | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:15 p.m. | 6:15 p.m. | 5:15 p.m. | 4:15 p.m. | 4:15 p.m. |
What Is at Stake
New York holds the top AL wild card at 80 and 61, 3.5 games clear of Boston and four behind Tampa Bay in the East. The Rays’ magic number to clinch the division is 18, so the Yankees are realistically playing for the No. 4 seed and home field in the wild card round rather than the division. San Diego’s situation is tighter. The Padres are 74 and 67 and hold the third NL wild card by half a game over Arizona, a spot that has flipped four times in the past week. Miami and St. Louis are 3.5 back. Every game in the last three weeks is a playoff game for San Diego.
The Diamondbacks play at Houston at the same time Saturday, so the Padres will know by the end of the night whether a win keeps them ahead or a loss puts Arizona back in the spot. The wild card picture is on our MLB wild card standings page and the full Saturday slate is on MLB games today.
The Bottom Line
Yankees at Padres is 7:15 p.m. ET Saturday on Fox from Petco Park. New York is comfortable in the AL wild card race; San Diego is holding the last NL spot by half a game with Arizona playing at the same time. The Padres won the opener 3 to 2, and the series wraps Sunday afternoon.