CHICAGO -- It sat with Dylan Cease all offseason. Longer, really.
“In a sense,” said the ever-introspective Padres right-hander, “it really never leaves. It's part of your story and your history, I suppose.”
Cease was reflecting on the Padres’ postseason exit last October at the hands of the Dodgers -- and his role in it. He struggled in Game 1. He was called upon to pitch on short rest in Game 4, then exited early after a rough start. San Diego lost both games.
Speaking a day before his Wednesday start at Wrigley Field -- where he’ll pitch in the postseason for the first time since those two disappointments -- Cease continued:
“I would say [it stayed with me] most of the offseason, for sure. But at the end of the day, I think when a new season starts, it's a new opportunity.”
And does Cease ever have an opportunity to change the narrative on his tenure in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon. It’ll be win-or-go-home for the Padres, who lost Game 1 to the Cubs on Tuesday afternoon, 3-1.
Cease’s 2025 season, by his own admission, has been a grind. He has shown flashes of being the dominant starter who twice finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting. He rarely has put it all together.
Still, the last month has been … better. In five September starts, Cease had a 3.12 ERA (and a 2.56 FIP that indicates he has been better than that ERA would suggest). Lately, he has been racking up strikeouts, while limiting home runs and hard contact.
“With pitching, obviously it's all about execution,” Cease said. “But at the end of the day, it's kind of a feel-oriented thing. I've been trying to find it and create it all year, and I feel like toward the end of the year, I've gotten in a good spot.”
Make no mistake, Cease will be on a short leash on Wednesday. The Padres’ season is on the line, and their bullpen is mostly fresh. Michael King is available in relief as well. Still, the Padres had a handful of options to entrust with their Game 2 start, including King (after Nick Pivetta was the obvious choice for Game 1).
The fact that they chose Cease shows that they’re willing to believe in the strides he has made recently. It also indicates they’re willing to look past his prior postseason struggles.
“He’s thrown the ball well [at Wrigley Field],” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He’s thrown the ball well against this club. And he’s Dylan Cease. He’s got a big arm. He’s the guy that we feel is best suited for Game 2.”
Cease owns a 2.50 career ERA in three starts at Wrigley Field. Once upon a time, he was drafted by the Cubs, though he reached the big leagues on the South Side of Chicago after the 2017 trade that sent him across town to the White Sox.
“A lifetime ago,” Cease said.
Cease was traded to the Padres on the day they were set to fly to Korea to start their 2024 season. His tenure in San Diego is a complicated one. He was excellent for most of that season, and was especially dominant during a stretch in the middle of the summer. In late July, he joined Joe Musgrove as the only two pitchers in franchise history to throw a no-hitter, with a brilliant performance against the Nationals.
But Cease has not reached those heights since. A free agent after this season, Cease’s start against the Cubs on Wednesday might be his last with the Padres.
Or it might be the turning point. As things stand, if Cease departs this winter, his Padres tenure will be remembered for the ups and downs. It will be remembered for what could have been. But if he leads the Padres to a Wild Card Series comeback -- and more this October -- it will be remembered for what was.
In three career playoff starts, Cease has allowed 11 earned runs over just 6 2/3 innings. He’s not shying away from that. He’s also not dwelling on it.
“I'm glad I have that experience -- the more experience, the better when it comes to playoffs,” Cease said. “You know how to slow things down or what it's going to feel like or what to expect.
“But I'm just honestly leaving that in the past and just attacking this year.”
As Cease said, it’s all part of his story. But another chapter -- maybe the most important chapter -- comes Wednesday afternoon.