San Diego Padres

For the minor league franchise in the Pacific Coast League, see San Diego Padres (PCL).

"Padres" redirects here. For the Chicano priests' organization, see PADRES. For other uses, see Padres (disambiguation).

San Diego Padres
2024 San Diego Padres season
File:2012Padreslogo.jpg Logo Cap insignia
Established in 1969
Major league affiliations
National League (1969–present) West Division (1969–present)
Current uniform
File:NLW-Uniform-SD.PNG
Retired numbers	6, 19, 31, 35, 42, 51
Colors
Midnight blue, white, sand
Name
San Diego Padres (1969–present)
Other nicknames
The Pad Squad, The Pads, My Padres, The Friars
Ballpark
PETCO Park (2004–present) Qualcomm Stadium (1969–2003) a.k.a. Jack Murphy Stadium (1980–1997) a.k.a. San Diego Stadium (1969–1980)
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)	None
NL Pennants (2)	1998 • 1984
West Division titles (5)	2006 • 2005 • 1998 • 1996 • 1984
Wild card berths (0)	None
Front office
Principal owner(s)	John Moores, Jeff Moorad Group, Troy Aikman
General manager	Josh Byrnes
Manager	Bud Black

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times. They and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the only MLB California teams to originate in California; the Dodgers and Giants are originally from New York, and the Athletics are originally from Philadelphia.

Franchise history

Main article: History of the San Diego Padres

Pre 1970s: Beginnings

See also: San Diego Padres (PCL)

The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team which arrived in San Diego in 1936. That minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by then-18-year-old San Diegan Ted Williams. The team's name, Spanish for "fathers", refers to the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded San Diego in 1769.

In 1969, the San Diego Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers). Their original owner was C. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres whose interests included banking, tuna fishing, hotels, real estate and an airline. Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi as well as a new playing field, the team struggled; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the NL West, losing 100 games or more four times. One of the few bright spots on the team during the early years was first baseman and slugger Nate Colbert, an expansion draftee from the Houston Astros and still the Padres' career leader in home runs.

Washington Padres

Before the 1974 season began, the Padres were on the verge of being sold to Joseph Danzansky, who was planning to move the franchise to Washington, D.C. by the beginning of the 1974 season. People were so convinced the transfer would happen that new uniforms were designed. Even the baseball card companies were fooled. About half of the Padres' player cards printed by Topps that season displayed "Washington National League" as the team name. But C. Arnholt Smith changed his mind, and instead sold the Padres to McDonald's co-founder Ray Kroc, who was not interested in moving the team and kept the team in San Diego.

1970s: Winfield, Jones, Fingers and Ozzie

San Diego Padres Cap (1974–1984)

In his first home game as the Padres' new owner in 1974, Ray Kroc grabbed the public address system microphone and apologized to fans for the poor performance of the team, saying, "I've never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life." At the same time, a streaker raced across the field, eluding security personnel. Kroc shouted, "Throw him in jail!" The following season, 1975, would be the first season that the Padres would not finish in the National League West cellar (finishing fourth), and brought the promise of an owner who would make the necessary changes to the organization.

Nate Colbert is one of two major-league baseball players (Stan Musial is the other) to have hit five home runs in a doubleheader, a feat he accomplished as a Padre. He collected 13 RBIs in that doubleheader, still a major league record. Although the Padres continued to struggle after Colbert's departure via trade to the Detroit Tigers in 1974, they did feature star outfielder Dave Winfield, who came to the Padres in 1973 from the University of Minnesota without having played a single game in the minor leagues. Winfield was also drafted by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association and the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association.

Winfield took over where Colbert left off, starring in the Padres outfield from 1973 until 1980, when he joined the New York Yankees. In seven seasons, Winfield played in 1,117 games for San Diego and collected 1,134 hits, 154 home runs and drove in 626 runs. But most importantly, he helped the team out of the National League West basement for the first time in 1975, under the guidance of manager John McNamara, who took over the club at the start of the 1974 season.

Winfield's emergence as a legitimate star coincided with the turnaround of a promising young left-handed pitcher named Randy Jones, who had suffered through 22 losses in 1974. Jones became the first San Diego pitcher to win 20 games in 1975, going 20–12 in 37 outings as the Padres finished in fourth place with a 71–91 record, 37 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.

Jones won 22 games in 1976, winning the Cy Young Award in the process, another franchise first. The club set a new high with 73 wins, but fell to fifth place.

Jones slipped to 6–12 in 1977, and not even the acquisition of Rollie Fingers could help the Padres escape the bottom half of the division. Only Winfield and fellow outfielder George Hendrick cracked the 20-homer barrier, and the pitching staff was filled with a group of unknowns and youngsters, few of whom would enjoy much success at the major league level.

The 1978 season brought hope to baseball fans in San Diego, thanks to the arrival a young shortstop named Ozzie Smith, who arrived on the scene and turned the baseball world on its ears with an acrobatic style that redefined how the position should be played in the field. The Padres hosted the All-Star Game that summer. The National League won the contest 7–3 thanks to an MVP performance by Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, who would play a crucial role for San Diego in the not-too-distant future.

Winfield and Fingers represented the team at the game, but conspicuously absent was starting pitcher Gaylord Perry, who joined the Padres after spending three years with the Texas Rangers. At 39 years of age and coming off a 15–14 season with Texas, little was expected of him. All Perry did that summer was post a 21–6 record and a 2.73 earned run average, edging Montreal's Ross Grimsley to earn the Padres' second Cy Young Award in three seasons. San Diego also picked up another first that summer, compiling an 84–78 mark for manager Roger Craig, the only time in 10 seasons the team finished a season with a winning percentage above .500.

The good times did not last, as the Padres closed out the decade with another losing season in 1979, a 68–93 record that cost Craig his job. Winfield was the lone bright spot, leading the National League with 118 RBIs. The good times continued to fade out as Winfield signed a 10-year contract with the New York Yankees after the 1980 season.

1984: The first pennant

See also: 1984 San Diego Padres season

The 1984 season began with a shock: Ray Kroc died of heart disease on January 14. Ownership of the team passed to his third wife, Joan Kroc. The team would wear Ray's initials, "RAK" on their jersey's left sleeve during the entire season, as well as the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

Fortunately, happier times were ahead for the team. The Padres finished at 92–70 in 1984 and won the National League West championship, despite having no players with 100-RBI and only two batters with 20-HR. They were managed by Dick Williams and had an offense that featured veterans Steve Garvey, Garry Templeton, Graig Nettles, Alan Wiggins as well as Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, who captured his first of what would be eight National League batting championships that year (he would also win in 1987–89 and from 1994–97; Gwynn shares the National League record with Honus Wagner). Gwynn, who also would win five National League Gold Gloves during his career, joined the Padres in 1982 following starring roles in both baseball and basketball at San Diego State University (he still holds the school record for career basketball assists), and after having been selected in the previous year by both the Padres in the baseball draft and by the then San Diego Clippers in the National Basketball Association draft. The Padres pitching staff in 1984 featured Eric Show (15–9), Ed Whitson (14–8), Mark Thurmond (14–8), Tim Lollar (11–13), and Rich "Goose" Gossage as their closer (10–6, 2.90 ERA and 25 saves).

Playoffs

Cub-Busters T-shirts were popular with Padres fans in 1984 postseason.

In the 1984 NLCS, the Padres faced the NL East champion Chicago Cubs, who were making their first post-season appearance since 1945 and featured NL Most Valuable Player Ryne Sandberg and Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe. The Cubs would win the first two games at Wrigley Field, and were less than two innings away from a series sweep when their luck changed. The Padres swept the final three games at then San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium (the highlight arguably being Steve Garvey's dramatic, game winning home run off of Lee Smith in Game 4) to win the 1984 National League pennant. Gossage, a former New York Yankee, said the San Diego crowd at Game 3 was "the loudest crowd I've ever heard anywhere." Gwynn agreed as well. Jack Murphy Stadium played "Cub-Busters", a parody of the theme song from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters. Cub-Busters T-shirts inspired from the movie were popular attire for Padres fans.

In the 1984 World Series, the Padres faced the powerful Detroit Tigers, who steamrolled through the regular season with 104 victories (and had started out with a 35–5 record, the best ever through the first 40 games). The Tigers were managed by Sparky Anderson and featured shortstop and native San Diegan Alan Trammell and outfielder Kirk Gibson, along with Lance Parrish and DH Darrell Evans. The pitching staff was bolstered by ace Jack Morris (19–11, 3.60 ERA), Dan Petry (18–8), Milt Wilcox (17–8), and closer Willie Hernández (9–3, 1.92 ERA with 32 saves). Jack Morris would win games 1 and 4 and the Tigers would go on to win the Series 4-games-to-1.

Reporter Barry Bloom of MLB.com wrote in 2011 that "the postseason in ’84 is still the most exciting week of Major League Baseball ever played in San Diego."

1985–95: Tough times following a pennant

1985

Main article: 1985 San Diego Padres season

After the Padres won the pennant in 1984, they had some tough times. Tony Gwynn continued to win batting titles (including batting .394 in 1994). The Padres would come close in 1985. They would field eight All-Stars (manager Dick Williams, Tony Gwynn, Graig Nettles, Rich Gossage, Terry Kennedy, Garry Templeton, Steve Garvey, and La Marr Hoyt) at the 1985 All-Star Game in Minnesota. However, they collapsed at the end of the season, finishing tied for third with the Houston Astros behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

1986

Main article: 1986 San Diego Padres season

Williams was let go as manager just before 1986 spring training. His record with the Padres was 337–311 over four seasons. He is the only manager in the team's history without a losing season. His difficulties with the Padres stemmed from a power struggle with team president Ballard Smith and general manager Jack McKeon. Late in the 1986 season, Gossage was suspended and then reinstated with a $25,000 fine for behavior not in the best interest of the team. Gossage said that Smith "wants choirboys and not winning players" and that Smith "just listens to what Mom says," a reference to Padres owner Kroc, Smith's mother-in-law. Gossage also said Kroc was "poisoning the world with her cheeseburgers." He later apologized to McDonald's, which Gossage said his family would continue to frequent.

1987

Main article: 1987 San Diego Padres season

In 1987, rookie catcher Benito Santiago hit in 34 straight games, earning him the NL Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Padres finished dead last in 1987, thanks to the managing of the tempestuous Larry Bowa. The next season, rookie second baseman Roberto Alomar would make his debut, forming a double play combination with veteran shortstop Garry Templeton.

1988-89

During the 1988 season, Bowa was replaced by Jack McKeon and the Padres won 83 games, finishing in third place. In 1989, the Padres finished 89–73 thanks to Cy Young Award-winning closer Mark Davis. Between 1989 and 1990, friction dominated the Padres' clubhouse as Tony Gwynn had constant shouting matches with slugger Jack Clark. But as the franchise player, Gwynn prevailed as Clark finished his career with the Red Sox.

1990-95

The Padres playing host to the New York Mets at Jack Murphy Stadium during a 1990 home game.

Midway through the 1990 season, Joan Kroc wanted to sell the team. But she wanted a commitment to San Diego. So Kroc sold it to television producer Tom Werner. After the ownership change, the old brown that remained in Padres uniforms since their inception were supplanted by navy blue, a nod to the vintage 1940s PCL franchise colors. Shortly after the ownership change, a trade was made with the Toronto Blue Jays where Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar were traded for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez.

In 1992, the Padres lineup featured the "Four Tops": Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Tony Fernández, and Tony Gwynn. However, Fernandez would go to the New York Mets, McGriff went to the division-winning Atlanta Braves, and Sheffield would go to the expansion Florida Marlins. Although extremely unpopular at the time, it was the Sheffield trade that brought in pitcher Trevor Hoffman, who was virtually unknown to Padres fans. While Sheffield led Florida to a World Championship in 1997, Hoffman would be the next franchise player behind Dave Winfield and Tony Gwynn.

The Padres would finish dead last in the strike-shortened 1994 season, but Gwynn hit .394 that year (the most since Ted Williams hit over .400 in 1941). After that season, the Padres made a mega-trade with Houston reeling in Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, and others. In November 1995, Kevin Towers was promoted from scouting director to general manager.

File:1998 Padres.png

Logo used 1992 through 2003. Same as the previous but the ring is now white.

1996–97: Building a winner

1996

Main article: 1996 San Diego Padres season

In 1996, under new owner John Moores (a software tycoon who purchased controlling ownership in the team in 1994 from Tom Werner, who subsequently formed a syndicate that purchased the Boston Red Sox) and team president Larry Lucchino, and with a team managed by former Padres catcher Bruce Bochy (a member of the 1984 NL championship squad), the team won the NL West in an exciting race, sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in the final series of the regular season. The '96 team featured Gwynn, who won his seventh National League batting championship, National League MVP Ken Caminiti, premier leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson, pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, first baseman Wally Joyner and outfielder Steve Finley. The Padres had led the NL West early in the season only to falter in June, but came back in July and battled the Dodgers the rest of the way. However, they were defeated in the National League Division Series by the Tony La Russa-led St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 0.

1997

Main article: 1997 San Diego Padres season

The Padres suffered an off-year in 1997, plagued by a pitching slump. The one silver lining was Tony Gwynn's eighth and final National League batting title, won in the final days of the season after a down-to-the wire duel with the Colorado Rockies' Larry Walker. Walker barely missed becoming the first Triple Crown winner in baseball since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

1998: The second pennant

Padres cap logo (1998–2003)

See also: 1998 San Diego Padres season

In 1998, Henderson and Valenzuela were gone, but newly acquired (from the 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins) pitcher Kevin Brown had a sensational year (his only one with the Padres) and outfielder/slugger Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs (overlooked in that season of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa race). Managed by Bruce Bochy and aided by the talents of players such as Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Wally Joyner, Steve Finley, pitcher Andy Ashby and premier closer Trevor Hoffman (4–2, 1.48 ERA and 53 saves), the Padres had their best year in history, finishing 98–64 and winning the NL West division crown.

1998 NLDS

The Padres went on to defeat the Houston Astros in the 1998 NLDS, 3 games to 1, behind solid pitching by Brown and Hoffman, and home runs by Greg Vaughn, Wally Joyner and Jim Leyritz (who homered in 3 of the 4 games).

1998 NLCS

In the 1998 NLCS, the Padres faced the Atlanta Braves, who had won the National League East with an astonishing 106–56 record. The offense was paced by talent such as Andrés Galarraga, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and Javy López. Their pitching staff had the perennial big-3 of Greg Maddux (18–9, 2.22 ERA), Tom Glavine (20–6, 2.47 ERA), and John Smoltz (17–3, 2.90 ERA), as well as Kevin Millwood (17–8, 4.08 ERA) and Denny Neagle (16–11, 3.55 ERA). However, it was the Padres that would prevail, 4 games to 2, with ace Kevin Brown pitching a shutout in game 2 (winning 3–0). Steve Finley caught a pop fly for the final out, as the Padres clinched the series.

1998 World Series

In the 1998 World Series the Padres faced the powerhouse New York Yankees, who had steamrolled through the season with a 114–48 record and drew acclaim as one their greatest teams of all time. There was no offensive player with more than 30 home runs, in contrast to the teams of the 1920s, or 1950s, but they had four players with 24+ and eight with 17+. Yankee pitching had been paced by David Cone (20–7, 3.55), Andy Pettitte (16–11, 4.24), David Wells (18–4, 3.49), Hideki Irabu (13–9, 4.06) and Orlando Hernández (12–4, 3.13). Mariano Rivera, their closer, was excellent once again (3–0, 1.91 ERA with 36 saves).

The Yankees swept the Padres in four games. Mariano Rivera closed out 3 of the 4 games. One of the few bright spots of the series for the Padres was a home run by Tony Gwynn, in Game 1 that hit the facing of the right-field upper deck at Yankee Stadium and put the Padres ahead briefly, 5–2. But the Yankees would score 7 runs in the 7th inning en route to a 9–6 victory.

1999–2003: Tough times following a pennant, again

Entering the 1999 season, some instrumental players to the 1998 World Series team were gone. Brown, a free agent, signed the biggest contract in baseball history with the Dodgers. Finley, a free agent, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Caminiti, a free agent went to the Houston Astros. Vaughn and utilityman Mark Sweeney were traded to the Cincinnati Reds for left fielder Reggie Sanders, infielder Damian Jackson and pitching prospect Josh Harris. Starting pitcher Joey Hamilton was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitchers Woody Williams and Carlos Almanzar. The Padres opened their 1999 season in Monterrey, Mexico versus the Colorado Rockies. On August 6, 1999, Tony Gwynn got his 3,000th hit (a single) against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

On October 7, 2001, in a post-game ceremony at Qualcomm Stadium, Tony Gwynn made an emotional farewell to the team that had been his only major-league home. In the game played that day, Rickey Henderson, who in the meantime had rejoined the Padres, collected his 3,000th major-league base hit, a double. Gwynn struck his final major-league hit, also a double, in the previous game. He is presently head coach of the San Diego State University Aztecs, his alma mater. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29, 2007.

Also in 2001, Dave Winfield became the first player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Padre.

2004–present: PETCO Park and a new era

2004: PETCO Park opens

File:San Diego Padres Logo.svg

Logo used as alternate and primary from 2004-2011. This logo with the word "San Diego" on top was used as the primary from 2004-2010.

See also: 2004 San Diego Padres season

After five straight losing seasons in Qualcomm Stadium (1999–2003), the Padres moved into newly built PETCO Park. PETCO Park is situated in downtown near San Diego's Gaslamp District, the main entrance located just two blocks from the downtown terminal of the San Diego Trolley light-rail system. With new amenities and a revitalization of the downtown neighborhood, fan interest renewed. Modeled after recent successes in downtown ballpark building (such as San Francisco's AT&T Park), and incorporating San Diego history in the form of the preservation of the facade of the historic Western Metals Company building (now the left-field corner, the corner of the building substituting for the left field foul pole), the new Petco Park is a sharp contrast to their previous home at Qualcomm (Jack Murphy) Stadium which was a cookie-cutter type football-baseball facility located in an outer, mostly commercial-industrial, area of the city near an interstate interchange.

With the ocean air prevalent and a sharp, clean park to play in, the Padres began to win again. The new stadium also acquired a reputation as a pitchers' park, with notable complaints from some of the Padres batters themselves (deep center field and evenings with dense foggy air). The Padres finished the 2004 season with an 87–75 record, good enough for 3rd in the NL West.

2005: The worst division winner ever

See also: 2005 San Diego Padres season

In 2005, the Western Division Champion Padres finished with the lowest-ever winning percentage for a division champion (or for that matter, a postseason qualifier) in a non-strike season, 82–80. Three teams in the Eastern Division finished with better records than San Diego but failed to qualify for the playoffs, including second-place Philadelphia, which won 88 games and all six of its contests with the Padres. There had been some speculation that the Padres would be the first team in history to win a division and finish below .500, but their victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 30 gave them their 81st victory. In the 2005 NLDS, the reigning National League champion St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the season with the majors' best record, swept the Padres in three consecutive games. Thus the Padres finished the season with an overall regular-and-post-season record of 82–83, the first post-season qualifier in a normal-length season to lose more games than it won overall.

The 2005 Padres featured bright spots, however, including ace pitcher Jake Peavy, the NL strikeout leader, and closer Trevor Hoffman, who claimed his 400th save.

2006: Another division title

See also: 2006 San Diego Padres season

The Padres started April 2006 with a 9–15 record and were stuck in the cellar of the NL West.

However, after going 19–10 in May, the club moved into first place in the division. Closer Trevor Hoffman was elected to the 2006 MLB All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, threw one inning in that game and got the loss. On September 24 (the last home game of the regular season), Hoffman became the all-time saves leader when he recorded his 479th career save, breaking Lee Smith's record of 478 (Hoffman's career total as of the end of the season was 482). Hoffman's 2006 campaign (2.14 ERA, 46 saves in 51 opportunities through 65 games pitched) was one of his best. The 2006 Padres would attribute their success largely to the team's pitching staff. Their ERA was 3.87, first in the NL and trailing only the Detroit Tigers in all of MLB.

On September 30, 2006, the Padres clinched a playoff berth with a 3–1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the final game of the season, the Padres defeated the Diamondbacks 7–6 to win back to back division titles for the first time in team history (they were tied with the Dodgers for the division title, but because of winning the season series against them, the division title went to them and the wild card went to the Dodgers). The final out of the final game of the 2006 regular season — confirming the Padres as Division champions — was a highly unusual play. With Trevor Hoffman pitching the 9th, 2 out, Diamondback Chris Young was on first. Alberto Callaspo hit a grounder past first. Second baseman Josh Barfield fielded and threw wildly to first, forcing Gonzalez to come off the bag. However, Gonzalez then threw to Khalil Greene at second, beating but not tagging Young. Second base umpire Larry Poncino initially called safe because of the no-tag, but Padres manager Bruce Bochy successfully argued that the force play at second did not need a tag to be declared out. The game, and the season, ended with a changed call. TV replay, however, clearly showed that Greene was off the bag as well, so the original call may have been correct. This call, understandably, was greeted by a long and loud chorus of boos by the Diamondbacks fans who packed Chase Field to bid farewell to Luis Gonzalez.

Only 53 teams in the modern era have posted sub-.500 records in April and survived to make the postseason. The San Diego Padres achieved the feat in both 2005 and 2006.

The Padres opened the 2006 National League Division Series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, October 3, 2006. After losing the first two games at home (5–1 and 2–0 respectively), they won game 3 at Busch Stadium 3–1, but were eliminated with a 6–2 loss in Game 4, when the Cardinals, who trailed 2–0 before their first at-bat, scored six unanswered runs (two in the first, and four in the sixth) for the win.

2006-07 offseason

One key offseason trade between the San Diego Padres' General Manager, Kevin Towers, and the Texas Rangers' General Manager, Jon Daniels, would prove to have a dramatic impact on their 2006 season. The Padres dealt starting pitcher Adam Eaton, middle reliever Akinori Otsuka, and minor-league catcher Billy Killian in exchange for starting pitcher Chris Young, left fielder Terrmel Sledge, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez would take over the everyday duties at first base, batting .304 with a club-leading 24 home runs and 82 RBI in his first year as a full-time starter. Sledge would hit .229 in limited major league action. Chris Young proved to be the real story, however, as he would go 11–5 with a 3.46 ERA (6th best in the National League) and allowed just 6.72 hits per 9 innings pitched – best in the majors.

2006 also ended up being the last year of Bruce Bochy's tenure as the manager of the Padres, taking the managerial position for their divisional rivals, the San Francisco Giants. He was replaced by Bud Black, a San Diego State University alumni and former pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

2007: Falling short

See also: 2007 San Diego Padres season

On Sunday, April 1, 2007, Major League Baseball's 2007 Opening Night, the Padres announced that they had agreed to terms on a four-year contract with 1B Adrian Gonzalez, keeping him in San Diego until 2010 with a club option for 2011. Prior to this contract agreement the Padres had offered to renew Gonzalez's contract during the offseason at $380,500, only $500 over the league minimum for the 2007 season.

The Padres' 2007 season began April 3 in an away game against the San Francisco Giants, winning it 7–0 in front of a capacity crowd of 42,773 at AT&T Park, defeating $126 million staff-ace Barry Zito in his Giants debut. The Padres bullpen has continued to be the team's strength as in recent years, opening the season with 281⁄3 scoreless innings, a Major League record to start a season. At the start of the season the Padres starting rotation order was as follows: Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Clay Hensley (injured, replaced by Justin Germano), Greg Maddux, David Wells.

On June 6, 2007, Trevor Hoffman became the first pitcher in major league history to record 500 saves, 498 of them coming as a Padre (the first 2 were as a Florida Marlin).

On September 23, 2007, Milton Bradley (baseball) tore his right ACL while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black during an altercation with first base umpire Mike Winters. Home plate umpire Brian Runge reportedly told Bradley that Winters said that Bradley had tossed his bat in Runge's direction in a previous at-bat. After Bradley reached first base, he questioned Winters about the alleged bat throwing and subsequent communication with Runge. According to Bradley and Padres first base coach Bobby Meacham, Winters used a profanity towards Bradley. Bradley then moved towards Winters. While restrained by Black, Bradley fell to the ground resulting in the injury. He missed the last week of the regular season in 2007, during which the Padres relinquished their wild card lead, ultimately losing to the eventual N.L. Champion Colorado Rockies in a one game playoff.

The Padres ended the regular season in an 89–73 tie for the NL wild card with the Colorado Rockies. In a cruel piece of irony, on September 29, 2007, the Padres were within one out and one strike of clinching the National League Wild Card berth, but Tony Gwynn, Jr., son of the longtime Padres legend, tripled against Hoffman to tie the game. The Padres went on to lose that game, and the one that followed, even though the Milwaukee Brewers had been eliminated from the pennant race and had nothing left to play for. The Padres then met the Rockies on October 1, 2007 in Denver for a one-game playoff to decide the wild card winner. Despite having Jake Peavy start the game and bringing in Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the 13th inning to try to hold an 8–6 lead, the Padres' season ended when the Rockies rallied to win 9–8. It ended on a controversial call on a sacrifice fly where many questioned whether Matt Holliday ever touched home plate, leaving Padre fans saying "Holliday never touched home!" The umpire of that game claimed that the catcher, Michael Barrett, was blocking the plate before he had possession of the ball. Therefore Holiday was ruled safe.

On November 15, Jake Peavy won the National League Cy Young Award by unanimous ballot. He was the fourth Padre to capture the pitching award.

2008–2009: Struggles

2008

Main article: 2008 San Diego Padres season

On April 17, 2008, during the series against the Colorado Rockies at PETCO Park, the Padres played the longest game in team history, in terms of innings (22), losing 2–1. The game was the second longest in team history, in terms of time, played in 6 hours, 16 minutes. Following that game, which sapped the team's bullpen strength, the Padres stumbled, dropping games at home, where they struggled to score runs, and on the road, where they committed uncharacteristic errors and failed to hold leads.

Following the All-Star break, the Padres continued to struggle, getting swept in a four-game series in St. Louis and losing two of three in Cincinnati. A trip to Pittsburgh proved to be the tonic the team needed. The Padres won three of four in the Steel City and during the series the Pirates traded former Padre underachiever Xavier Nady to the Yankees for prospects. Back home, the Padres won the first game of the series against the division-leading Diamondbacks. The win gave Greg Maddux 351 career wins and he tipped his hat to the crowd when he left with a lead. Late in August, the team parted ways with Greg Maddux by trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The team finished off a 63–99 season on September 28 with a 10–6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing 5th in the NL West, 21 games behind the division leader Los Angeles Dodgers.

2009

Main article: 2009 San Diego Padres season

San Diego finished 75–87, fourth in the NL West, only ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

2010–11: The Jed Hoyer era

Main articles: 2010 San Diego Padres season and 2011 San Diego Padres season

Many preseason predictions picked the Padres in 2010 to finish the season in last place in the NL West. On August 25, however, the Padres were 76–49 and in first place with a 6+ 1⁄2 game lead. A 10–game losing streak immediately followed. With a 3–0 loss on October 3, the final game of the season, the Padres were officially eliminated from playoff contention and the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants won the division. The Padres led the NL West for 148 days in 2010.

Adrian Gonzalez would have been in the last year of his contract in 2011, but the Padres were not going to meet Gonzalez’s open market value especially with Jeff Moorad’s purchase of the Padres from John Moores not completing until around 2013. On December 6, 2010, Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a package of right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later, later determined to be Eric Patterson.

After the 2011 season, general manager Jed Hoyer left the Padres to join the Chicago Cubs. Josh Byrnes was promoted from senior vice president of baseball operations to replace Hoyer.

Spring training

The team has played its spring training games at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona since 1994. They share the stadium with the Seattle Mariners.

From 1969 to 1993, the Padres held Spring Training in Yuma, Arizona at Desert Sun Stadium. Due to the short driving distance and direct highway route (170 miles, all on Interstate 8), Yuma was very popular with Padres fans, and many fans would travel by car from San Diego for Spring Training games. The move from Yuma to Peoria was very controversial, but was defended by the team as a reflection on the low quality of facilities in Yuma and the long travel necessary to play against other Arizona-based Spring Training teams (whose sites were all in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, both rather far from Yuma).

Logos and colors

The San Diego Padres have used six different logos and four different color combinations throughout their history. Their first logo depicts a friar swinging a bat with Padres written at the top while standing in a sun-like figure with San Diego Padres on the exterior of it. The "Swinging Friar" has popped up on the uniform on and off ever since (he is currently on the left sleeve of the navy alternate jersey) although the head of the friar has been tweaked from the original in recent years, and it is currently the mascot of the team. The original team colors were the brown and gold of the original logo.

In 1985, the Padres switched to using a script-like logo in which Padres was written sloped up. That would later become a script logo for the Padres. The team's colors were changed to brown and orange and remained this way through the 1990 season.

In 1989, the Padres took the scripted Padres logo that was used from 1985 to 1988 and put it in a tan ring that read "San Diego Baseball Club" with a striped center. In 1991, the logo was changed to a silver ring with the Padres script changed from brown to blue. The logo only lasted one year, as the Padres changed their logo for the third time in three years, again by switching colors of the ring. The logo became a white ring with fewer stripes in the center and a darker blue Padres script with orange shadows. In 1991, the team's colors were also changed, to a combination of orange and navy blue.

The logo was completely changed when the team changed stadiums between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, as the logo now looks like home plate at a baseball field with San Diego written in sand font at the top right corner and the Padres new script written completely across the center. Waves finish the bottom of the plate. Navy remains but a sandy beige replaces orange as a secondary color. The team's colors were also changed, to navy blue and sand brown. The San Diego has been removed from the top right corner of the logo for the 2011 season, and the away uniform changed from sand to gray.

For the 2012 season the Padres unveiled a new primary logo, featuring the cap logo inside a navy blue circle with the words "San Diego Padres Baseball Club" adorning the outer circle. The "swinging friar" logo was recolored to the current colors of navy blue and white. Another secondary logo features the Padres script carried over from the previous year's logo below the depiction of Petco Park in sand and above the year of the team's first season (EST. 1969). The blue and sand version will be used in the home uniforms, with the blue and white version to be used on the away and alternate uniforms.

Military appreciation

Military service-members take to the field prior to the National Anthem being sung during Military Appreciation Day at Petco Park, home to the San Diego Padres.

Padres players in their first camouflage uniforms.

Trevor Hoffman in 2008 wearing the Padres second camouflage uniform.

Jason Bartlett wearing the third, and current, Padres camouflage uniform.

Starting in 1996 the Padres became the first national sports team to have an annual military appreciation event. Following in 2000 the Padres began wearing a camouflage, to honor the military; the jersey has since gone through three different versions. Starting in 2008, during every Sunday home games, the Padres wear camouflage jerseys. They also wear these uniforms on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Beginning in 2011, the Padres have changed the camouflage design to a more modern "digital" design, using the MARPAT design after receiving permission from then-Commandant Conway, and dropped the green from the letting and logo of the jersey. Green has been replaced by a sand-olive color (also in the cap worn with the jersey). Since 1995 Marine Recruits from the nearby Marine Corps Recruit Depot often visit the games en masse, in uniform, often filling entire sections in the upper deck. When they are present, the team commemorates this with a special Fourth Inning Stretch featuring the Marine Hymn. As of April 2005 over sixty thousand marine recruits have been hosted by the Padres. This is part of an extensive military outreach program, which also includes a series of Military Appreciation Night games, and game tapes mailed to deployed United States Navy ships of the Pacific Fleet for onboard viewing (a large portion of the Pacific Fleet is homeported in San Diego).

Mascot

The "Swinging Friar" atop the home dugout.

The "Swinging Friar" is currently the mascot of the team. Some in the past have confused The Famous Chicken as the mascot of the Padres. Although he does make appearances occasionally at San Diego sporting events, he has never been the official mascot of any San Diego sports team.

Season records

Main article: List of San Diego Padres seasons

Quick facts

PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres (2004–present)

PETCO Park, as seen from overhead

Founded: 1969 (National League expansion)

Current uniform colors: Dark blue, Sand, and White

Logo design: White interlocking 'S' and 'D'

Hometown Hero: Tony Gwynn

Nicknames: The Friars, the "Pads" (pronounced as "Pods")

Most winning season: (1998) 98–64. Western Division Title and National League Pennant Winners.

Most losing season: (1969) 52–110

Local television: Channel 4 San Diego (4SD) (Cable TV only; not available over the air.)

TV announcers: Dick Enberg, Mark Grant, Tony Gwynn (occasionally), Mark Neely (substitute).

Local radio: 1090 AM XX 1090 (pronounced "Double X"), La Poderosa 860 AM (en español).

Radio announcers: Ted Leitner, Andy Masur, Jerry Coleman (home day games).

Spring training facility: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, AZ

Rivals: Arizona Diamondbacks (Division), Colorado Rockies (Division), Los Angeles Dodgers (Division, geographical), San Francisco Giants (Division), St. Louis Cardinals (Post-Season), Seattle Mariners (Inter-league)

Achievements

Award winners and league leaders

Main article: San Diego Padres award winners and league leaders

Team records (single-season and career)

Main article: San Diego Padres team records

Baseball Hall of Famers

The following elected members of the Baseball Hall of Fame played and/or managed for the Padres.

San Diego Padres Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
San Diego Padres Roberto Alomar Rollie Fingers Goose Gossage Tony Gwynn Rickey Henderson Willie McCovey Gaylord Perry Ozzie Smith Dick Williams Dave Winfield Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Padres cap insignia.

Gwynn, Winfield, Fingers, Gossage, Randy Jones, and Graig Nettles (3B, 1984–1987) are also members of the San Diego Hall of Champions, which is open to athletes native to the San Diego area (such as Gwynn and Nettles) as well as to those who played for San Diego teams.

Ford C. Frick Award recipients (broadcasters)

Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as Padres broadcasters.

• Jerry Coleman

* Played as Padres

Retired numbers

See also: List of Major League Baseball retired numbers

The Padres have retired six numbers. Five were in honor of Padre players and one was Jackie Robinson's number 42, which was retired by all of Major League Baseball.

Steve Garvey 1B Retired 1989

Tony Gwynn RF Retired 2004

Dave Winfield RF Retired 2001

Randy Jones SP Retired 1997

Trevor Hoffman RP Retired 2011

Jackie Robinson — Retired 1997

Jerry Coleman Broadcaster Honored 2004

Ray Kroc Owner Honored 2004

Retired numbers at PETCO Park, as of 21 August 2011.

The retired numbers are displayed in center field atop the batter's eye wall. They are free standing and mounted on poles. During the 2004 season, the first season in PETCO Park, there were only four retired numbers displayed. Gwynn's number 19 was not yet officially retired until late in the season and was added the following winter. Trevor Hoffman's number 51 was retired on August 21, 2011.

The Padres also have a "star on the wall" in honor of broadcaster Jerry Coleman, in reference to his trademark phrase "Oh Doctor! You can hang a star on that baby!" Nearby the initials of former owner Ray Kroc are also displayed. Both the star and the initials are painted in gold on the front of the pressbox down the right field line accompanied by the name of the person in white.

Team Hall of Fame

See also: San Diego Padres in Breitbard Hall of Fame

People inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame which was founded in 1999.

• Buzzie Bavasi, Team President, 1969–1977. Inducted 2001.
• Nate Colbert, 1B, 1969–1974. Inducted 1999.
• Jerry Coleman, Manager, 1980, Announcer, 1972–1979, 1981–present. Inducted 2001.
• Tony Gwynn, OF, 1982–2001. Inducted 2002.
• Randy Jones, P, 1973–1980. Inducted 1999.
• Ray Kroc, Owner, 1974–1984. Inducted 1999.
• Dick Williams, Manager, 1982–1985. Inducted 2009.
• Dave Winfield, OF, 1973–1980. Inducted 2000.

Current roster

San Diego Padres 2025 spring training roster
40-man roster				Non-roster invitees		Coaches/Other
Pitchers 40 Jason Adam 76 Jhony Brito 84 Dylan Cease 59 Tom Cosgrove 11 Yu Darvish 56 Jeremiah Estrada 71 Logan Gillaspie 78 Bryan Hoeing 37 Alek Jacob 34 Michael King 32 Stephen Kolek  1 Yuki Matsui 50 Adrián Morejón 44 Joe Musgrove 77 Luis Patiño 58 Wandy Peralta 25 Sean Reynolds 75 Robert Suárez 98 Randy Vásquez 61 Matt Waldron		Catchers 12 Luis Campusano 29 Brett Sullivan Infielders  4 Luis Arráez  2 Xander Bogaerts  9 Jake Cronenworth 13 Manny Machado 18 Mason McCoy  5 Eguy Rosario 14 Tyler Wade Outfielders 27 Bryce Johnson 28 Brandon Lockridge  3 Jackson Merrill -- Tirso Ornelas 23 Fernando Tatís Jr.				Manager  8 Mike Shildt Coaches 47 Vic Rodriguez (hitting) 89 Mike McCoy (assistant hitting) 85 Pat O'Sullivan (assistant hitting) 53 Ben Fritz (bullpen) 46 David Macias (first base/outfield instructor) 33 Tim Leiper (third base/infield instructor) 57 Ruben Niebla (pitching) 83 Peter Summerville (game planning/coaching assistant) 82 Brian Esposito (catching) 81 Morgan Burkhart (major league coaching assistant) 66 Ryan Barba (major league field coordinator/bench coach) 86 Heberto Andrade (bullpen catcher/coaching assistant) Restricted list 55 Jay Groome 34 active, 0 inactive, 0 non-roster invitees 7-, 10-, or 15-day injured list * Not on active roster † Suspended list Roster, coaches, and NRIs updated November 2, 2024 Transactions • Depth chart → All MLB rosters

Minor league affiliations

Level	Team	League	Location
AAA	Tucson Padres	Pacific Coast League	Tucson, AZ
AA	San Antonio Missions	Texas League	San Antonio, TX
Advanced A	Lake Elsinore Storm	California League	Lake Elsinore, CA
A	Fort Wayne TinCaps	Midwest League	Fort Wayne, IN
Short Season A	Eugene Emeralds	Northwest League	Eugene, OR
Rookie	AZL Padres	Arizona League	Peoria, AZ
	DSL Padres	Dominican Summer League	Dominican Republic

Radio and television

See also: List of San Diego Padres broadcasters

As of 2008, the Padres' flagship radio stations were XEPRS 1090AM and XHPRS 105.7FM, collectively known as "XX 1090" (pronounced "Double X.") When XX was only on AM, the station was known as the "Mighty 1090." Ted Leitner is the primary play-by-play announcer, with Andy Masur working the middle innings of each game. Jerry Coleman, former Yankee second baseman and Padres manager and a Ford C. Frick Award-winning longtime broadcaster, no longer does play-by-play; however, he does work as a color commentator alongside Leitner and Masur, mostly during the middle part of the game. The games are also broadcast in Spanish on XEMO, "La Poderosa 860 AM", with Eduardo Ortega and Juan Angel Avila announcing. As of 2010, 105.7 has dropped the Padres broadcasts, and the games are now only broadcast on 1090AM.

Padres' games starting in 2012 will be televised by a new outlet of Fox Sports West or Prime Ticket, to be tentatively called Fox Sports San Diego upon the start of the spring training sessions. Prior to that, games were televised mostly on 4SD, a cable-only channel controlled by Cox Communications. Dick Enberg currently serves as play-by-play announcer, and Mark Grant is the primary color commentator (with Tony Gwynn providing commentary for select telecasts). Previously, Matt Vasgersian was the play-by-play announcer from 2002 to 2008. In 2006, the booth played host to a controversial guest appearance by Rick Sutcliffe, who had been Grant's predecessor before joining ESPN. Sutcliffe appeared to be drunk and discussed topics other than baseball, even when Vasgersian tried to redirect the subject. After the appearance, ESPN suspended Sutcliffe for a week. For the 2009 season, Vasgersian left the Padres to join the MLB Network and was replaced by veteran minor league announcer Mark Neely, who for the previous 13 years had been the voice of the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League. Neely will continue to serve as a pre- and postgame reporter for the new channel, and called play-by-play on a substitute basis when Enberg had network commitments with both ESPN or CBS Sports. 4SD's contract with the Padres expired after the 2011 season.

Spanish language telecasts of Sunday games are seen XHAS-TV channel 33. Until September 2007, Friday and Saturday Spanish games were seen on KBOP-CA channel 43, until that station changed to an all-infomercial format. This makes XHAS the only over-the-air-television station carrying Padres baseball. English-language Padres over-the-air broadcasts aired over the years on XETV, KCST, KUSI, KFMB-TV and KSWB-TV.

John Demott was the Padres' first public address announcer when the team began in 1969. By the late 1970s Bruce Binkowski had taken over as PA announcer, and became the longest-serving public address announcer in the team's history, remaining until the end of the 1999 season. First DeMott and then Binkowski also were responsible with PA announcing duties for the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego State University Aztecs, both of which were joint tenants at Qualcomm Stadium with the Padres until the Padres moved into Petco Park. The current PA announcer is Frank Anthony, a radio host with 105.7 The Walrus.

Education/MBA program

• The San Diego Padres are the sponsors of and heavily involved in most aspects of the Sports Business Management MBA degree program offered in conjunction with San Diego State University's College of Business Administration. SDSU's Sports MBA is the only program of its kind created in partnership with a professional sports franchise. The curriculum focuses on the entire sports business industry, not just baseball. The program includes an internship. Members of Padres senior management regularly participate, including work with the development and continued coordination of SDSU's International Case Competition, which annually attracts participation from top business schools.

References

• Author Nelson Papucci wrote "The San Diego Padres, 1969–2002: A Complete History". This was the first definitive history of the Padres as a major league franchise.

• "One on One: My Journey With Hall of Famers, Fan Favorites, And Rising Stars", Sweet Dreams Publishing, 2010, ISBN 978-0-9824461-7-1. (With Jane Mitchell, foreword by Dick Enberg)

External links

• San Diego Padres official website
• San Diego Padres coverage by The San Diego Union-Tribune
• San Diego Padres Baseball Card Database