| 1984 San Diego Padres | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League champions National League West champions | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Division | West | |||
| Ballpark | Jack Murphy Stadium | |||
| City | San Diego, California | |||
| Record | 92–70 (.568) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | Joan Kroc | |||
| General managers | Jack McKeon | |||
| Managers | Dick Williams | |||
| Television | KCST San Diego Cable Sports Network (Dave Campbell,Jerry Coleman, Bob Chandler,Ted Leitner) | |||
| Radio | KFMB (AM) (Dave Campbell,Jerry Coleman) XEXX (Gustavo Lopez, Mario Thomas Zapiain) | |||
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The1984San Diego Padres season was the 16th season in franchise history. San Diego won theNational League (NL) championship and advanced to theWorld Series, which they lost to theDetroit Tigers four games to one. The Padres were led by managerDick Williams and third-year playerTony Gwynn, who won the NLbatting title and finished third in voting for theNL Most Valuable Player Award.
In their first 15 seasons, the Padres had an overall won–lost record of 995–1372 for a .420 winning percentage,[1] and finished with a winning record just once (1978).[2] They had never finished higher than fourth in theNational League West, and eight times they had finished in last place.[2] However, they were coming off consecutive 81–81 seasons in Williams' two years as San Diego's manager.[3] They won the NL West in 1984 with a 92–70 record, and set a then-franchise record in attendance, drawing nearly two million fans (1,983,904).[4] They defeated theChicago Cubs in theNLCS, three games to two, becoming the first NL team to win thepennant after being down 2–0.Steve Garvey was named theNLCS Most Valuable Player.
OwnerRay Kroc died on January 14, making this the Padres' first season under the sole ownership of Kroc's widowJoan. Joan Kroc would continue to own the team until 1990. This would be the final season that the team wore mustard yellow & chocolate brown uniforms, which had been in place since 1969, the year they joined the National League. They would switch to a more traditional buttoned down look with pinstripes the next season.
After spending $6 million to acquire free-agent first basemanSteve Garvey in 1983, the Padres signed free-agent relieverGoose Gossage to a five-year contract for $6.25 million in January 1984.[12][13] The deal made Gossage the highest-salaried pitcher in baseball at the time.[13] ManagerDick Williams, who had asked general managerJack McKeon to obtain a strikeout-type reliever, declared that the acquisition made San Diego a playoff contender.[14] Eight days after signing Gossage, Padres ownerRay Kroc died at the age of 81.[15] The season was dedicated to his memory with the team wearing his initials, "RAK" on their jersey's left sleeve during the entire season.[3][16] Ownership of the team passed to his wife,Joan Kroc.[15]
In February,All-Star catcherTerry Kennedy underwentarthroscopic surgery on his left knee after being bothered by continuous inflammation since the middle of 1983.[17] During spring training,Alan Wiggins was named the team's newsecond baseman over incumbentJuan Bonilla, who was subsequently waived.[10] In a gamble to generate offense, Wiggins had been moved from the outfield to make room inleft field forCarmelo Martínez, who was moved from first base after being acquired in the offseason from theChicago Cubs.[18] The Padres were hoping to bolster their starting outfield, which produced just 23 homers in 1983.[19] The rookie Martinez and center fielderKevin McReynolds, whose 140 at-bats during the prior season disqualified him from being considered a rookie in 1984, were hyped by the media as theM&M Boys, alluding to the Yankees' 1960s power-hitting duo ofMickey Mantle andRoger Maris.[16][20] The two Padre outfielders along with Garvey, Nettles, and Kennedy supplied San Diego with five regulars who had the potential to hit at least 20 home runs. Third-year right fielderTony Gwynn entered the season with a .302 lifetime batting average, the highest on the club.[16] Gwynn, McReynolds, and Martinez formed the youngest outfield in the majors.[21] ShortstopGarry Templeton was relieved of pain from a left knee that had bothered him for years and was expected to anchor the infield, especially with Wiggins moving to second base.[22] Templeton was also projected to batleadoff for the Padres,[22] but he was dropped to No. 8 in the order after he took a spike to his right knee toward the end of spring training.[23] Three days before the season opener, 39-year-old third basemanGraig Nettles, a San Diego native, approved a trade from theNew York Yankees to the Padres.[15][21][24] A left-handed batter who had hit 333 career home runs, he was open toplatooning with incumbentLuis Salazar, although Nettles was expected to get the majority of playing time given the larger number of right-handed starting pitchers in the majors.[25] Heading into the season, Williams' biggest concern was their pitching.[26] The starters largely relied on finesse and off-speed pitches, and none of them had ever won more than 16 games.[1][26]
The Padres won their first four games of the season, and were 9–2 before leaving on their first road trip.[15] They were 18–11 before losing seven in a row, their longest losing streak of the season. The streak was snapped on May 17, when Wiggins tied an NL record with fivestolen bases, and the club swiped a team record of seven in a 5–4 home win overMontreal.[27] They were tied for first in the West at the end of May, and were2+1⁄2 games up by the end of June.[15] After moving back into first place on June 9, they did not relinquish the lead the rest of the season.[27] San Diego played at a steady pace, never falling below .500, while their longest winning streak was only six.[28] For much of the final two months, they led the division by eight to ten games.[29] San Diego clinched the division on September 20, when they beatSan Francisco 5–4 behind a three-run homer by pitcherTim Lollar, andHouston lost toLos Angeles 6–2 three hours later.[30] The Padres finished the season with a 92–70 record, winning the NL West division by 12 games.[31] It was just the second winning season in the franchise's history.[32] The future Hall-of-Famer Gwynn batted .351 to capture the first of his eight NL batting titles, while also gathering 213 hits to shatter the Padres record of 194 established byGene Richards in1980.[31]Eric Show (15–9, 3.40 ERA) was the only starting pitcher with 15 wins, though the four main starters all recorded at least 11.[32][33] The acquisition of Gossage, who finished the season 10–6 with a 2.90 ERA and 25 saves, was a strong factor in San Diego's 34–24 record in one-run games.[15][33]
The team relied onsmall ball and moving runners from base to base.[32] With the exception of Gwynn, who finished third in balloting for theNL Most Valuable Player Award, no Padre enjoyed an outstanding season individually.[31][34] McReynolds led the team with a .465slugging percentage and was tied with Nettles for the team lead in home runs with 20.[35] Only two other Padres exceeded 10 homers.[32] Garvey led the club with 86 RBIs, the only Padre with more than 75.[2] Coming off his thumb injury from 1983, he hit only eight home runs and drew just 24walks, but had 175hits and did not commit anerror.[35][36] Wiggins' move to second base proved successful, as he exhibited excellent range with his quickness in spite of his 32 fielding errors.[37][38] Offensively as the leadoff hitter, he batted .258 and drew 75 walks for anon-base percentage of .342, while setting club records by stealing 70 bases and scoring 106 runs.[15][32][37] Benefitting from the higher number offastballs opposing pitchers threw in response to Wiggins' speed,[39] Gwynn batted above .400 when his speedy teammate was on base.[15] According to Williams, Wiggins "was absolutely the most valuable player in the National League in 1984."[40] No longer a .300 hitter like in his earlier days withSt. Louis, Templeton enjoyed his most successful season since 1981. Hitting eighth in the lineup, he did not receive many pitches to hit. He batted .258 with 24 extra-base hits and six game-winning RBI, and was praised by Williams for his defense.[41] Both Templeton and Gwynn were honored byThe Sporting News withSilver Slugger Awards, and Martinez (.249, 13 HR, 68 walks) was named to theTopps All-Star Rookie Team.[35][42] Martinez however, hit only three homers in the second half, and just one after July 18, after hitting 10 in the first half. Troubled by his knees, Kennedy slumped to .240 while his RBIs fell to 57 from 98 a year earlier. Nettles hit .222, which was 29 points below his career average, and most of his homers came in two hot streaks.[36] However, his averages of .252/.355/.469 against right-handed pitching were near his career norms.[35]
San Diego's pitching staff was last in the league instrikeouts per nine innings, and were among the team leaders in most home runs allowed and walks allowed. Still, they were adept at forcingfly balls and had a lowground ball/fly ball ratio.[35] In addition to Show, the starting rotation included fellow 28-year-oldMark Thurmond (14–8, 2.97), as well as veteransEd Whitson (14–8, 3.24) and Lollar (11–13, 3.91).Andy Hawkins (8–9, 4.68) andDave Dravecky (9–8, 2.93) split time as the fifth starter. In thebullpen, Gossage andCraig Lefferts (2.13 ERA and 10 saves) each appeared in 62 games and logged over 100 innings apiece. Unlike modernclosers, Gossage often entered games in the seventh or eighth innings, with Lefferts filling in as the stopper when Gossage needed a game off after working successive long stints. Dravecky also recorded eight saves.[32] At age 33, Gossage experienced a decline in his fastball, and did not record a save after August 25.[36]
Williams led the team with a tough, no-nonsense approach.[33] He cited the advantage of having the experience of veterans Garvey, Nettles, and Gossage on the team.[43] Prior to joining the Padres, Garvey and Nettles had advanced to the World Series four times, while Gossage had participated in two.[44] Throughout the season, they stressed the value of consistency and an even temperament to youngsters like Gwynn, McReynolds, and Martinez, who were among the 11 players on the team with less than four years of major league experience.[28][45] Gossage and Nettles, in particular, would stay after games and talk baseball and have a beer with the youngsters.[28] Additionally, Templeton befriended Wiggins, helping his transition from the outfield to second base.[41]
The Padres' regular season is most remembered for an August 12 Sunday afternoon game atAtlanta–Fulton County Stadium against theAtlanta Braves. From the start, the game was tense and erupted into a series of brawls which ended with a total of 13 ejections and 5 arrests. All fans who participated in the taunting and brawls were detained and arrested. The Braves eventually won the game by a score of 5–3.[46]
Fines and suspensions were issued four days later on August 16 to Williams ($10,000, ten days) and Summers, Brown, Torre ($1,000), Perry ($700), Bedrosian ($600) and Mahler ($700) who each received three-day suspensions. Virgil, Krol, Whitson, Booker, Lefferts, Bevacqua, Flannery, Nettles and Gossage for the Padres (all undisclosed) and Moore ($350) and Pérez ($300) for the Braves were all fined but not suspended.[47]
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 48–33 | 44–37 |
| Atlanta Braves | 80 | 82 | .494 | 12 | 38–43 | 42–39 |
| Houston Astros | 80 | 82 | .494 | 12 | 43–38 | 37–44 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 | 83 | .488 | 13 | 40–41 | 39–42 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 70 | 92 | .432 | 22 | 39–42 | 31–50 |
| San Francisco Giants | 66 | 96 | .407 | 26 | 35–46 | 31–50 |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||||
| Atlanta | — | 3–9 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 6–12 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 10–8 | 5–7 | |||||
| Chicago | 9–3 | — | 7–5 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 10–7 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 13–5 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 5–13 | 5–7 | — | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 12–6 | 4–8 | |||||
| Houston | 6–12 | 6–6 | 10–8 | — | 9–9 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–12 | 12–6 | 8–4 | |||||
| Los Angeles | 12–6 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 9–9 | — | 6–6 | 3–9 | 3–9 | 4–8 | 10–8 | 10–8 | 6–6 | |||||
| Montreal | 7–5 | 7–10 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | — | 7–11 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 9–9 | |||||
| New York | 8–4 | 6–12 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 11–7 | — | 10–8 | 12–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–11 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 5-7 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 7–11 | 8–10 | — | 7–11 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 8–10 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 4–8 | 10–8 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 11–7 | — | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–14 | |||||
| San Diego | 11–7 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–4 | — | 13–5 | 7–5 | |||||
| San Francisco | 8–10 | 3–9 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 5–13 | — | 7–5 | |||||
| St. Louis | 7–5 | 5–13 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 10–8 | 14–4 | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | |||||
| 1984 San Diego Padres | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches | ||||||
| 1984 regular season game log: 92–70 (Home: 48–33; Away: 44–37)[50] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 15–8 (Home: 13–5; Away: 2–3)
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May: 10–13 (Home: 3–7; Away: 7–6)
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June: 19–10 (Home: 10–6; Away: 9–4)
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July: 19–11 (Home: 12–5; Away: 7–6)
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August: 15–14 (Home: 5–4; Away: 10–10)
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September: 14–14 (Home: 5–6; Away: 9–8)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Padres team member |
| 1984 postseason game log: 4–6 (Home: 4–1; Away: 0–5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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National League Championship Series: 3–2 (Home: 3–0; Away: 0–2)
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World Series: 1–4 (Home: 1–1; Away: 0–3)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Padres team member |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Terry Kennedy | 148 | 530 | 127 | .240 | 14 | 57 |
| 1B | Steve Garvey | 161 | 617 | 175 | .284 | 8 | 86 |
| 2B | Alan Wiggins | 158 | 596 | 154 | .258 | 3 | 34 |
| 3B | Graig Nettles | 124 | 395 | 90 | .228 | 20 | 65 |
| SS | Garry Templeton | 148 | 493 | 127 | .258 | 2 | 35 |
| LF | Carmelo Martínez | 149 | 488 | 122 | .250 | 13 | 66 |
| CF | Kevin McReynolds | 147 | 525 | 146 | .278 | 20 | 75 |
| RF | Tony Gwynn | 158 | 606 | 213 | .351 | 5 | 71 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Salazar | 93 | 228 | 55 | .241 | 3 | 17 |
| Bobby Brown | 85 | 171 | 43 | .251 | 3 | 29 |
| Tim Flannery | 86 | 128 | 35 | .273 | 2 | 10 |
| Bruce Bochy | 37 | 92 | 21 | .228 | 4 | 15 |
| Kurt Bevacqua | 59 | 80 | 16 | .200 | 1 | 9 |
| Mario Ramírez | 48 | 59 | 7 | .119 | 2 | 9 |
| Champ Summers | 47 | 54 | 10 | .185 | 1 | 12 |
| Ron Roenicke | 12 | 20 | 6 | .300 | 1 | 2 |
| Eddie Miller | 13 | 14 | 4 | .286 | 1 | 2 |
| Doug Gwosdz | 7 | 8 | 2 | .250 | 0 | 1 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Show | 32 | 207.0 | 15 | 9 | 3.40 | 104 |
| Tim Lollar | 31 | 195.2 | 11 | 13 | 3.91 | 131 |
| Ed Whitson | 31 | 189.0 | 14 | 8 | 3.24 | 103 |
| Mark Thurmond | 32 | 178.2 | 14 | 8 | 2.97 | 57 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Dravecky | 50 | 156.2 | 9 | 8 | 2.93 | 71 |
| Andy Hawkins | 36 | 146.0 | 8 | 9 | 4.68 | 77 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Gossage | 62 | 10 | 6 | 25 | 2.90 | 84 |
| Craig Lefferts | 62 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2.13 | 56 |
| Greg Booker | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.30 | 28 |
| Luis DeLeón | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5.48 | 44 |
| Greg Harris | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2.70 | 30 |
| Floyd Chiffer | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 20 |
| Sid Monge | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4.80 | 7 |
In the1984 NLCS, the Padres faced theNL East championChicago Cubs, who were making their first post-season appearance since 1945 and featured NLMost Valuable PlayerRyne Sandberg andCy Young Award winnerRick Sutcliffe. The Cubs would win the first two games atWrigley Field, but the Padres swept the final three games at then-Jack Murphy Stadium (the highlight arguably being Steve Garvey's dramatic, game-winning home run off ofLee Smith in Game 4) to win the 1984 National League pennant.[52] They became the first National League team to win a playoff series after being down 2–0.[15] Garvey finished the series batting .400 with seven RBIs,[53][54] and was named theNLCS Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career.[55]
After returning from Chicago on a delayed flight, the team boarded buses from the airport, and was boosted by the surprising 2,000 fans waiting to greet them at the Jack Murphy Stadium parking lot at about 9:45 P.M.[21][27][28]Goose Gossage, a formerNew York Yankee, said the San Diego crowd at Game 3 was "the loudest crowd I've ever heard anywhere."[56] Gwynn agreed as well.[57] Jack Murphy Stadium played "Cub-Busters", a parody of thetheme song from the 1984 movieGhostbusters.[56][57] Cub-Busters T-shirts inspired from the movie were popular attire for Padres fans.[58][59]
San Diego won the series, 3–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 2 | San Diego Padres – 0,Chicago Cubs – 13 | Wrigley Field | 2:49 | 36,282[60] |
| 2 | October 3 | San Diego Padres – 2,Chicago Cubs – 4 | Wrigley Field | 2:18 | 36,282[61] |
| 3 | October 4 | Chicago Cubs – 1,San Diego Padres – 7 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 2:19 | 58,346[62] |
| 4 | October 6 | Chicago Cubs – 5,San Diego Padres – 7 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 3:13 | 58,354[63] |
| 5 | October 7 | Chicago Cubs – 3,San Diego Padres – 6 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 2:41 | 58,359[64] |
In the1984 World Series, the Padres faced the powerfulDetroit 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 bySparky Anderson and featured shortstop and native San DieganAlan Trammell and outfielderKirk Gibson, along with Lance Parrish and DH Darrell Evans. The pitching staff was bolstered by aceJack 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).[65] Jack Morris would win games 1 and 4 and the Tigers would go on to win the Series in five games.[66]
San Diego's starting pitchers crumbled in the postseason with a combined ERA of 9.09, including 13.94 against Detroit, surpassing the Cubs mark of 9.50 in1932 as the worst in the then-82-year history of the World Series.[21][67] Show, Thurmond, Lollar, and Whitson combined to throw only10+2⁄3 innings versus the Tigers while surrendering 25 hits, eight walks, and 16 earned runs.[68] Only once did a starter pitch at least five innings.[67] Whitson (NLCS Game 3) was the only starter to earn a win in the playoffs.[36] Out of the bullpen, Lefferts was excellent in the postseason with 10 scoreless innings in six appearances, while Hawkins and Dravecky pitched well in the playoffs as well.[67]
After a disappointing season for 37-year-old journeymanKurt Bevacqua, he hit .412 in the World Series as the Padresdesignated hitter, hitting the game-winning home run in Game 2 as well as an eighth-inning homer in the finale, which had cut San Diego's deficit to 5–4.[21][67] Playing in place of the injured McReynolds,Bobby Brown had the team's only two RBIs by Padres outfielders against the Tigers, but he batted just 1-for-15.[36]
Reporter Barry Bloom ofMLB.com wrote in 2011 that "the postseason in '84 is still the most exciting week of Major League Baseball ever played in San Diego."[69] Gossage, who is mostly remembered as a Yankee, called it "special being a part of turning on a city for the first time, going to the World Series for the first time".[33]
ALDetroit Tigers (4) vs. NLSan Diego Padres (1)
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 9 | Detroit Tigers – 3, San Diego Padres – 2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 3:18 | 57,908[70] |
| 2 | October 10 | Detroit Tigers – 3,San Diego Padres – 5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 2:44 | 57,911[71] |
| 3 | October 12 | San Diego Padres – 2,Detroit Tigers – 5 | Tiger Stadium | 3:11 | 51,970[72] |
| 4 | October 13 | San Diego Padres – 2,Detroit Tigers – 4 | Tiger Stadium | 2:20 | 52,130[73] |
| 5 | October 14 | San Diego Padres – 4,Detroit Tigers – 8 | Tiger Stadium | 2:55 | 51,901[74] |
1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The scene was joyous pandemonium after the game, as long-suffering fans danced in the aisles, hugged total strangers, whooped and sang along as "Cub-Busters" played on the stadium's loudspeakers.
The home crowd had another weapon up its sleeve, a ditty called "Cub-busters", a parody of the theme from the Chicago-based 1984 hit movieGhostbusters.
'The Cub Busters T-shirts have been the hottest item, but stuff we hadn't sold in years suddenly started moving,' said Croasdale.
Logan came up with the design after hearing the 'Ghostbusters' theme song at a Padres-Mets game in August, and his creation is without a doubt the hottest selling item in the Padres' inventory as excitement builds going into today's first game of the National League playoffs.