| San Diego Padres | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2025 San Diego Padres season | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| |||||
| Current uniform | |||||
 | |||||
| Retired numbers | |||||
| Colors | |||||
| Name | |||||
| |||||
| Other nicknames | |||||
| |||||
| Ballpark | |||||
| |||||
| Major league titles | |||||
| World Series titles(0) | None | ||||
| NLPennants(2) | |||||
| West Division titles(5) | |||||
| Wild card berths(4) | |||||
| Front office | |||||
| Principal owner | John Seidler | ||||
| President of baseball operations | A. J. Preller | ||||
| General manager | A. J. Preller | ||||
| Manager | Craig Stammen | ||||
| Mascot | Swinging Friar | ||||
| Website | mlb.com/padres | ||||
TheSan Diego Padres are an American professionalbaseball team based inSan Diego. The Padres compete inMajor League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of theNational League (NL)West Division. The team plays its home games atPetco Park indowntown San Diego. Founded in 1969 asan expansion franchise, the Padres adopted their name from thePacific Coast League (PCL) team that arrived in San Diego in 1936. The name, Spanish for "fathers", honors thefriars of theFranciscan order who foundedMission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769.
In 1976,Randy Jones achieved the firstCy Young Award for the Padres. In the 1980s,Tony Gwynn became a major star, winning eight National Leaguebatting titles. Under managerDick Williams, the Padres clinched their firstNL pennant, only to lose to theDetroit Tigers in the1984 World Series in 5 games. In 1995,Kevin Towers became general manager; under his lead,Ken Caminiti became the first Padres player to win theMVP Award. The Padres achieved their second NL pennant alongsideTrevor Hoffman, only to be swept by theNew York Yankees in the1998 World Series.
The Padres are owned by the estate ofPeter Seidler, who owned the team from 2012 until his death in 2023. The team has won two NL pennants, in1984 and1998, losing in theWorld Series both years; they are tied with theMilwaukee Brewers as the oldest teams never to have won the World Series. As of the2025 season, the Padres have had 19 winning seasons infranchise history. Despite reaching the postseason six times from 2005 to 2025, the team has yet to return to the World Series. From 1969 through 2025, the Padres have an overall record of4,217–4,789–2 (.468).[3]
 | This section has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
The Padres adopted their name from theSan Diego Padres of thePacific Coast League, a team that arrived in San Diego in 1936. This minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by 18-year-oldTed Williams, the futureHall of Famer who was a native of San Diego.
In1969, the Padres joined the ranks ofMajor League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with theMontreal Expos (now theWashington Nationals), theKansas City Royals, and theSeattle Pilots (now theMilwaukee Brewers).
One of its earliest owners wasC. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres. Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman andBuzzie Bavasi, as well as anew stadium, the team struggled; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in theNational League 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 sluggerNate Colbert, an expansion draftee from theHouston Astros and was the long-time home run leader until 2024, whenManny Machado overtook him.
The team's fortunes gradually improved as they won five National League West titles and reached theWorld Series twice, in1984 and in1998, but lost both times. The Padres' main draw during the 1980s and 1990s was Hall of FamerTony Gwynn, who won eight league batting titles. They moved into their current stadium,Petco Park, in2004.
On August 20, 2020, the Padres became the first team in MLB history to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games earning the nickname, "Slam Diego Padres".[4]
Until2021, the Padres were the last team in MLB that had yet to throw a no-hitter. The record was broken on April 9, 2021, asJoe Musgrove accomplished the feat against theTexas Rangers,[5] finally ending the longest no-hit drought by a team in MLB history. On September 5, 1997,Andy Ashby took a no-hitter into the ninthinning, which was previously the closest that the team had come to achieving this feat.[6] In2024, first year PadreDylan Cease threw a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals on July 25.[7]
On November 14, 2023,Peter Seidler, who owned the Padres since 2012, died at the age of 63.[8][9] MLB owners approved ofJohn Seidler as the Padres' control person on February 6, 2025.[10]
| Year | Wild Card[A] | NLDS[B] | NLCS | World Series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | None | None | Chicago Cubs | W (3–2) | Detroit Tigers | L (1–4) | ||
| 1996 | None | St. Louis Cardinals | L (0–3) | |||||
| 1998 | None | Houston Astros | W (3–1) | Atlanta Braves | W (4–2) | New York Yankees | L (0–4) | |
| 2005 | None | St. Louis Cardinals | L (0–3) | |||||
| 2006 | None | St. Louis Cardinals | L (1–3) | |||||
| 2020 | St. Louis Cardinals | W (2–1) | Los Angeles Dodgers | L (0–3) | ||||
| 2022 | New York Mets | W (2–1) | Los Angeles Dodgers | W (3-1) | Philadelphia Phillies | L (1–4) | ||
| 2024 | Atlanta Braves | W (2–0) | Los Angeles Dodgers | L (2–3) | ||||
| 2025 | Chicago Cubs | L (1–2) | ||||||
The Padres are one of two teams in the National League West that have never won the World Series, though they have made and lost both appearances as the National League pennant winner in1984 and1998.[11]
The following elected members of theBaseball Hall of Fame played or managed for the Padres.
The Padres haveretired six numbers. The numbers are commemorated in a display at Petco Park's entrance at Home Plate Plaza. Fans are allowed to pose for pictures next to the aluminum numbers, which are 3 feet 11 inches (1.19 m) high,5+1⁄3 feet (1.6 m) wide, and 1 foot (0.30 m) deep.[14][15] Originally, the numbers were atop thebatter's eye in center field, until they were relocated in 2016.[14][16] The numbers were not ready for display in time for the park's opening in 2004,[17] but they were unveiled midseason.[B] Also beginning in 2016, the numbers are displayed in the Ring of Honor on the upper deck façade above the press box behindhome plate.[14][19]
In 1988,Steve Garvey was the first player to have his number retired by the Padres. He played only five seasons with San Diego, but hit the game-winning two-runhome run in the bottom of the ninth inning against theChicago Cubs in Game 4 of the1984 National League Championship Series (NLCS), tying the series before the Padres won the next day.[20][21][22] He was named theNLCS Most Valuable Player, and San Diego advanced to their firstWorld Series.[23] In 2016,The San Diego Union-Tribune ranked Garvey's Game 4 homer as the No. 1 moment inSan Diego sports history.[24] However, he played 14 of his 19 seasons with the rivalLos Angeles Dodgers,[24] where he was also more productive, and the retirement of his number by San Diego has been heavily debated.[25][26][27]
On April 15, 1997, exactly 50 years afterJackie Robinson broke thebaseball color line, the No. 42 he wore with theBrooklyn Dodgers was retired throughout Major League Baseball.[23][12] Later that year,Randy Jones's No. 35 was retired by the Padres. He was a two-timeAll-Star (1975, 1976) and the club's firstCy Young Award winner in 1976.[28] On the day his number was retired, theUnion-Tribune wrote that Jones was "the most popular athlete in the history of this city" during the mid-1970s.[29]Dave Winfield was next to have his number, 31, retired in 2001, when he was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His retirement ceremony also celebrated his decision to be the first member of the Hall of Fame to have his plaque depicting him wearing a Padres cap. Winfield played for six teams in his 22-year career, spending his first eight seasons in San Diego.[30][13] In 2004, the Padres retired No. 19 in honor of Gwynn, who is widely considered the greatest Padres player ever.[18][31] He played his entire 20-year career with San Diego and won an NL-record eightbatting titles.[18] The most recent number to be retired wasTrevor Hoffman's No. 51 in 2011. He had retired from playing after 2010, when he left the game as MLB's career leader insaves with 601, including 552 with the Padres.[32]
Prior to moving to Petco, the team played atSan Diego Stadium, where the retired numbers were originally displayed on banners hanging from the light towers above the left field stands.[33][34] However, Garvey's number was commemorated instead on the wall behind the spot in right-center field where his winning home run in the 1984 NLCS cleared the fence, but the number disappeared when the stadium was expanded in 1997 and the location was masked by an overhang.[23][34][35] It reappeared in 2002 when all the retired numbers were moved and inscribed on the outfield fence.[34]
The Padres also have a "star on the wall" in honor of broadcasterJerry Coleman, in reference to his trademark phrase "Oh Doctor! You can hang a star on that baby!" Nearby the initials of the late ownerRay 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. Kroc was honored in 1984, Coleman in 2001.
On March 23, 2024, the team held a public memorial and celebration of life for team ownerPeter Seidler, who died in November 2023. The club honored his memory with his initials of "PS" inside a gold heart next to Coleman's memorial on the front of the pressbox down the right-field line.
The following 16 people have been inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame since it was founded in 1999.[36]
| Inducted | Year officially inducted |
|---|---|
| Name | Name of inductee |
| Position | Player position or other role of inductee |
| Years | Years with the San Diego Padres |
| No. | Jersey number with Padres (players only) |
* | Member ofNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |
^ | Numberretired by the Padres |
† | Posthumously inducted |
| Inducted | Name | Position | Years | No. | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Randy Jones | Pitcher | 1973–1980 | 35^ | |
| Nate Colbert | First baseman | 1969–1974 | 17 | ||
| Ray Kroc† | Owner | 1974–1984 | – | ||
| 2000 | Dave Winfield* | Outfielder | 1973–1980 | 31^ | |
| 2001 | Buzzie Bavasi | President | 1969–1977 | – | |
| Jerry Coleman | Announcer /Manager | 1972–2013 | 2 | ||
| 2002 | Tony Gwynn* | Outfielder | 1982–2001 | 19^ | |
| 2009 | Dick Williams* | Manager | 1982–1985 | 23 | |
| 2014 | Trevor Hoffman* | Pitcher | 1994–2008 | 51^ | |
| 2015 | Benito Santiago | Catcher | 1986-1992 | 9, 09 | |
| Garry Templeton | Shortstop | 1982–1991 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | Ted Williams†* | Outfielder | 1936–1937[a] | 19 | |
| Ken Caminiti† | Third baseman | 1995–1998 | 21 | ||
| 2017 | Jack McKeon | General manager / Manager | 1980–1990 | 15 | |
| 2018 | Kevin Towers† | General manager | 1995–2009 | — | |
| 2022 | Larry Lucchino | President / CEO | 1995–2001 | — | [45] |
| Ted Leitner | Broadcaster | 1980–2020 | — | ||
| 2023 | Jake Peavy | Pitcher | 2002–2009 | 44 | [46] |
| John Moores | Owner | 1994–2009 | — |
Gwynn, Winfield, Fingers, Gossage, Randy Jones, andGraig Nettles (3B, 1984–1987) are members of theSan Diego Hall of Champions, which is open to athletes native to the San Diego area (such as Nettles) as well as to those who played for San Diego teams (such as Gwynn).
| Padres in the San Diego Hall of Champions | ||||
| No. | Player | Position | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Buzzie Bavasi | Team President | 1969–1977 | |
| 1 | Garry Templeton | SS | 1982–1991 | |
| 3 | Alan Trammell | Coach | 2000–2002 | Elected mainly on his performance withDetroit Tigers |
| 4 | Bob Skinner | Coach Manager | 1970–1973 1977 | Born in La Jolla |
| 7 | Tony Clark | 1B | 2008 | Elected mainly on his performance withDetroit Tigers |
| 8, 10 | Dave Roberts | OF Coach Manager | 2005–2006 2011–2015 | Raised in San Diego |
| 9 | Graig Nettles | 3B | 1984–1987 | Born and raised in San Diego, attended San Diego State |
| 19 | Ted Williams | LF | 1936–1937 (PCL) | Elected mainly on his performance withBoston Red Sox, born and raised in San Diego |
| 19 | Tony Gwynn | RF | 1982–2001 | Attended San Diego State |
| 31 | Dave Winfield | RF | 1973–1980 | |
| 33 | David Wells | P | 2004, 2006–2007 | Elected mainly on his performances withToronto Blue Jays andNew York Yankees, grew up inOcean Beach, San Diego |
| 34 | Rollie Fingers | P | 1977–1980 | Elected mainly on his performance withOakland A's |
| 35 | Randy Jones | P | 1973–1980 | |
| 51 | Trevor Hoffman | P | 1993–2008 | |
| 54 | Goose Gossage | P | 1984–1987 | |
| 40-man roster | Non-roster invitees | Coaches / other |
|---|---|---|
Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders | Manager Coaches
|
The San Diego Padresfarm system consists of sevenminor league affiliates.[47]
Throughout the team's history, the San Diego Padres have used multiple logos, uniforms, and different color combinations.
Their first logo in1969 depicted afriar 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. Although the "Swinging Friar" is no longer used as the primary logo, it remains as themascot of the team and is now used as an alternate logo and on the uniform sleeve.
Brown and gold were the Padres' original colors. The team's first uniforms featured a cream base for the home uniforms and a tan base for the road uniforms. Brown letters with gold trim adorned the uniforms, which featured the team name in front of both designs. A second tan uniform, this time with the city name, was used as a road alternate before becoming the primary in1971. Caps were all-brown with the gold "SD", though the team later broke out an alternate gold cap with a brown brim and "SD" letters.
Switching from flannel to polyester in1972, the Padres radically changed their uniforms. The team wore all-gold uniforms and pants regardless of road or home games, with the only difference being the road uniform emblazoned with the city name and the home uniform with the team name. The Padres also broke out a new brown cap, complete with a gold front panel and a brown "SD", which would remain for the next several years. The gold front panel was shaped as a bell, alluding to the bells in historic missions in California.
In1974, the Padres returned to wearing traditional uniforms. The home design now had a script "Padres" lettering in front, with the road design keeping much of the original aesthetic. Chest numbers were also added. In 1976, the Padres ditched the buttons in favor of pullovers for their home uniform.[48] In addition, they went with a brown uniform top for road games, featuring gold sleeves and gold letters.
The brown uniforms served as a template for the Padres' next uniform set beginning in1978. The home uniforms now featured brown sleeves and gold letters, and a gold alternate with brown sleeves and letters was also released. The full team name, which was written in a more futuristic font, was emblazoned in front while the swinging friar logo was added to the left sleeve. However, this set only lasted for that season, as the Padres tweaked its design the next season. The updated design removed the swinging friar logo while returning to the team name/city name dynamic for home and road games respectively. The gold uniforms were also retired.
.svg)
In1980, the Padres added orange to the palette. The team's next uniform set removed the contrasting colored sleeves and chest numbers, and orange was added to the letters and striping of the home uniforms and trim and striping of the road uniforms. The caps were also updated to feature orange trim on the "SD" and within the gold panel. In1984, the Padres added the initials "RAK" on the left sleeve in honor ofRay Kroc, who had owned the team since 1974.[49][50]
In1985, the Padres switched to using a script-like logo in whichPadres 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 the1990 season. In1989, the Padres took the scripted Padres logo and put it in a gray ring that read "San Diego Baseball Club" with a striped center.
That same year, the Padres returned to wearing traditional buttoned uniforms designed bySidjakov Berman & Gomez.[51] The home uniforms featured the script "Padres" in front while the road uniforms had the "SD" emblazoned on the left chest. Brown letters with orange trim and brown pinstripes adorned both uniforms. The "RAK" initials remained until1986. An all-brown cap with the orange "SD" was used with the uniform.
In1991, the Padres logo was updated. The color of the ring was changed to silver, and the Padres script was 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 and they also wearing blue pin stripes. In 1991, the team's colors were also changed, to a combination of orange and navy blue.
The home uniform kept the pinstripes but was changed to navy blue, which was also implemented on the letters. The road uniforms eliminated the pinstripes and added the city name in navy blue block letters with white trim and orange drop shadows. A navy cap with the "S" in white and "D" in orange was used with the uniform. The team logo was added on the left sleeve in1996.
The Padres unveiled a navy blue alternate uniform in1997, featuring the team name in front written in navy blue with orange drop shadows. Other features included orange numbers at the back and white piping along the chest, neck and sleeves. White chest numbers were added in1999. Initially, the swinging friar logo was added to the left sleeve, but was removed after the1998 season in favor of the team's primary logo which lasted until the2000 season.
The following year, the Padres began wearing an alternate home white uniform which bore the same features as the primary home uniform minus the pinstripes and orange trim. Navy blue piping was also added. An alternate navy cap with the white "SD" was used with the uniform. This uniform became the primary in2001, after which the pinstriped uniforms were retired following that season.
The logo was completely changed when the team changed stadiums between the2003 and2004 seasons, with the new logo looking similar to home plate withSan Diego written in sand font at the top right corner and the Padres new script written completely across the center. Waves finished the bottom of the plate. Navy remained but a sandy beige replaced orange as a secondary color. The team's colors were also changed, to navy blue and sand brown. In 2009, theSan Diego was removed from the top right corner of the logo.
For the next seven seasons the Padres were the only team in Major League Baseball that did not have a grey jersey. On the road, the team wore sand uniforms with the city name in front. The home design featured the updated "Padres" script in navy with sand drop shadows. Both uniforms featured the primary logo on the left sleeve. The alternate blue uniform featured the same "Padres" script in sand, and the swinging friar logo was added to the left sleeve. The Padres continued to wear their primary navy cap at home, while on the road they went with a second navy cap with "SD" in sand.
In2011, the Padres' road uniform was changed to a grey base, and the navy and sand caps were used exclusively with the navy alternates. After the season, the alternate navy cap was retired.
For the2012 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 navy blue and white and was added to the left sleeve of the home uniform. Another secondary logo features the Padres script carried over from the previous year's primary logo below the depiction ofPetco Park in sand and above the year of the team's first season (EST. 1969); this design was added to the team's road and navy alternates. While the home uniforms kept the sand trim, the road and navy alternates did not. In addition, the "SD" replaced "Padres" in front of the navy alternates, and the city name wordmark on the road uniforms was updated. All uniforms also added piping around the chest, neck and sleeves.[52]
In the2016 season, the Padres wore a navy blue and gold color scheme, similar to the one used on the2016 All-Star Game logo. The home uniform was patterned similarly to the alternate navy uniforms, with gold trim accenting the piping and letters. An alternate navy cap with the "S" in white and "D" in gold was also used with the uniform.[53] To coincide with the change, the Padres added a new brown and gold alternate uniform to be worn mostly during Friday home games, along with an updated gold-paneled brown cap.
For the2017 season, the Padres revealed a new color scheme and new jerseys for the second straight year. The gold was scrapped from the home uniform and the team reverted to a navy blue-and-white combo. The wordPadres returned to the front of the home uniform, but with a new script, while the script on the road uniform reverted to theSan Diego wordmark style it used from 2004 to 2011. Both uniforms also added the "SD" logo on the left sleeve. The navy blue alternates remained intact minus the left sleeve patch.[54][55][56] Despite this major change, the brown and gold alternate uniform from the previous set was retained, with the addition of the "SD" on the left sleeve.
The club announced in January2019 that the original brown and gold colors would return for the2020 season.[57] The new uniform designs featuring the brown and gold colors were officially unveiled on November 9.[1] The team featured brown and gold on each of the three unveiled jerseys, including the return of pinstripes to the Padre home jersey for the first time since 2001 and a sand-colored road jersey (also with pinstripes) for the first time since2010. Alternate non-pinstriped sand pants are paired with the brown alternate jersey. The shade of the sand color is noticeably darker than the sand-colored road jerseys worn from 2004 to 2010. An all-brown cap with "SD" in gold was also released. With the uniform change, the San Diego Padres are once again the only team in the league that do not feature grey in their road uniforms.
The return to brown and gold uniforms has coincided with an increase in team merchandise sales, with the Padres ranking in the top 10 in MLB team merchandise sales at U.S. sports retailer Lids during the 2022 season.[58]
In2022, the Padres joined 13 other teams in wearingNike's "City Connect" uniforms. The primarily white uniform featured pink, mint green and yellow accents on the letters and sleeves, and has "San Diego" written in a graffiti style. The left mint sleeve contained a recolored version of the "swinging friar" logo in pink and yellow. The all-mint cap featured the pink interlocking "SD" in front. The uniform intended to pay tribute to theSan Diego–Tijuana bi-national metropolitan area, highlighting San Diego's long-standing relations withTijuana inBaja California, Mexico.[59]
On November 2, 2025, to coincide withDia de los Muertos, the Padres posted a teaser video on their social media platforms featuringWWE superstar, and San Diego nativeDominik Mysterio placing a White hat bearing an Orange "S" and Navy Blue "D" and bill on to a traditional Day of the Dead altar. The blue and orange color palette was worn by the Padres between 1991 and 2003, including the franchise's most recent run to the World Series in 1998. The teaser ended with the appearance of a woman wearing traditional Day of the Dead face paint before vanishing to an ad saying "Padres / Nike. City Connect 2.0 Coming April 2026."[60]
The Padres' official mascot is the "Swinging Friar", a pudgy man dressed as afriar with atonsure,sandals, a dark hooded cloak, and a rope around the waist. He swings abaseball bat and rings a mission bell at home games immediately after a win. He is named and patterned after the SpanishFranciscans, who foundedMission San Diego de Alcalá around which the city ofSan Diego was established in 1769.
The Swinging Friar was designed by 19-year-old Carlos Hadaway in the 1950s and first appeared on team programs for the 1962 home opener, when the Padres were still a member of thePacific Coast League, aMinor League Baseball organization. The mascot was retained when the team joinedMajor League Baseball in 1969. Originally, the Swinging Friar was represented at the ballpark as a real man wearing a friar outfit. Since the 1990s, the character has been a full mascot costume.[61][62]
TheSan Diego Chicken has often been mistaken as the Padres' team mascot due to the frequency with which he appears at Padres games. Although he does make appearances at San Diego sporting events, the Famous Chicken is an independent character owned by professional mascotTed Giannoulas and has never been the official mascot of any San Diego sports team.
The Padres' historical rivalry against theLos Angeles Dodgers has often been largely lopsided in favor of LA, however; recent growth between the two teams in competition during the 2020s has added intensity on top of proximity between Los Angeles and San Diego (driving fromDodger Stadium to Petco Park can be done by simply takingInterstate 5). San Diego fans have often harbored animosity towards Los Angeles due in small part to San Diego being an unstable home for multiple sports franchises as both theChargers and theClippers had relocated to Los Angeles after being unable to secure either a new arena or stable finances in San Diego. Following therelocation of theChargers toLos Angeles in 2017, the Padres became the only franchise in thefour major American professional sports leagues in theSan Diego sports market, strengthening the rivalry and San Diego's animosity to Los Angeles sports in general. The Dodgers currently lead the series 504–412, and both teams have met in the post season three times (Los Angeles winning the2020 NLDS and2024 NLDS, while San Diego won in2022). Off the field, the rivalry has been just as competitive, as the two teams have aggressively battled on the trade market and free agency over numerous star players, including adeal that traded forJuan Soto.[63]
An unusual rivalry exists between the Padres and theAmerican League'sSeattle Mariners.[64] The matchup was designated one of the 15 "naturalized rivalries" when interleague play began in 1997, and the teams have played every year since, except 2017.[65][66]
Little on the surface links the two teams to any actual hostility, as both play in separate leagues and in cities that sit about 1,250 miles apart. Still, they share a spring training facility—thePeoria Sports Complex inPeoria, Arizona[67]—and in many years have competed for draft picks and prospects after failing to make the playoffs. (The Padres failed to win a single playoff series between 1999 and 2019, while the Mariners failed to make the playoffs from 2002 to 2021.[68][69]) Far from a bitter rivalry, it is viewed by the teams and most fans as more of a humorous contest.[70][71]
The rivalry has long been unofficially called theVedder Cup afterPearl Jam frontmanEddie Vedder, who claims both Seattle and San Diego as hometowns—and who is a known fan of theChicago Cubs.[72][73][74] Starting in 2025, the rivalry was officially recognized as "The Vedder Cup", with the winner of the series being awarded a trophy designed by Vedder himself.[75][76][77][78][79]
In 1996, the Padres became the first national sports team to have an annual military appreciation event.[80] In 2000, the Padres began wearing acamouflage jersey to honor themilitary. Starting in 2008, the Padres began wearing camouflage jerseys for every Sunday home game. The team also wears the uniforms on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. For 2011, the Padres changed the camouflage design to a more modern "digital" design, using theMARPAT design after receiving permission from then-CommandantJames Conway,[81] and dropped the green from the lettering and logo of the jersey. Green was replaced by a sand-olive color (also in the cap worn with the jersey). For 2016, to coincide with hosting the2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the Padres added a second camouflage jersey, this time in navy blue. The Padres alternated the navy camouflage jersey with aMarines style, which were used through 2019. From 2020 to 2023, the Padres used two different camouflage jersey colors: green and sand-olive, both with the currentPadres logo.
Since 1995[82] Marine Recruits from the nearbyMarine Corps Recruit Depot often visit the games en masse during Military Appreciation Day, in uniform, often filling entire sections of the upper deck of Petco Park. When present, the team commemorates them with a special Fourth Inning Stretch featuring theMarines' Hymn played bystadium organistBobby Cressey.[83] Through April 2005 over 60,000 marine recruits were hosted by the Padres.[84] This is part of an extensive military outreach program, which also includes a series of Military Appreciation Night games,[85] andgame tapes mailed to deployedUnited States Navy ships of the Pacific Fleet for onboard viewing (a large portion of thePacific Fleet is home ported in San Diego).[86][87][88] Now, every Sunday home games the Padres play is "Military Sunday".
The San Diego area is home to a number of military installations, including several Navy andCoast Guard bases centered onSan Diego Bay,Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (former home of the"Top Gun" training program), and theMarine Corps training ground atCamp Pendleton. Civilians employed at those bases account for around 5% of the county's working population.[89]
As of May 31, 2023, the Padres' regional telecasts are produced byMLB's local media department and distributed via local origination channels on television providers in the team's regional market, as well as an over-the-top subscription service distributed byMLB.tv. These telecasts are branded asPADRES.TV. Games air on the following cable providers and networks:[90][91][92]
Don Orsillo is the play-by-play announcer, withMark Grant as color analyst andBob Scanlan asfield reporter.Bally Sports San Diego (formerly Fox Sports San Diego) had assumed the rights to the team in 2012 under a 20-year deal, replacingCox Cable's4SD.[93][94] Amid thechapter 11 bankruptcy of the network's parent companyDiamond Sports Group, Bally missed a rights payment to the Padres in May 2023, causing the rights to the Padres to revert to the team; MLB subsequently took over production of the Padres' regional broadcasts, retaining the commentators and contracted employees.[91][92][95][96]
As of the 2021 season, Padres radio broadcasts in English are carried byKWFN97.3 The Fan, after having previously been carried bysister station 94.9KBZT upon the acquisition of the radio rights byEntercom in 2017.[97][98] Jesse Agler is the primaryplay-by-play announcer, withTony Gwynn Jr. serving ascolor analyst. The games are also broadcast in Spanish onXEXX-AM,Radio Ranchito 1420 AM, with Eduardo Ortega,Carlos Hernández and Pedro Gutiérrez announcing. Padre games were also aired from 2006 to 2010 onXHPRS-FM 105.7.
Selected games are broadcast onKFMB, San Diego's CBS affiliate, and its CW-affiliated subchannel.[99] Spanish language telecasts of Sunday games are seenXHAS-TDT channel 33. Until September 2007, Friday and Saturday games were seen in Spanish onKBOP-CA channel 43, until that station changed to an all-infomercial format. English-language Padres over-the-air broadcasts aired through the years onXETV-TV 6,KCST-TV 39,KUSI-TV 51,KFMB-TV 8 andKSWB-TV 69.
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 theSan Diego Chargers and theSan Diego State Aztecs, both of which were joint tenants at Qualcomm Stadium with the Padres until the Padres moved intoPetco Park. From Petco Park's opening in 2004 until 2013, the PA announcer was Frank Anthony, a radio host with 105.7 XHPRS-FM. On April 19, 2014, Alex Miniak was announced as the new Public Address announcer for the San Diego Padres. Miniak was formerly the PA announcer for theNew Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of theToronto Blue Jays, and is the current PA commentator for theMLB The Show series.[100]
The San Diego Padres were first portrayed in the 1979NBC made-for-TV filmThe Kid from Left Field, starringGary Coleman as Jackie Robinson "J.R." Cooper, a youngster who is passionate about baseball, and puts his knowledge to good use when he becomes the manager of the Padres and helps lead them to theWorld Series.
In 2015, the San Diego Padres were also seen in an HBO original comedy/Documentary style movie,Ferrell Takes the Field starringWill Ferrell, where he plays ten major league baseball Spring-training games in ten different positions on the field in one day, one of the teams including The San Diego Padres. The movie was a special by HBO sponsored by MLB and dedicated to the fight against cancer charity, Cancer for College. The movie premiered in Petco Park after the Padres vs. Dodgers game on September 5, 2015.[101]
In 2016, the San Diego Padres were portrayed once again in the one-seasonFox television seriesPitch, starringKylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker, the first female to play in Major League Baseball.[102]
After nearly three decades in various forms of navy blue, San Diego is going back to its roots -- while also looking forward, updating its classic look with a shimmering gold that pops against a deep, rich shade of brown.
_cap_logo.svg){kind=logo}
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League champions 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | National League champions 1998 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
