Looking At The San Diego Padres

1969 saw the introduction of four new teams into Major League Baseball. The two expansion teams added to the American League were the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots (later to become the Milwaukee Brewers.) The National League added the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) and the San Diego Padres. Success for these new teams was to be elusive. This was particularly true for the Pads.

When the Padres first hit the scene, the city was filled with hopeful fans. They were excited over the thought of their new franchise. Why would they not be. There was a brand new ball field, a front office with a lot of experience and a young team to be happy about. Their enthusiasm would prove to be for naught. Frankly, the team was ghastly. For the first six years of their existence, they finished in last place in the National League West. In four of the seasons, they tallied 100 losses or more.

There were a few highlights along the way. First was Nate Colbert. This first baseman proved to be a power hitter who once hit five homeruns during a double header. Hall of Fame player Stan Musial was the only other player to have this accomplishment. During that double header, he also drove in thirteen runs, a record he still holds today.

The next glimmer was the new ownership of Ray Kroc. Kroc, owner of the world’s largest fast food chain, wanted to win. He took many steps to achieve this, including a PA announcement during a game. He spoke directly to Padre fans, introducing himself and promising team improvement. He also apologized for the team’s “stupid ball play.” His speech may have been less impactful than it might have been, had his audience not been distracted by a streaker running across the field.

The club did begin to improve slowly but surely. They finished over . 500 (5 games over to be exact) for the first time ever in 1978. This accomplishment owes a lot to some of their better players like Gaylord Perry, Dave Winfield and Rollie Fingers. Sadly for the Pads, Winfield and Fingers both left as free agents.

The Pads did see success with two pennants and appearances in the World Series in 1984 and 1998. As luck would have it, both times they were facing juggernaut teams. First was the Detroit Tigers who began their season 35-5 and went on to win the whole thing in 5 games.

The 1998 series proved to be another uphill battle against another premier American League foe – the Yankees. The Yankees had won 114 games during the regular season and were regarded by many as one of the best teams to ever take the field. But even though the Yanks swept the series, the Padres played with pluck. Three of the four games were nail biters.

The new millennium has seen much disparity for the Padres. On one hand, they won their division in 2005 and 2006. On the other hand, they played dismally other years in the 2000s.
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