There’s a pulse back in downtown San Diego — the kind you can feel in the streets, in the cheers echoing from Petco Park, as the Padres have brought the city back to life. The Padres are the main professional sports team for San Diego, and fans are thrilled that their season is upon us.
The Padres are coming off a successful season that was abruptly ended by the Dodgers. They lost to them in the best-of-5-game National League Division series. In the postseason, the Dodgers continued to build their roster and spent around $1 billion in free agency spending, while the Padres had payroll restrictions and had to limit their spending in the off-season.
Because of this, many expected the Padres to fall short of the regular season success they had last year. With the loss of key player Jackson Profar and no additional big names to the roster, many fans were concerned for the team’s future. However, they did get several new younger prospects to look out for.
Opening Day in downtown San Diego took place on Thursday, March 27th. They had a 4-game home opener against the Atlanta Braves, who were expected to be a World Series contender this year. They had an opening day record of 45,568 fans and had many new opportunities for fans like a newly renovated team store, new food and beverage options, and a hat giveaway.
The game began with Jackson Profar receiving a standing ovation from his former team. Michael King had his first pitching opening day start. The Padres were down for the majority of the game, but in the 7th inning, newcomer Gavin Sheets hit a two-run home run to tie the game.
Senior Maddie Wheeler attended opening day and said that this home run was so exciting because it tied the game and brought the energy into the stadium that the Padres needed for a comeback. They ended up winning 7-4 and then followed that up with winning the remaining three games in the series.
They continued with a 3-game series against the Cleveland Guardians from March 31st- April 2nd. They won all three games and reached their best start in franchise history. Their previous best start was 4-0 in 1984 when they went to their first word series.
The Dodgers also had a 7-0 start, and this is the first time two teams in the same division have been 7-0. The Padres then took on the Cubs and went 1-2 in the three-game series.
Their undefeated record was bound to end at some point, but it was exciting for fans to see how long it lasted. Derek Togerson from NBC San Diego explained that it would be “A miracle if the Padres, or anyone else, beat the Dodgers to win the National League West Division title.”
While some still don’t have faith in them, others like Senior Liam Wohlford do. He has attended 4 games so far this season and believes the Padres have what it takes to take down the Dodgers this year. He explained that seeing the Padres going on their undefeated streak proves that they have what it takes to have another great season.
If they can get close to a 90-game win mark, then they will be in the mix for a playoff wildcard spot and a chance to take down LA. They are currently first in the National League West and have a record of 14-3 overall and 11-0 at home, marking one of their best starts in history.
They are eager to take down the World Series champions but, for now, will be focused on getting to that spot.
