The San Diego Padres were established as an MLB team in 1969, named after the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá 1)
The Padres' mascot, the Swinging Friar, originated in the minor leagues in 1958 and was designed to honor the city's heritage 2)
The Padres had their first winning season in 1978, led by pitcher Gaylord Perry, who won the Cy Young Award that year 3)
The Padres have won two National League pennants, in 1984 and 1998, but have yet to win a World Series 4)
The Padres began playing at Petco Park in 2004, a ballpark known for its view of the San Diego skyline and bay 5)
Petco Park uniquely incorporates the historic Western Metal Supply Co. building into its design, housing suites and restaurants 6)
Petco Park features “Park at the Park,” a grassy area in center field ideal for families and picnics 7)
Petco Park offers an extensive selection of craft beers, reflecting San Diego's renowned craft brewing industry 8)
Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn spent his entire 20-year MLB career with the Padres, earning eight batting titles 9)
Randy Jones won the Cy Young Award in 1976 as a Padre, the team’s first to receive this honor 10)
Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs in the 1998 season, a key contributor to the Padres' pennant 11)
The Padres reached the World Series in 1998 but lost to the New York Yankees 12)
Trevor Hoffman was a dominant closer for the Padres, recording over 400 saves in his career 13)
Gwynn set an NL record with 18 consecutive seasons batting over .300 14)
Manager Bruce Bochy recorded his 500th career managerial win with the Padres 15)
The Padres made the playoffs in the 2020 shortened season, losing in the Wild Card round 16)
San Diego reached the NLCS in 2022, their deepest postseason run since 1998 17)
Before Petco, the Padres played at San Diego Stadium, later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium 18)
Padres have retired numbers for Tony Gwynn (#19), Dave Winfield (#31), and Trevor Hoffman (#51) 19)
Originally created as a minor-league mascot in 1958, the Swinging Friar is a nod to the city’s Franciscan heritage 20)
C. Arnholt Smith owned the Padres franchise in its first years in MLB 21)
Wil Myers won the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year and became one of the Padres’ biggest stars 22)
The Padres finished last multiple times in the early years but clinched playoff spots five times since 2005 23)
The team’s first merchandise store opened in 1973 and popularized the Swinging Friar logo 24)
The Padres’ colors—brown and gold—match San Diego’s identity and other teams’ themes 25)
San Diego’s best regular-season record to date is 98 wins in 1998 26)
Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the most exciting young stars in MLB history with the Padres 27)
The ballpark features over 70 craft beer varieties, highlighting local San Diego breweries 28)
Beyond traditional ballpark food, Petco offers sushi, Mexican cuisine, and local specialties 29)
The Western Metal Supply building affects how balls land in fair territory in left field 30)
Family-friendly features make Petco one of MLB’s most popular parks for attendance 31)
A club milestone, marking their return as competitive contenders 32)
Gaylord Perry and Kevin Brown both won Cy Young awards while with San Diego 33)
Aside from Gwynn, players like Rollie Fingers and Trevor Hoffman are also Hall of Famers 34)
The team trains in Peoria, Arizona, at the Peoria Sports Complex 35)
Tony Gwynn amassed 3,141 hits—all with San Diego 36)
John Moores bought the Padres in 1994, steering them through two decades 37)
Known for early adoption of digital broadcasts, Padres games reached broader audiences 38)
Petco is aligned so batters face north, limiting sun glare 39)
Singing “God Bless America” in the 7th inning has been a popular Padres tradition 40)
Padres made the majors as part of MLB’s 1969 expansion 41)
Tatis set NL records for home runs by a shortstop and youngest player with multiple grand slams 42)
The stadium offers views of San Diego Bay, Balboa Park, and downtown skyline 43)
The Padres Foundation supports youth baseball and local community programs 44)
Padres have consistently drafted and developed top prospects through the minor league system 45)
The franchise actively participates in MLB winter meetings, shaping team roster 46)
The team's mascot and brand have appeared in movies and TV shows focusing on San Diego 47)