15 Fun Facts About The San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a professional baseball team based in San Diego, California. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Here are 15 fun facts about the San Diego Padres!

1. The Padres were founded in 1969 as an expansion team.

2. The team’s name comes from the Spanish word for father, or “padre.”

3. The Padres play their home games at PETCO Park, which opened in 2004.

4. The Padres have won two World Series titles, in 1984 and 1998.

5. The team’s colors are white, blue and orange.

6. The Padres mascot is the Swinging Friar, a friendly cartoon monk who swings a bat around.

7. The franchise has had four No. 1 overall draft picks: Darryl Strawberry (1980), Shawn Abner (1984), Andy Benes (1988) and Steve Avery (1992).

8. The team has retired the numbers of six players: Dave Winfield (31), Tony Gwynn (19), Trevor Hoffman (51), Randy Jones (35), Jerry Coleman (1) and Dick Williams (6).

9. The Padres have had 14 players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, including Tony Gwynn, who was inducted in 2007.

10. The team has never won a division title, but did win the NL pennant in 1984 and 1998.

11. In 1984, the Padres made it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. They lost to the Detroit Tigers in five games.

12. In 1998, the Padres made it back to the World Series and this time they were victorious, defeating the New York Yankees in four games. It was the first championship for a San Diego team in any sport.

13. The Padres have never had a perfect game pitched against them, but they have had two no-hitters thrown against them. The first was by Chicago Cubs pitcher Milt Pappas in 1972 and the second was by San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum in 2013.

14. As of 2019, the Padres have only made it to the playoffs four times in franchise history.

15. The Padres are currently managed by Andy Green. Their general manager is A.J. Preller.

The Padres are currently in the midst of a rebuild and are hoping to return to prominence in the years to come. With a young core of talent, the future looks bright for the team. Thanks for reading and learn something new about the Padres!