Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Who Owns The San Diego Padres?
The San Diego Padres franchise’s current owner is Ron Fowler, who has been the owner since 2012. Prior to that, the team was owned by John Moores from 1995-2012. Fowler is a businessman from San Diego and chairman and CEO of Liquid Investments Inc.
Fowler has been active in trying to improve the team. In 2015, he brought in a new general manager A.J. Preller. Preller has made several big trades and acquisitions, which helped the Padres reach the NLCS in 2022.
About The San Diego Padres Franchise
The San Diego Padres are a professional baseball team based in San Diego, California. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a National League (NL) West division member club. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won two NL pennants—in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both years.
Where Do The Padres Play Their Home Games?
The Padres play their home games at the iconic Petco Park located in the downtown area of San Diego. Since its grand opening in 2004, Petco Park has become one of the most popular sporting venues in all of California.
With its stunning views, wide concourses, and world-class amenities, the ballpark regularly provides an entertaining experience for spectators.
How The Padres Got Their Name
The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team that arrived in San Diego in 1936. That minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by 18-year-old left-handed hitter Ted Williams, the future Hall-of-Famer who was a native of San Diego.
The team’s name, Spanish for “fathers,” refers to the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded San Diego in 1769.
Early Beginnings
The Padres were established in 1969 as an expansion team with Ray Kroc as their original owner. They played their first game on April 8th against the Houston Astros and won 5-3. During the next few years, they would win two NL Western Division titles (1984-85).
In 1984, they made it to the World Series but lost to Detroit Tigers four games to one. Reggie Smith and Dave Winfield were the most prominent players of this era. Reggie Smith was a seven-time All-Star outfielder known for his power-hitting ability to make acrobatic catches in center field.
At the same time, Dave Winfield was a Hall of Fame outfielder who spent 12 seasons with the Padres from 1973 to 80 before being traded to New York Yankees. Both players had their numbers retired by the club in 1997, making them two of only four Padre players whose numbers have been retired by the organization thus far.
Padres In The 2000’s
The Padres struggled for most of their existence until 2005 when General Manager Kevin Towers made key acquisitions such as Trevor Hoffman, Adrian Gonzalez, and Jake Peavy that helped turn their fortunes around.
This new core group won two NL West Division titles (2005-06) and reached one NLCS (2006). Hoffman also became baseball’s all-time saves leader during this period, with 601 saves over his career with San Diego alone before retiring after the 2010 season.
Recent Years (2010s-2020s)
In recent years the Padres have been investing heavily in their product and spending big through free agency and trade. Players such as Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Juan Soto, and others have helped the Padres become an NL West powerhouse in the 2020s.
Their biggest rival is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who they beat in four games during the 2022 NLCS.
