As I write this, the San Diego Padres are mired in last place of the NL West and boast the worst record in the NL. For most of their history, the Padres have been nothing short of a laughingstock, a dim star in the baseball firmament and an afterthought for most pundits making predictions at the beginning of every baseball season. However, this article will focus on those rare moments of brilliance that San Diego has attained in their 40 seasons in the MLB and beyond, going back to 1936 when the PCL Padres began play at Lane Field.
10. Ted Williams makes the leap to the MLB
The story of Ted Williams' life - and his baseball career - began in San Diego. When his mother forbade him to sign for a major league organization after graduating from high school, the "Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" signed for the PCL Padres in 1936, when the Padres were an affiliate club of the Boston Red Sox. Williams took off playing as a professional for the first time, and the rest - as they say - is history.
9. The 1978 All-Star Game
1978 would prove to be a crucial year for San Diego baseball. En route to their first winning season since their entry to top-flight baseball nine years earlier, '78 would also be the year in which the rest of the nation would be properly introduced to the Padres via the All-Star Game, hosted by the Friars at the then-named San Diego Stadium. Hometown hero Dave Winfield would play for the NL, who won thanks to a terrific performance by future Pad Steve Garvey.
8. The 1996 Season
It had been 12 years since the Padres had been to the playoffs for the only time in their history. After a strike-shortened '95 season that saw the Padres finish four games below .500, GM Kevin Towers made several moves in the off-season, coming away with 1B Wally Joyner, OF Rickey Henderson, P Fernando Valenzuela - adding to an already competitive club which featured Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, Trevor Hoffman and Tony Gwynn.
The Padres remained in the divisional race until September, when a late surge allowed them to go into Dodger Stadium against the first-place Dodgers, needing nothing less than a sweep to win the NL West. After winning the first two games, Gwynn (Chris Gwynn, Tony's brother, mind you) shot a double through the gap that would prove to be the game-winner, effectively pushing the Friars past Los Angeles for their first NL West title since 1984.
7. The Opening of Petco Park
In 2004, after a long, six-year struggle with the city of San Diego, Petco Park finally opened its doors to the public. The new-look (literally) Padres took the field promising to contend for the first time since the late '90s, featuring players like Phil Nevin, Ryan Klesko, Mark Loretta and Jake Peavy.
Though the Padres would fall short of their bid to make the '04 playoffs, a solid winning record foreshadowed good things to come, including two consecutive NL West titles and contention for an NL Wild Card spot up until the very last day of the 2007 season. Thanks to its modern style, attracti
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