San Diego Padres is a National League baseball team located in San Diego, California. They are part of the Western Division. They got their name from the 1936 PCL team in San Diego. That team won the PCL pennant in 1937.
The Major League Baseball team, the Padres, was among the four new Major League Baseball franchises in 1969. The other three teams were the Seattle Pilots, the Kansas City Royals, and the Montreal Expos. C. Arnholt Smith was the first owner for the Padres. He was a businessman who happened to own the PCL team in those days.
Like most newly formed teams, the Padres struggled in their initial seasons. They were one of the weaker teams in the Western Division.
In 1974, there was speculation that the team would relocate to Washington. The rumor started when the news of Joseph Danzansky’s purchase of the team came out. The plan fell through when Smith changed his mind and sold the team to Ray Kroc.
They had quite a few interesting athletes in the ’70s, including future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Winfield was a star player in both basketball and baseball at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota. Here he enjoyed a full scholarship. He was a great basketball player. He helped lead UM to the Big Ten championship in 1972. Aside from the Padres, teams from different sports recruited him. The NBA and ABA recruited him, and even the National Football League saw potential in him.
Winfield played for the Padres from 1973 to 1980. While with the team, he helped the Padres improve their ranking. Randy Jones also played aside. He was a left-handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres. In 1976, he won the coveted Cy Young Award. More talented players came into play, including Rollie Fingers and Ozzie Smith.
Although their lineup promised a lot, the team couldn’t sustain it. Their losing season in 1979 led to the firing of team manager Roger Craig. Other than that, their best player, Winfield, left the team for the Yankees.
In 1984, the team’s owner, Ray Kroc, died. His widow, Joan Kroc, became the owner of the team. Although it was a sad start for the Padres, they were able to see the light. With the leadership of coach, Dick Williams, they were able to win their first Division title. One of the star players who made this happen was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who joined the team in 1982.
They departed to win the National League Championship Series after facing the Chicago Cubs. The Padres were down two games and many thought they had little chance of winning the pennant. However, they did win their remaining three games at Jack Murphy Stadium. Unfortunately, they lost the World Series to the Detroit Tigers.
They won their next National League championship title in 1998. This time they defeated the Atlanta Braves. However, they lost the World Series to the New York Yankees.