Today’s season opener for the San Diego Padres comes 50 years after their first one in 1974, the first year the Padres moved from being in baseball’s minor leagues to become part of Major League Baseball.
But today’s Opening Day may be even more exciting for San Diego baseball fans than that first one five decades ago.
And of course that’s because the 2019 team in this 50th anniversary year of the Padres is vastly improved and is getting a lot of attention in the baseball world around the country having signed one of the sports best players ever to a huge contract and having what experts have said are the best young players in the so-called farm system.
But then even all the optimism this year is filled with caution among most fans.Because these last 50 years of Padres baseball have been filled with disappointment and lots of bad teams in the past.
Only twice in 50 years have the Padres made it to the World Series, in 1984 and 1998, and both times they got blown out.
And in all those 50 years, the Padres have had only 14 seasons during which they won more games than they lost.
But now as the only Major League Baseball team that doesn’t share its city with another major sports franchise, thanks to our former NFL team whose name that won’t be mentioned, all eyes are on the Padres and sports fans in San Diego are aching for a winning team and hoping that their hopes are not dashed this time.So, “play ball”!For more about the history of the Padres, go to KOGO.COM keyword cliff notes.
(Photo credit Getty Images)