The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The team plays its home games at Petco Park in downtown San Diego. Founded in 1969 as an expansion franchise, the Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League (PCL) team that arrived in San Diego in 1936. The name, Spanish for "fathers", honors the friars of the Franciscan order who founded Mission San Diego de Alcalá in 1769.
In 1976, Randy Jones achieved the first Cy Young Award for the Padres. In the 1980s, Tony Gwynn became a major star, winning eight National League batting titles. Under manager Dick Williams, the Padres clinched their first NL pennant, only to lose to the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series in 5 games. In 1995, Kevin Towers became general manager; under his lead, Ken Caminiti became the first Padres player to win the MVP Award. The Padres achieved their second NL pennant alongside Trevor Hoffman, only to be swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series.
The Padres are owned by José E. Feliciano & Kwanza Jones, who have owned the team starting in 2026. The team has won two NL pennants, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both years; they are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers as the oldest teams never to have won the World Series. As of the 2026 season, the Padres have had 20 winning seasons in franchise history. Despite reaching the postseason seven times from 2005 to 2026, the team has yet to return to the World Series. From 1969 through 2026, the Padres have an overall record of ().
History
The Padres adopted their name from the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), a minor league team that arrived in San Diego in 1936 and won the PCL title in 1937, led by 18-year-old Ted Williams, the future Hall of Famer who was a native of San Diego.
In 1969, the Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), the Kansas City Royals, and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers).
One of its earliest owners was C. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres. Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi, as well as a new stadium, the team struggled: the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the National League West, losing 100 games or more four times. One of the few bright spots on the team during the early years was first baseman and slugger Nate Colbert, an expansion draftee from the Houston Astros and was the long-time home run leader until 2024, when Manny Machado overtook him.
The team's fortunes gradually improved as they won five National League West titles and reached the World Series twice, in 1984 and in 1998, but lost both times. The Padres' main draw during the 1980s and 1990s was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who won eight NL batting titles.
In 1990, then-owner Joan Kroc tried to give the franchise to the city of San Diego, but dropped the proposal after a baseball owners’ committee declined to consider the plan.
They moved into their current stadium, Petco Park, in 2004.
On August 20, 2020, the Padres became the first team in MLB history to hit a grand slam in four consecutive games earning the nickname, "Slam Diego Padres".
Until 2021, the Padres were the only MLB franchise that had yet to throw a no-hitter. The record was broken on April 9, 2021, as Joe Musgrove accomplished the feat against the Texas Rangers, finally ending the longest no-hit drought by a team in MLB history. On September 5, 1997, Andy Ashby took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, which was previously the closest that the team had come to achieving this feat. In 2024, Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter against the Nationals on July 25.
On November 14, 2023, Peter Seidler, who owned the Padres since 2012, died at the age of 63. MLB owners approved of John Seidler as the Padres' control person on February 6, 2025. In April 2026, a sale was finalized for the Padres to be sold to José E. Feliciano for $3.9 billion.
On May 2, 2026, the Padres announced a sale to Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, which the MLB approved on August 17 and was formally announced on August 24.
Season records
Postseason history YearWild Card NLDS NLCSWorld Series1984colspan=4 (Won NL West)Chicago CubsDetroit Tigers1996colspan=2 (Won NL West)St. Louis Cardinals1998colspan=2 (Won NL West)Houston AstrosAtlanta BravesNew York Yankees2005colspan=2 (Won NL West)St. Louis Cardinals2006colspan=2 (Won NL West)St. Louis Cardinals2020St. Louis CardinalsLos Angeles Dodgers2022New York MetsLos Angeles DodgersPhiladelphia Phillies2024Atlanta BravesLos Angeles Dodgers2025Chicago Cubs2026Chicago CubsMilwaukee BrewersTBD
Championships
The Padres are one of two teams in the National League West that have never won the World Series, though they have made and lost both appearances as the National League pennant winner in 1984 and 1998.
Achievements
Award winners & league leaders
Team record (single-season & career)
Baseball Hall of Famers The following elected members of the Baseball Hall of Fame played or managed for the Padres.
Ford C. Frick Award recipients (broadcasters)
Retired numbers
The Padres have retired six numbers. The numbers are commemorated in a display at Petco Park's entrance at Home Plate Plaza. Fans are allowed to pose for pictures next to the aluminum numbers, which are high, wide, and deep. Originally, the numbers were atop the batter's eye in center field, until they were relocated in 2016. The numbers were not ready for display in time for the park's opening in 2004, but they were unveiled midseason. Also beginning in 2016, the numbers are displayed in the Ring of Honor on the upper deck façade above the press box behind home plate.
In 1988, Steve Garvey was the first player to have his number retired by the Padres. He played only five seasons with San Diego, but hit the game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 of the 1984 National League Championship Series (NLCS), tying the series before the Padres won the next day. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player, and San Diego advanced to their first World Series. In 2016, The San Diego Union-Tribune ranked Garvey's Game 4 homer as the No. 1 moment in San Diego sports history. However, he played 14 of his 19 seasons with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was also more productive, and the retirement of his number by San Diego has been heavily debated.
On April 15, 1997, exactly 50 years after Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line, the No. 42 he wore with the Brooklyn Dodgers was retired throughout Major League Baseball. Later that year, Randy Jones's No. 35 was retired by the Padres. He was a two-time All-Star (1975, 1976) and the club's first Cy Young Award winner in 1976. On the day his number was retired, the Union-Tribune wrote that Jones was "the most popular athlete in the history of this city" during the mid-1970s. Dave Winfield was next to have his number, 31, retired in 2001, when he was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His retirement ceremony also celebrated his decision to be the first member of the Hall of Fame to have his plaque depicting him wearing a Padres cap. Winfield played for six teams in his 22-year career, spending his first eight seasons in San Diego. In 2004, the Padres retired No. 19 in honor of Gwynn, who is widely considered the greatest Padres player ever. He played his entire 20-year career with San Diego and won an NL-record eight batting titles. The most recent number to be retired was Trevor Hoffman's No. 51 in 2011. He had retired from playing after 2010, when he left the game as MLB's career leader in saves with 601, including 552 with the Padres.
Prior to moving to Petco, the team played at San Diego Stadium, where the retired numbers were originally displayed on banners hanging from the light towers above the left field stands. However, Garvey's number was commemorated instead on the wall behind the spot in right-center field where his winning home run in the 1984 NLCS cleared the fence, but the number disappeared when the stadium was expanded in 1997 and the location was masked by an overhang. It reappeared in 2002 when all the retired numbers were moved and inscribed on the outfield fence.
The Padres also have a "star on the wall" in honor of broadcaster Jerry Coleman, in reference to his trademark phrase "Oh Doctor! You can hang a star on that baby!" Nearby the initials of the late owner Ray Kroc are also displayed. Both the star and the initials are painted in gold on the front of the pressbox down the right-field line accompanied by the name of the person in white. Kroc was honored in 1984, Coleman in 2001.
On March 23, 2024, the team held a public memorial and celebration of life for team owner Peter Seidler, who died in November 2023. The club honored his memory with his initials of "PS" inside a gold heart next to Coleman's memorial on the front of the pressbox down the right-field line.
Padres Hall of Fame
The following 16 people have been inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame since it was founded in 1999.
San Diego Hall of Champions Gwynn, Winfield, Fingers, Gossage, Randy Jones, and Graig Nettles (3B, 1984–1987) are members of the San Diego Hall of Champions, which is open to athletes native to the San Diego area (such as Nettles) as well as to those who played for San Diego teams (such as Gwynn). Padres in the San Diego Hall of ChampionsNo.PlayerPositionTenureNotes — Buzzie Bavasi Team President 1969–1977 1 Garry Templeton SS 1982–1991 3 Alan Trammell Coach 2000–2002 Elected mainly on his performance with Detroit Tigers 4 Bob Skinner CoachManager 1970–19731977 Born in La Jolla 7 Tony Clark 1B 2008 Elected mainly on his performance with Detroit Tigers 8, 10 Dave Roberts OFCoachManager 2005–20062011–2015 Raised in San Diego 9 Graig Nettles 3B 1984–1987 Born and raised in San Diego, attended San Diego State 19 Ted Williams LF 1936–1937 (PCL) Elected mainly on his performance with Boston Red Sox, born and raised in San Diego 19 Tony Gwynn RF 1982–2001 Attended San Diego State 31 Dave Winfield RF 1973–1980 33 David Wells P 2004, 2006–2007 Elected mainly on his performances with Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, grew up in Ocean Beach, San Diego 34 Rollie Fingers P 1977–1980 Elected mainly on his performance with Oakland A's 35 Randy Jones P 1973–1980 51 Trevor Hoffman P 1993–2008 54 Goose Gossage P 1984–1987
Roster
Minor league affiliates
The San Diego Padres farm system consists of seven minor league affiliates.
ClassTeamLeagueLocationBallparkAffiliated Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas Pacific Coast League El Paso, Texas Southwest University Park 2014 Double-A San Antonio Missions Texas League San Antonio, Texas Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium 2021 High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps Midwest League Fort Wayne, Indiana Parkview Field 1999 Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm California League Lake Elsinore, California Lake Elsinore Diamond 2001 Rookie ACL Padres Arizona Complex League Peoria, Arizona Peoria Sports Complex 2021 DSL Padres Brown Dominican Summer League Boca Chica, Santo Domingo San Diego Padres Complex 2023 DSL Padres Gold
Logos and colors Throughout the team's history, the San Diego Padres have used multiple logos, uniforms, and different color combinations.
1969–1979: Original brown & gold