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26 unusual facts about San Diego Padres


Arizona Summer League

All teams are based in the Yuma, Arizona, area playing all games at Desert Sun Stadium (home of the Scorpions) and utilizing the Ray Kroc Complex which used to house the San Diego Padres and Yakult Swallows spring training operations.

Austin Hedges

Austin C. Hedges (born August 18, 1992) is a catcher in the San Diego Padres organization.

Brendan Katin

Katin was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in both the 2001 and 2002 amateur drafts, but did not sign.

Bruce Hurst

Hurst chose to leave the only organization he'd ever known as a free agent following the 1988 season, and signed a three year contract with the San Diego Padres worth $5.25 million.

Darren Balsley

Darren Balsley (born October 27, 1964 in Newport Beach, California) is the current pitching coach at Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres franchise.

Derek Tatsuno

Tatsuno was selected in the 2nd round of the regular phase of the June 1979 draft by the San Diego Padres.

Edwin Moreno

On April 7, 2009, Moreno made his Major League debut for the San Diego Padres against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching in 1 inning and getting a strikeout.

Ernestine Petras

Then, in 2000 she and other surviving Milwaukee Chicks were honored by the Milwaukee Brewers Major League team before a game against the San Diego Padres.

Fairbanks Ranch, California

Ted Leitner, radio talk show host and play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres

Jackson Quezada

Jackson A. Quezada (born August 9, 1986 in Elias Pina, Dominican Republic) is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently in the San Diego Padres organization.

JD Closser

He was released by the Yankees on August 6 and signed with the Portland Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

Jeff Andrews

Following his tenure in the Mariners minor league system, Andrews spent two seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the San Diego Padres.

Justin Hatcher

Justin Michael Hatcher (born May 12, 1980 in Fort Worth, Texas) is a current bullpen catcher for the San Diego Padres wearing #80.

KSEX-CD

The station also provided Spanish-language broadcasts of San Diego Padres baseball games during the season and San Diego Chargers pre-season football games.

London Majors

Kilkenny previously played for the Detroit Tigers (1969–1972), Oakland Athletics (1972), San Diego Padres (1972), and Cleveland Indians (1972–1973) during a five-season stint (1969–1973) in the Major Leagues.

Mark Wohlers

Less than a month later, on September 11, Wohlers teamed with fellow Braves hurlers Kent Mercker and Alejandro Peña for a combined no-hitter against the San Diego Padres; Wohlers pitched two innings in relief of Mercker.

MasterCard Center

In March 2008, the stadium hosted two games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres called the MLB China Series, marking the first time Major League Baseball teams played in China.

Mewelde Moore

Moore was also drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres.

Mitch Stetter

On September 29, 2007, Stetter picked up his first major league win against the San Diego Padres and his former minor league and college teammate Joe Thatcher.

North Shore Spirit

On the field, the team featured two players who were signed by Major League Baseball organizations: outfielder Carlos Sepulveda, by the Florida Marlins and second baseman Marcos Agramonte, by the San Diego Padres.

Peregrine Systems

In 1989, John Moores, founder of BMC Software and owner of the San Diego Padres Major League Baseball team, became a member of the Peregrine Board of Directors.

Rick Grapenthin

From 1986-1989; Grapethin played for the 'Triple-A' clubs for the San Diego Padres, St Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees.

Shareece Wright

In September 2011, he was invited to throw out the first pitch at a San Diego Padres game as an introduction to his partnership with the foundation.

Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation

It also advertises heavily in relation to the San Diego Padres major-league baseball team (including both television and radio commercials during game broadcasts, and posted advertising at PETCO Park, the team's home field).

Tim Purpura

He worked as an assistant in player development for the California Angels during Spring Training from 1990–92 and headed special projects for the San Diego Padres minor league department in 1991.

XHPRS-FM

It aired San Diego Padres games and the entire talk show lineup from the AM station.


Aggieville Riots

One night after the Aggieville Riot, Detroit suffered widespread looting and violence in the wake of the Detroit Tigers' victory in the 1984 World Series over the San Diego Padres.

Arturo López

Javier Arturo López (born Feb. 22, 1983, in Culiacán, Mexico) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher with the San Diego Padres.

Bill Rigney

After serving as a scout for the Padres and Angels (1973–74), Rigney had a second managerial stint with the Giants in 1976.

Carmelo Martínez

On December 7, 1983, Martinez was traded by the Cubs along with Craig Lefferts and Fritz Connally to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Scott Sanderson.

Dan Miceli

The oft-traded reliever was moved once again to the San Diego Padres with fellow pitcher Donne Wall and minor leaguer Ryan Balfe, for outfielder Trey Beamon and reliever Tim Worrell.

Danny Coombs

Daniel Bernard Coombs (Born: March 23, 1942 in Lincoln, Maine) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1963 to 1971 for the Houston Colt .45s, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres.

Doubleday Field

On January 29, 2008, Major League Baseball announced that the final Hall of Fame Game would be played on June 16, 2008 between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, citing "the inherent challenges" of scheduling teams in the modern day as the reason for ending the annual contest.

Eastside Catholic School

Nick Hundley - Catcher for the San Diego Padres, played for Eastside in 1998 before transferring to Lake Washington High School.

Eric Hardgrave

Hardgrave was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the 142nd pick of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft, and played for the team's minor league affiliates in Spokane, Reno, and Beaumont.

Felipe Crespo

On June 7, 2001, Crespo hit two home runs for the Giants, while his brother César hit his first major league homer with the San Diego Padres, joining a select club that includes Aaron and Bret Boone, Héctor and José Cruz, Al and Tony Cuccinello, Dom and Joe DiMaggio, Graig and Jim Nettles, and Rick and Wes Ferrell.

Garry Templeton

Garry Lewis Templeton, nicknamed "Jumpsteady", (born March 24, 1956 in Lockney, Texas) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets from 1976 to 1991.

Gary Hoey

As writer, producer, and guitar player, Hoey's clients have included Disney, ESPN, and No Fear, and he has performed the National Anthem for the New England Patriots, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox.

Jacque Jones

Trades with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers fell through in June 2007 because of new owner Sam Zell's unwillingess to transfer money to another team to cover Jones' remaining salaries.

Jeff Bagwell

Before a game against the Padres on August 27, 2002, Jeff met with an 11-year-old, bone cancer patient who asked Jeff to hit a home run for him.

Jerry Nyman

Gerald Smith "Jerry" Nyman (born November 23, 1942 in Logan, Utah) is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1968 to 1970 for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres.

José Meléndez

José Luis Meléndez García (born September 2, 1965 in Naguabo, Puerto Rico) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1990 through 1994 for the Seattle Mariners (1990), San Diego Padres (1991–92) and Boston Red Sox (1993–94).

Marysville Gold Sox

Upon McCullough's death, Peter Bavasi, former General Manager of the San Diego Padres, President of the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians, came out of retirement to help administer the club for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Mick Kelleher

That August 7, in the second game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, Kelleher, at 5-9 and 170 pounds, responded to Dave Kingman's hard slide into him on a double play attempt (Kingman was apparently angered over being hit by a Steve Renko pitch) by jumping on the 6-6, 210-pound Kingman's back and pummeling him with blows; the ensuing bench-clearing brawl resulted in the ejections of both players.

Pacific Suns

The Suns' alumni includes pitcher Ariel Prieto, joined the Oakland Athletics, another pitcher Reynaldo Brito signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1996, and Darryl Strawberry, famous all-star of the New York Yankees and part-time Palm Springs resident, had cameos on the home plate along with Kraig Constantino (San Diego Padres).

Paul Siebert

He made his major league baseball debut with the Astros in 1974, and was traded to the San Diego Padres before the 1977 season.

Rick Sutcliffe

After his retirement from baseball, Sutcliffe became a color commentator for the San Diego Padres on Channel 4 San Diego (1997–2004), ESPN (1998–present) and DirecTV/MLB International (1997–2002 and since 2010, as well as a minor-league pitching coach in the San Diego Padres system for a couple of seasons.

Steve McCatty

During a 1982 exhibition game against the San Diego Padres, McCatty stepped to the plate wielding a toy 15-inch bat but was refused by umpire Jim Quick to hit.

Yuma Desert Rats

From the 2005 season to the 2011 season, they were known as the Yuma Scorpions and played their home games at Desert Sun Stadium at the Ray Kroc Complex, former spring training home of the San Diego Padres.