San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They are in the National League West. The team is also known by its nicknamed "The Friars". The Padres remain one of five National League teams (the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos, and the Milwaukee Brewers) to have never won a World Series.

The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team which arrived in San Diego in 1936. The franchise had the honor of winning the the PCL title in 1937.

San Diego was able to join the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams in 1969. The other three teams were the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), the Kansas City Royals, and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers).

A prominent San Diego businessman, C. Arnholt Smith was the original owner of the team. He was previously the owner of the PCL Padres.

A new stadium San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium) was built for the team. Under the guidance of longtime baseball executives Buzzie Bavasi and Eddie Leishman, the team struggled during its early days. It finished in last place in each of its first six seasons. Between 1969 and 1974, It never lost fewer than 91 games in any single season

Preston Gomez was the original manager of The Padres. He led the team from their April 8, 1969 debut, a 2-1 home field victory over the Houston Astros, until midway through the 1972 season, when he was replaced by Don Zimmer. Gomez left with a 180-316 record.

San Diego's first baseman Nate Colbert was the best player of the team during its formative years. He was a power-hitting slugger who twice hit 38 home runs in a season. In 1972, He also has the honor of becoming the first Padre to drive in more than 100 runs.

Before the beginning of 1974 season, C. Arnholt Smith sold the Padres to McDonald's' co-founder Ray Kroc, who kept the team in San Diego

With the arrival of young Ozzie Smith in the team, the 1978 season brought hope to baseball fans in San Diego. Ozzie Smith introduced a unique acrobatic style. He redefined how the position should be played in the field. All-star game were hosted by the Pardes that summer. The National League won the contest 7-3.

The Padres had the honor of winning the National League West championship in 1984,. The victorious team featured veterans Steve Garvey, Garry Templeton, Graig Nettles and Rich Gossage, as well as former San Diego State University baseball and basketball star Tony Gwynn. He was successful in capturing his first of what would be eight National League batting championships. Tony Gwynn was the proud winner of championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 199, 1996 and 1997. He shared the National League record with Honus Wagner that year. Gwynn joined the Padres in 1982 following starring roles in both baseball and basketball at San Diego State University.

In 1987, rookie catcher Benito Santiago won the NL Rookie of the Year Award due to his outstanding performance. However, the Pads finished dead last in 1987.

Joan Kroc showed intentions of selling the team midway through the 1990 season. But she wanted a commitment to San Diego. So Kroc sold it to television producer Tom Werner. After the change of ownership, the old brown that remained in Padres uniforms since their inception were supplanted by navy blue.

In 1992, the Padres lineup featured the "Four Tops": Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Tony Fernandez, and Tony Gwynn. The Padres would finish dead last in the strike-shortened 1994 season, but Gwynn hit .394 that year. After that season, the Padres made a mega-trade with Houston reeling in Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, and others.

In 2005, the Western Division Champion Padres finished with the lowest-ever winning percentage for a division champion in a non-strike season, 82-80. There had been some speculation that the Padres would be the first team in history to win a division and finish below .500, but their victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 30 gave them their 81st victory. In the NLDS, the reigning National League champion St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the season with the majors' best record, swept the Padres in three consecutive games. Thus the Padres finished the season with an overall regular-and-post-season record of 82-83, the first post-season qualifier in a normal-length season to lose more games than it won overall.

Bruce Bochy's tenure as the manager of the Padres was ended in 2006.