Padres, People and a Perfect Sunday at Petco Park

San Diego Padres

Petco Park

Atlanta Braves @ San Diego Padres

Date of Game: Sunday, September 26, 2021

Time of Game: 1:15PM PST

Final score: Braves - 4, Padres - 3

Section 104 Row 21 Seat 1

Although I was unfamiliar with the Petco Park area before I arrived in San Diego, I searched for a hotel that was close by the stadium. I was pleasantly surprised to find one that was not only close but had a walkway (Park to Bay link) from the hotel parking garage that dropped off approximately a block from the entrance to the park. Near to the Lexus Premier Parking lot. The hotel was Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

On the opposite side of the stadium, there were restaurants and other hotels, this area is called the Gaslamp Quarter. Not only was the Gaslamp Quarter nearby but the San Diego Convention center was viewable from the front of the hotel, and it too was about a block away. So, the area has a lot to offer in a short distance, baseball doesn’t have to be the main attraction to your weekend, but it could be a fun addition to your time in San Diego if you are attending a convention nearby.

While not specifically pertinent to my visit this time, the Gaslamp Quarter has a stop along the MTS Trolley line; this adds to the ease of traveling to a Padres game from other places in San Diego.

I had heard on the news that the Padres were eliminated from the playoffs the night before this game and wondered how many people might forfeit coming to this game because of it.

Game day was a little overcast. But the weather was nice at 70 degrees. Which I guess isn’t surprising for San Diego. We arrived about 30 minutes earlier than the first pitch; it was a nice treat to have time to settle into our seats before the game. There weren’t too many people in the stands yet, so it was easy to take a couple of photos of the field without being a distraction for others.  We were also able to put the field together and watch the mascot walk around on the field.

From our seats we could see an area outside of the park where people can picnic or barbecue and watch the game. In our view, there was a huge, air blown, inflatable of the Swinging Friar, which is the Padres mascot. He was towering over the outfield wall, swaying and bobbing in the wind. Although we didn’t walk over by this area, I bet that must be a nice way to spend the afternoon. Especially since the weather is generally cool.  I found out later that this must be Gallagher Square, and it is used as a general admissions seating area when the Padres are playing a game at home.

When I was able to see the players, one of the first things I noticed was the camouflage shirts that the Padres were wearing. I was curious about this and looked for more information about it, I found that the players wear this on Sundays to honor the military. In addition to the uniform change, and with their agreement with USAA, there is a 25% discount on tickets every Sunday for military personnel and their families.

We went for food at the top of the 5^th inning but unfortunately were not back in time to see the Padres score at the bottom of the inning. I guess, the elimination from the previous night didn’t affect attendance at all. Everyone was showing their support for the home team. We could hear their enthusiasm!

The concession lines were a bit long, but they moved quickly. We chose to grab all our food at the same time so that we could get back to our seats as the game was getting active. Not our brightest move because it was all hard to carry: two hot dogs, a pretzel and soda to share, and two Mister Softee ice cream helmets from Budweiser Ballpark Eats. At least paying was easy because it’s a cashless stadium.

Once settled back into our seats during the top of the 6^th inning. We could again watch the game. I also looked around at the stands and noticed how crowded they were, my partner pointed out the mascot talking to people in the crowd nearby and we both took a few photos.

Below is a quick summary of the game:

In the top of the second, a home run by Joe Pederson for Atlanta. Top of the fourth, a double hit by Travis d’Arnaud also for Atlanta, sending a run home. Then Travis was sent home by a fly ball that Ehire Adrianza hit. San Diego got some runs on the board in the bottom of the 5^th, Jake Cronenworth hit a triple and sent two runs home.  Then Manny Machado hit a single and drove Cronenworth home. This tied up the game at 3 to 3. Atlanta added another run in the sixth inning. Orlando Arcia, the shortstop for the Braves, hit a double which sent a run home. The rest of the game seemed to be a fight between pitchers. Lots of strikeouts, a couple of walks, but the Padres brought some excitement to the bottom of the 9^th inning and loaded the bases. Unfortunately, it didn’t result in any more runs, and the game ended with Atlanta winning.

The one thing we missed out on was trying the Tri Tip Nachos (aka Cardiff crack) from Seaside Market. Inside the park. My partner was looking forward to that, but the stand was closed by the time he decided to go. We still had some time in the area to go to the Seaside Market in the Cardiff area so that might work out better for us.

​Written March 10, 2025

Some information, such as baseball game information and directions were sought by using ChatGPT or Perplexity.

​©2025 Theri’s Travel Tales