The San Diego Padres easily produce some of the most enjoyable baseball games in Major League Baseball (MLB) due to their talented roster. Representing the National League (NL), the term has become the NL West Division Champions five times so far. Unfortunately, the team is yet win a World Series Championship in MLB.
The team comes under the ownership of Peter Seidler’s estate. On the other hand, A.J. Preller takes care of baseball operations and is also the General Manager of the team.
The new manager of the team from the 2024 MLB season is Mike Shildt. Throughout the 2023 MLB season, the team ranked #3 in NL West Division and gained a record of 82-80-0.
What is the name of the San Diego Padres’ Stadium?
Petco Park is the official stadium for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball (MLB). Based in San Diego, California, United States, the San Diego Padres has been using the stadium for their home games since 2004.
Petco Park’s History/Petco Park Construction and Cost
The preparations for the construction of the Petco Park started as part of a larger project by designating 26 blocks of East Village area as a baseball stadium. The San Diego Padres wanted their stadium to be more unique as the Philadelphia Phillies were also building a new stadium at around the same time. They also wanted a nice surrounding around the park so that it could attract more fans to the game. Initially, the park was scheduled to be introduced for the 2002 MLB season, but it had to be canceled because of legal and political problems. Hence, the team played the 2002 and 2003 MLB seasons at their previous home ground, Qualcomm Stadium. For the new stadium, Petco, a pet supplying company purchased the naming rights for the stadium in 2004 for 22 years by paying $60 million. The stadium was named Petco Park. The park was opened for the public on March 11, 2004 with the first baseball game taking place the same day. Petco again extended the naming rights for the stadium until 2027 in 2021.
The stadium has been constructed using stucco and sandstone, imported from India. There is a towering scoreboard and a beautiful looking seating bowl in the stadium. The concourses of the stadium are not only open to the field but also to the city surrounding it. The fans can get an excellent view of the San Diego Bay and the San Diego skyline from the left field seats. They can also see the Balboa Park which contains the San Diego Zoo behind the center field. There is a 10 feet statue of Tony Gwynn, an 8 time NL batting champion on the grounds of the stadium. A statue of Trevor Hoffman was also constructed on August 18, 2018 facing Tony Gwynn’s statue. The stadium has 58 suites for premium fans. There is also a Daktronics HD video board which can also play the game full screen, replays, and fan moments effectively. There are also eight other mini videoboards located in the stadium.
The concession stands of the stadium has bars and restaurants. There are 244 HDTV monitors and 500 SD TV's for fans to watch the game. There is also the “Park in the Park”, a grassy sloping beside the fence of the outfield where fans can sit and watch games for $10. When there are no games, it serves as a free park for the local residents.
The field surface has been created using Bandera Bermuda, which is over seeded with Ryegrass. The left field is 357 feet, the left field line is 334 feet and the left field is 390 feet. The right field is 382 feet, the right field line is 322 feet and the right field alley is 391 feet. The center field is 396 feet. The Petco Park was constructed by Populous, Antoine Predock, Spurlock Poirier, ROMA and Heritage Architecture & Planning. The construction cost $450 million in 2004, which was equal to $697 million as of 2022.
Petco Park’s Capacity
Petco Park has the capacity to support 42,000 fans as of 2024. However, the stadium saw a record attendance of 45,567 fans for a baseball game.
This is a look at the capacity of Petco Park from the beginning till now:
| Years | Capacity |
| 2004-2007 | 42,445 |
| 2008-2012 | 42,691 |
| 2013 | 42,524 |
| 2014 | 42,302 |
| 2015 | 41,164 |
| 2016 | 40,162 |
| 2017-2023 | 40,209 |
| 2023-Present | 42,000 |
Petco Park Seating Chart
The following is the seating chart for the fans for a baseball game at Petco Park:
What is the parking cost at Petco Park? Parking Map
The following are the parking maps for a fan for a baseball game at Petco Park:
Padres Preferred Parking,
The San Diego Padres have informed their fans that parking lots should be purchased beforehand. They have also suggested purchasing parking tickets through Ticketmaster. There, all the home games of the team are available along with prices for parking tickets which vary depending on the game. However, it can range from $15-$50 depending on the distance from the parking lot to the stadium.
Petco Park’s Notable Events
Petco Park of the San Diego Padres has been home to several notable events when it comes to a game of baseball. They are listed below:
| Dates | Events |
| March 11, 2004 | First collegiate baseball game was played at the stadium. It was part of the NCAA invitational tournament. The San Diego State Aztecs defeated the Houston Cougars. The stadium saw the largest crowd for a collegiate baseball game |
| April 8, 2004 | The first MLB game was played at the stadium. The San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-3 |
| October 8, 2005 | The first NLDS playoff game (Game 3) was hosted at the stadium. The San Diego Padres lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-7 |
| March 18, 2006 and March 20, 2006 | The stadium hosted the semifinals and finals of the World Baseball Classic for the first time |
| April 17, 2008 | The longest game was played at the stadium. It continued for 22 innings. Eventually, the San Diego Padres lost to the Colorado Rockies 1-2 |
| July 2, 2009 | A swarm of bees delayed the game between the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros. Ultimately, the San Diego Padres lost the game to the Houston Astros 2-7 |
| June 14, 2010 | A 5.7 magnitude earthquake stopped a game between the San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays in the 8th inning. Eventually, the San Diego Padres lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 3-6 |
| July 12, 2016 | The first MLB All-Star game was hosted at the stadium (87th MLB All-Star game) |
Other Sports
Tennis
Petco Park was the home for the Davis Cup clash between USA and UK from January 31, 2014-February 2, 2014. It resulted in a draw.
Rugby
From February 2007 to February 2009, Petco Park hosted a rugby union sevens event called USA Sevens. This was a part of the IRB Sevens World Series.
Motor Sports
Petco Park was the home for Monster Jam and AMA Supercross Championship in January 2015.
Golf
Petco Park, partnering with Callaway Golf Company, hosts a par-3 nine hole golf course in the first week of each November since 2015.
Collegiate basketball
The Petco Park has also been the home for a collegiate basketball game.
| Date | Team | Result | Team |
| December 6, 2015 | San Diego State | 48-53 | San Diego |
Collegiate Football
The Petco Park has hosted three Holiday Bowls since 2021. While one of them got canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the other two were held at the park.
| Dates | Teams | Results | Teams | |
| December 28, 2021 | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | |||
| December 28, 2022 | #15 Oregon | 28 | North Carolina | 27 |
| December 27, 2023 | USC | 42 | #16 Louisville | 28 |
Music Concerts
Petco Park has also been the home to musical performances by notable musical artists. These include The Rolling Stones (2005, 2015), Madonna (2008), Paul McCartney (2014, 2019), Taylor Swift (2015), Billy Joel (2016), Metallica (2017), Eagles (2018), Def Leppard & Journey (2018), Green Day, Fall Out Boy & Weezer (2021), Red Hot Chili Peppers (2022), Def Leppard & Motley Crue (2022), Bad Bunny (2022), Elton John (2022) and Morgan Wallen (2023).
In 2024, Food Fighters will perform on August 7, 2024, Def Leppard & Journey will perform on August 30, 2024, P!nk will perform on September 11, 2024 and Green Day with The Smashing Pumpkins will perform on September 28, 2024.
FAQs
A. The official stadium for the San Diego Padres is Petco Park.
A. Petco Park was opened to the public on March 11, 2004.
A. April 8, 2004 was the date of the first MLB game at Petco Park.
A. The construction of Petco Park cost $450 million in 2004.
A. Petco Park can support 42,000 fans, as of 2024.
