Throughout a 162-game season, The Padres, a team that was supposed to be successful this year, shocked fans by not making the postseason. After starting the season with The Major League’s third-biggest payroll at nearly 258 million dollars, fans believed this was the year. However, after playing poorly for the first half of the season, winning 35 games and losing 45, chances for making the playoffs were slim due to their division in the west. There are many talented teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers were out in front of the division by a landslide, while the Diamondbacks, through the mid-season, were almost neck to neck with the Padres’ record. 

From September 1st onward, the Padres won 20 out of their 27 games played, and reports showed that if more games were played, they could’ve made the playoffs. When asking some fans their opinion about the season, Hank Hansen, a junior on the varsity baseball team, said, “This season wasn’t good. We had so much potential but didn’t succeed.”

Even after the season, the Padres had players and coaches alike thanking their fans for the consecutive support. In a White Socks Padres Interview on October 1st, Fernando Tatis Jr., the right fielder for the team, said, “I couldn’t be more grateful for them. I feel like every day they were out there supporting, cheering, screaming, and interacting. That’s one of the best parts of the game.” Even though this season turned out badly for the Padres, fans like Luke Fazio, a junior who said, “I think next year will be better with their young talent and a team full of elite players,” have hope for their next season.