S1: Welcome to KPBS roundtable. I'm Andrew Bracken. San Diego , get ready for playoff baseball. Padre fans have been buzzing this week after the team clinched a playoff spot in dramatic fashion. We hear more about the historic play that defined a season.
S2: When the Padres clinched a postseason berth on A543 triple play.
S1: After a disappointing 2023 season which saw star players depart and the loss of a key Padres figure , we hear about what's been behind this season's turnaround leading to a trip to the playoffs. That's all ahead on KPBS roundtable. Padre fans rejoice. October. Baseball is coming to San Diego this year. The Padres clinched a playoff spot this Tuesday night after beating division rival LA Dodgers. And how they did it was as dramatic as it gets. The Padres turned a triple play to end the game , becoming a defining play for this team whose success has caught many by surprise. The play was the latest magical moment in a season that has seen quite a few already. Padres fans are hoping more are still to come. To talk more about the Padres. I'm joined now by three of San Diego's finest sports voices. Jesse Aguilar is here. He's the radio voice of the San Diego Padres. Bryce Miller also joins us. He is a sports columnist with the San Diego Union Tribune. And finally , NBC seven sports anchor Dani Tripp is here. Welcome all to roundtable. Thanks for.
S3: Having us.
S1: Jesse , I want to start with you. I want to play your radio call from Tuesday's playoff clinching play. Here it is.
S4: Hernandez at first , Edman at second. Nobody out for Miguel Rojas and Ohtani will be on deck. Best case scenario , obviously it would be Miguel Rojas somehow hits into a triple play. Nothing and one swinging away.
S2: Groundball to Machado. He hits third. That's one. Goes to second in time on the first , a triple play , a triple play , and the ball game is over. The Padres clinch a postseason berth on A543 triple play. Wow.
S1: Wow. That's a moment that's been kind of all over my social media feeds is I'm sure it's been , you know , across many Padres fans.
S3: But yeah , I mean that that's a pretty good insight into what was going through my mind right beforehand. It was almost a desperate kind of thing , right ? You know what I mean ? That was , uh , you know , a best case scenario that didn't look all that probable , but you knew that there was more trouble coming. Uh , even if Rojas grounds into a double play there , you've got Ohtani , Betts , Freeman coming up , three of the best hitters in all of baseball. And you kind of understood everything that was on the line in that moment. And then , um , you know , once it started to happen , there wasn't really any time to think , you know , I mean , like the players , it's a total reaction thing , I think up in the booth and you just start describing what you're seeing. And I think you can probably hear in my voice the levels of surprise going up and up as each throw is made around the infield. Uh , just one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen in baseball. And , you know , as is a bunch of people and I were talking about the last couple of days since it happened , you know , had a play like that occurred in the fifth inning of a game in July against the Cardinals. It still would have been remarkable , but for it to happen in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium to clinch a playoff spot. Really takes it to a level that I don't even know. I knew was was realistic.
S1: And Bryce , you were on hand at Dodger Stadium that night.
S5: I mean , so many things had to go right and nothing more than Manny Machado being the trigger man for that play he was in to protect against the bunt , which Rojas , uh , initially tried , tried to do. Um , but he was he was forward enough on the infield. The ball was hit hard enough that it got to him. The calculus of how fast the base runner was at the end of that play , as Rojas ran toward first. All those things had to happen , but I don't think any of those things even were remotely possible without Manny Machado being the first person to touch the baseball. Um , his kind of internal clock , his sense of where his at , his sense of situation is so singular in baseball , not just as a third baseman , but just somebody who understands the game at a at a level that's far beyond even the best baseball players in the world. Uh , so that that play as it unfolded was just it took a second to process it , even though you saw it right in front of your eyes. That what it meant ? The situation , uh , all those things kind of boiled together , stirred together. And as Jesse pointed out , the the situation of it being a clincher in LA against the Dodgers as they were threatening and , oh , by the way , maybe the best hitter in the game , Shohei Ohtani on deck. Um , that would have created a decision for Mike Shildt. Would they have pitched to him or been careful with him ? And then then you have Mookie Betts and potentially Freddie Freeman. Uh , after that. So , so many things were boiled into this moment. But I can't agree more. Jesse's call was beyond fantastic.
S1: And Dani , what about your thoughts ? I mean , this was really just the latest memorable moment this season. And we've we've seen quite a few already. Right.
S6: Well , I echo Bryce's thoughts on that was a fantastic call by Jesse. And you hear the way Bryce lays it out , all the mechanics of a play like that , that's hard as a as a play by play guy to then , you know , translate that in the moment. And we're blessed to be able to enjoy , you know , the fantastic broadcasting crew that the Padres have because it's been a season of incredible moments. And that's kind of been a hallmark of this team. And so it was fitting to see them clinch their playoff spot in that manner because of the walk offs , because of the comebacks , because of back to back to back home runs , because of a no hitter. All these unlikely moments you hope to experience one of those through the course of the season , and Padres fans and followers reporters around the team have had the pleasure of , in Jesse's case , calling them Bryce , writing about them , me talking about them. And it's been really , really a special season.
S1: Jesse. Can you talk about how you approach those really special moments there ? I mean , baseball , we know is a long game. It can be kind of slow , but when those moments hit , man , they're really powerful. How do you approach that as a broadcaster ? Yeah , I.
S3: Think it's different based on every one , you know. And I mean , you , my my job in very large part , I think , is to try and contextualize what's happening. And , you know , I think that triple play the other night , that's about as excitable of a call as I've ever had in a regular season game again , because there was so much on the line the where the win , the against whom was all critical. You know , as I said , if that would have happened in July , it still would have been incredible , but I wouldn't have probably described it the way I did , or at least with the enthusiasm that I did , I would have gone a little crazy , I'm sure , but it wouldn't have been to that level. You know , Dylan cease throwing a no hitter earlier this season in Washington , you know , was a little bit different energy wise , than the no hitter that Joe Musgrove threw in April of 2021 against Texas , because that was the first no hitter in Padre history. So you're always trying to , you know , thread the needle between giving enough , but also perhaps trying to match your energy level to the exact moment , considering all of the context. And I think that's a really important part of of what I try and do is that , you know , people a lot of them came up to me in the last couple of days and said , I've never heard you get that excited over anything before. And I said , well , have you ever had a bigger moment that you've heard me describe before ? And they said , no. And that's kind of the point. And , you know , you hold back a little bit extra for big moments like that. You know , you always want to meet the moment. But , you know , I think the context of the very long game , as you said in the very long season , matters as well. And look , sometimes you'll go overboard , sometimes maybe you'll go under board. That's fine. But like , that's what I kind of set out to do , is to try and match the moment , you know , as best as I can , considering all of the context of the moment.
S1: Well , I think I speak for a lot of Padre fans where you nailed that one. You nailed that call. Stepping back a bit now , you know , we've talked about how great this season has been , but last year was a different story. There were some really difficult moments and a lot of disappointment. You know , they took a team loaded with big stars like Juan Soto , Blake Snell and ended up missing the playoffs. Even now , those stars departed , you know , $90 million pay cut for this team. The team improved this year. Did any of you expect this year's team to be this good ? Bryce , we'll start with you know.
S5: How's that ? Um , just just because I'm trying to be succinct. Um , just because of the things you began to describe , you lose one of the best All-Around players in the game , or you allow him to leave for New York. Uh , you you executed that trade. Blake Snell , a Cy Young winner across two leagues. Uh , Josh Hader , arguably for much of the season , the best closer in baseball , a huge , you know , payroll cut as you mentioned as well. Uh , so many question marks. It's just it's so strange to think about this team , how complete this roster is. The terror they've been on since the all star break , their ability to beat good teams , their ability to win series after series after series. And just think , as this season started all the way back in February , this outfield was considered to be a mess. Um , you didn't have a center fielder. You didn't have a left fielder. Uh , they went out in the free agent market and found jerks and profar , and all he's done has had the season of his career and become an all star and left. And then Jackson Merrill , who barely played above Single-A baseball , is going to start at one of the premium defensive positions in the game in center field. And not only do that , but excel at a level that makes him one of only two contenders really at this point for the National League Rookie of the year award. Oh , and you have Manny Machado coming off off season surgery. You know , you're trying to get Fernando Tatis Jr settled into right field where he became a Platinum Glove winner. There were just so many question marks. The rotation , uh , was not yet complete or anything close to it. So for all those reasons , what they've done , how the season has taken shape and probably most importantly , moves the A.J. Preller , the president of baseball operations and that group have made. It's hard to go back and find one that they didn't get right. And so , so many of those things had to come together , uh , from spring training until now , and for all those reasons. That's what makes this story so remarkable , I think.
S1: And darn. When looking at this year's team , a word we often hear is clutch. And I think that's something that last year's team may have lacked a little bit.
S6: They were basically the worst team in baseball in clutch situations , and all of a sudden they have basically flipped a script and been one of the best , if not the best. And , you know , baseball is a funny sport and that happens sometimes. You can't always put your finger on why a team excels in certain spots or struggles in certain spots. I do think that whether it's the approach that Mike Shildt instilled with this club competitive at bats , gritty fighting to the end , maybe it was that early season Cubs game where they come back from eight nothing and win 9 to 8. The walk offs. It's just kind of instilled this characteristic of this team that that fights and that's going to fight for every single at bat. They're not going to give in at any point in the game. It seemed at points like last year , if they were down to three , nothing , the game was over because they hadn't really shown the requisite fight. Now , if they're down six in the second inning , you say , okay , a couple of big innings , they're back in it. I think part of it is , aside from the approach and that sort of thing , obviously they got dudes in the lineup that can do it , but they all seem to really like one another and pull for one another. And there seems to be like a trust and a belief in each other that , hey , I don't need to force it. I don't necessarily need to play hero here , because if I can keep the line moving , the guy behind me or the guy behind him is going to get the job done. And so I think that there is just this , this belief , this confidence amongst the group. They seem to really like one another. They've talked about that. And I think that that can only help when you're in these situations where the game's on the line , a not feeling like , okay , I've got it on all on my shoulders , and b the feeling of everybody that's watching the dugout believes in me and has confident me that I can do what I need to do to put this team in position to win.
S1: Jesse , you've been you know , you mentioned the varying narrative surrounding qualifying for the playoffs this week and surrounding this team. One other major narrative around the team this season is that , you know , former team owner Peter Seidler passed away during the last offseason.
S3: I mean , he's he's obviously on everybody's minds. Um , you know , there's definitely a a daily reminder of his presence and everything that he's done for this organization. The players are literally wearing a patch over their hearts , uh , of a golden heart , you know , with his initials on them , on their uniforms , every single game. So , um , he , he's he's a big part of it. And , you know , look , there's there's a thousand reasons why this year is going the way it is as compared to last year. And Bryce and Dani just talked about that. You know what ? I'd throw in another , you know , which is that the struggles of last year taught a lot of lessons that are being applied this year. You know , not only , you know , was everything so much worse than you could have ever expected a season ago. So you figured there would be some sort of mathematical correction this year. But also , you know , I know these guys are elite professional athletes , but they're always trying to get better. They're always trying to learn. And so , you know , taking those failures of 2023 and applying them to 2024 , I think has also been a big part of what's gone. Right. And yeah , I think there is I don't want to say a heaviness hanging over the team because of Peter's death , but certainly it's an added thing that exists that everybody thinks about. And , you know , if maybe you're having one of those days where you're a little tired , you're a little worn down , the focus is maybe a little bit off. You know , that's that's a pretty good reminder that , hey , this is this is bigger than just me. This is as big as this entire community , a fan base that's relying on these guys. And , and and I'd be hard pressed to be convinced that that's not , uh , you know , part of what's going on this year.
S1: Well , and to your point , after that play Tuesday night , I think a lot of the reaction , the initial reaction went back to Peter Seidler and his impact on the team. We have a little clip here of manager Mike Schulte. Yeah.
S7: Yeah. You know what ? I thought about it almost immediately after the triple play. I'm like , man , that's got Peter hitting all over it. Um , and I know he's got a twinkle in his eye , but , um , I also know he'd be the first to say we're not done. Bryce.
S1: Bryce.
S5: Not just the willingness to spend the money to invest. I mean , you just have to look up the coast in the same state in California to see the exact opposite of that with the Oakland A's. And and , you know , the unwillingness , uh , to build a winner there to to keep that team in Oakland. It's the exact opposite in San Diego. And Peter Seidler is the driving force behind that. I mean , his family roots are with the Dodgers. His family , uh , was synonymous with the Dodgers for a long time , but he came here and built something that he wanted more than anything to beat the Dodgers in moments like this and moments like Tuesday night , in moments like the 2022 run to the NLCS , he wasn't just the capital behind it. He was the motivational fire to make it happen. Um , some of the biggest extensions for the biggest players , uh , happened because of Peter Sellers complete and absolute blinders on straight ahead. He wanted to will this team to a championship. And how fitting would it be if if this is the team that could do that for him ? And , um , there's no doubt , as Jesse mentioned also , that signs of him are all around the park , there , in the dugout there , on the uniforms there. As Mike Schulte just mentioned in the clip you guys played , he is on the mind constantly of the people who understand what his role is , his singular role , his irreplaceable role with these Padres.
S1: When roundtable returns , we hear about what stands out about this year's Padres team compared to years past.
S5: And then this offense , which was fourth best in baseball since the break in terms of runs scored. And they are the very best team in baseball in making contact. You start to add all those components together and there is complete as any Padres team , I think potentially you could argue in history.
S1: That's ahead on roundtable. You're listening to KPBS roundtable. I'm Andrew Bracken. Today we're talking about the San Diego Padres and their playoff outlook. I'm joined by the radio voice of the Padres , Jesse Aguilar , along with UT sports columnist Bryce Miller and Dani Tripp from NBC seven. Bryce , the story of this year's Padres can be split into two parts before the All-Star break and after it. I think in a recent column , you likened the team's second half performance to quote a McLaren on the Autobahn.
S5: So I'm not sure how it ended up in the column , but the but but I was just thinking at the kind of warp speed this team has been on since the break. I mean , they're the winningest team since the all star break. To think back that they were the absolute definition of mediocrity at 50 and 50 before they went on this run. I happen to be on that road trip , uh , through Cleveland and DC and Baltimore , and that was ground zero. That was the Dylan Cease no hitter in against the nationals. They won the series two series against two division leaders at that point in the Guardians and the Orioles. But it wasn't just they played good baseball. You saw confidence and trust and faith in each other in that clubhouse develop. Um , it's one thing to win , you know , get on a winning streak in baseball. It's another thing to build something that has a different sort of power source with all those things stirred in. And so this team , you know , the comebacks , the one run games , everything that they were incapable of , you know , doing a season ago , they have done this season. And it's because of that run that started at the all star break. And then at the same time you get back Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado is healthier and he's been you get back Joe Musgrove and you Darvish in the starting rotation and at the trade deadline. The ability of A.J. Preller to be prescient and go out and strengthen the bullpen in the way he did with the pickups of Scott and Adam. Uh , this has become a complete team in front of our eyes.
S1: And Darnay , you know , talking about some of the key players this season. One of the big ones came up earlier , Jackson Merrill. He's a rookie. He's probably one of the top contenders for rookie of the year in the National League. Tell us about him I mean how did he come on your radar ? Tell us his story.
S6: Well first round pick a couple years ago. And you know , Padres fans have grown to be very in tune with Padres draft picks , because I think for a lot of fans , you know , there's they've been waiting to see , you know , AJ powers ability to identify talent in the draft , bear fruit at the big league level. And even if they didn't get there , they would at least be attractive trade chips to bring in players like Juan Soto or Dylan Cease or Luis arise down the line. So there's been a lot of interest and a lot of curiosity. We know that , you know , prospect rankings , farm rankings. The Padres consistently since about 2019 have have been right up there in Jackson. Merrill has been one of those guys , maybe not as highly touted coming out of the draft as as some others , but had some really good seasons at the minor league level. And what Brice mentioned earlier going into this season , without really clear options at center field and at left field. And it became kind of clear as the offseason went on that that Jackson Merrill might be the team's best option. Then you show up to spring training and he's catching fly balls in the outfield , and everybody says , okay , this is this is real. This is happening. And he has just been so incredibly impressive. I think when you imagine what this season might look like for him , you'd say , okay , if he can stay up , you know , it might have to go down at some point to El Paso would have you to work some things out. I think the fact the first few months that he was able to stick in and of itself was an accomplishment. When you factor in a game winning RBI and extra innings at Dodger Stadium , that was kind of a hint of what was to come and then what went right for this team after the All-Star break , Jackson Merrill went right now that process started before the All-Star break. He became an All-Star. But then he went on a tear and and you got a sense that this is a real guy. Like he so far exceeded any hopes or expectations anybody could have for him. And he did it with such maturity. He was unflappable. No matter what they threw at him , no matter what the situation was , he seemed so poised and so prepared. And I think also kind of sparked this team. I think when you think about like , what's different with this club , I think the energy of a young guy who wants to be at the ballpark , who's firing guys up , who's excitable , makes big plays , but has kind of a humility about him , A confidence , but not a cockiness and a desire , game by game , At-Bat by At-Bat. To do what he needs to do to help the team. I think it's been incredible how mature he has been through the course of the season , and I don't think anybody could have reasonably expected him to be as good as he has been at this stage in his career , and he's a big reason why they are where they are , and that's another reason why he probably should be NL rookie of the year.
S1: And another potential reason of why they are where they are. As you mentioned there is the Padres got a new manager this season. Mike Shildt replaced Bob Melvin after last season's disappointing finish.
S3: You know , he's had sort of a , I don't know , nebulous role the last two seasons , kind of doing whatever was needed on the coaching staff and , you know , in the minor leagues , helping to develop some of the young guys. So he has been around , and that gave him a unique perspective in that he was able to , on day one , really have a very good first hand sense of what he thought was good and what he thought needed to be different , you know , coming out of the disappointing 2023 season. So , you know , you compare that to if they would have hired somebody on the outside , there would have been a very serious learning curve , understandably and reasonably , that would have taken place. That might have honestly not allowed the Padres to do everything that they've done this year. But Mike Schulte was able to hit the ground running again. He understood the landscape. He understood the personalities. He understood the strengths and weaknesses of this team. And I think , you know , from the day that he was hired , he was very proactive in kind of reaching out to everybody on this team. He traveled the globe literally to go and visit guys over the winter and kind of lay out what he calls his non-negotiables , his expectations for this team , both on and off the field , but also to hear from those guys what they think happened last year , what they would like to see more of or less of over the course of the season. And I think he's , you know , kind of collected all of that information from these guys and really beautifully applied it here this year. He's the right man for the moment. That's very obvious. He's going to end up either as the National League Manager of the year or maybe second place in that voting. And you just talked about Jackson , Maryland , everything he's provided. The Padres aren't where they are right now without getting what they've gotten out of Jackson Merrill. Same can be said for Mike Shildt. And the reality is same can be said for Dirks and Profar. Same can be said for Manny Machado. You go up and down that list and you realize , all right , in order to have a team win more than 90 games as this team has , you're going to have to have a lot of guys contributing in a lot of ways on the field and in the manager's office. And as Dani alluded to earlier in the front office as well , making moves. And that's exactly what the Padres have had here in 2020 for Brice.
S1: In a recent column , you wrote that the Padres are a group no team wants to see in the playoffs.
S5: Start with that rotation. You know , one of the biggest question marks is right now in a in a short wild card series , a three game series. Who are those three starters ? The Padres have very viable options that go for deep , that potentially go five deep. So as these series get longer , if they're able to advance in the playoffs , they're positioned incredibly well in the sense of their starting pitching. But you look at the bullpen. You look at until the last month or so , month and a half , Robert Suarez was , you know , an all star closer. Um , they've got set up. You know , Tanner Scott was a closer before he came to this team , and now he's in a setup role. That bullpen has incredible depth as well. And then this offense , which was fourth best in baseball since the break in terms of runs scored. And they are the very best team in baseball in making contact. The very best team in baseball in not striking out. You start to add all those components together and there is complete as any Padres team I think potentially you could argue in history because of all of those elements in the game. And they played really clean baseball defensively too. So you start checking boxes and they check almost all of them at this point of the year. And there's no reason to think with the the veterans they have and the track record and the way this season is developed that that couldn't continue.
S1: And Jesse , success in the playoffs often comes down to these teams that so-called , you know , get hot at the right time. I'm curious what you look for in a team.
S3: I mean , certainly you don't want to go into the playoffs stumbling and bumbling. I don't I don't know that that's good for anybody. But , you know , with with the new playoff format , which is only a couple of years old right now. The postseason is longer than it has ever been , and I think a lot of the same principles that are applied during the long regular season apply more now in the playoffs than maybe they ever did before. You know , prior to 1969 , you won the National League or you won the American League and you went to the World Series. So you had one postseason series , uh , for for all the marbles after 1969 , the divisional era. Right. You had an East and a West. So you had one playoff series and then the World Series. Then we had the wild card era in the mid 90s that added around. And now most teams in the playoffs are going to play in this wild card round , a best of three before qualifying for the best of five division series , which takes you to the best of seven championship series , which takes you to the best of seven World Series. So it's it's a long , long month plus potentially if you make a run all the way through the World Series. And so , you know , you don't want to come in necessarily super hot playing the best baseball ever. Because , yeah , that might serve you well at the beginning , but you got a long month ahead. And I think back to last year's Philadelphia Phillies , who took a two nothing lead on Arizona in the National League Championship Series. The Phillies , quite honestly , looked like a team that would never lose again. They were just firing on all cylinders. They had been throughout the playoffs. They had , you know , knocked out bigger , battered teams. And then all of a sudden , you know , they blew one game and it just fell apart for them. And the Diamondbacks end up winning that World Series and winning the National League pennant. So I think it's such a long month that , again , those principles that we hear regularly from the Padres about one day at a time , playing clean baseball , not getting too far ahead of yourself. I think that stuff applies in the postseason now more than it ever has.
S1: And Dani , as Jesse mentioned there , you know , playoff rules have changed. The playoffs have gotten longer in the MLB.
S6: There's a lot of fans , and I think people around the team that are wondering maybe are better off to keep the momentum and keep playing through the wild card series rather than sit for a handful of games , maybe getting a bit rusty , then running into a team that just won a series , they've got momentum on their side. So it's interesting from that standpoint. I think for the Padres , simply being in position to host a wild card series is an enormous win and maybe the best possible option out there because of what I just mentioned. You know , because they continue to stay active , they're going to be playing in front of their home crowd. And we are familiar with the record breaking atmosphere that we've seen through Petco Park this entire season. So that's going to be a huge advantage. And then I think just this team has has generated so much momentum the last few months , and I think having a chance to play at home , regardless of who they're facing , we might not know who that is until Monday because of weather in the southeastern portion of the United States. But staying on the field , having somebody come to Petco Park , getting that top wild card , locking that down , I think is is huge for the Padres. Really , really exciting for the fans. And we saw the way that they generated momentum going into New York in 2022 , winning that series and then that catapulting them through the NLDS against a Dodgers team that had just sat for a few days , and then on to the LCS against the Phillies.
S1: When we come back , we hear about what the Padres recent success means for its fans and the San Diego Tijuana region more broadly.
S3: This is a great baseball town. It's a great baseball community. People in San Diego grow up playing baseball. They grow up loving baseball. They grow up following baseball. And , you know , this team and this organization has put itself in position to be loved.
S1: That's next on roundtable. Welcome back to KPBS roundtable. I'm Andrew Bracken. We continue our discussion on the San Diego Padres with the Utes Bryce Miller , NBC Seven's Dani Trip and the Padres radio play by play announcer Jesse Aguilar. Darnit , you were just talking about fans. And fair or not , I think San Diego sometimes gets the reputation for not being a strong sports town. Fair or not , we have the weather. We have lots of stuff going on. Yet. The Padres set a new attendance record this year , seeing over 3.3 million fans attend Padres Padre games. It's the breaks , last season's record , and that's among the highest in baseball. You know , similar to teams much more familiar , like the Yankees and the Dodgers.
S6: I mean , I was listening to Bryce and two things came to mind. If you build it , they will come in a sense , just in terms of building a contending roster and , uh , scared money don't make money like you got to spend money to generate the interest and the engagement. And there's probably ways other Major League Baseball teams have done it. And again , context matters. What had happened with the NFL team just a few years prior matters where you have ownership that maybe isn't completely invested in the fan base and in this city , then you have the exact opposite. Peter Seidler They're saying , no , we're going to push all our chips in. He along with Ron Fowler before that , we want to field a competitive roster. We're going to spend money on the Eric Hosmer Manny Machado's of the world. We're going to make sure Fernando Tatis junior is locked in Juan Soto , Josh Hader for a playoff run. And they'd hoped multiple postseason runs. That signals something to a fan base. Why are we going to be invested in you if you are not invested in bringing a championship team here ? And that was Siders goal to bring star level talent , to bring championship contending caliber rosters year in and year out to Petco Park. And I think there's obviously a direct correlation between them doing that , stacking talent , creating that excitement , getting a taste of the postseason in 2020 once everybody was back in 2021. Petco Park has been nuts ever since , and I think the investment in the roster. The opportunity after the charge is left to be the town. They have made the most of that. And I think it's it's a service to the fan base. And they've been paid back for their efforts in sellout after sellout and record crowds throughout the season.
S1: Jesse , do you agree with Dani's assessment there ? The Padres fans have been nuts this season.
S3: I think everybody is excitable and and ready for whatever lies ahead. You know , when I moved here in 2014 , it became very apparent to me very quickly , which was not something I realized as somebody from the other coast is that this is a great baseball town. It's a great baseball community. People in San Diego grow up playing baseball. They grow up loving baseball. They grow up following baseball. But quite frankly , over the long history now of the San Diego Padres , there were not many years in which the local major league teams sort of lived up to the love that the fans had inside of them. And as Dani said , that corner has been turned. And you know , this team and this organization has put itself in position to be loved by all of these people who love the game , love the sport and are enthusiastic about it. And you add in , obviously , a world class experience at a world class facility at Petco Park. And it just kind of takes things to a level that perhaps a lot of people earlier in the history of this franchise could never have imagined. But the good thing is the people who have been in charge for the last decade plus , this is what they've imagined , and this is what they knew was possible. If there was the proper investment and the proper level of winning , that has come. And yeah , I mean , it seemed to me two years ago when the Padres were just a few wins away from a potential World Series appearance that the Padres , it felt like , became the center of the culture in San Diego in October of 2022. That would have been unimaginable to think about a decade ago. And I think we're right back , kind of on the cusp of that again. And obviously you start to dream and imagine a little bit about what it might be like if the Padres not only got back to the World Series , but won the first World Series in franchise history. I think it would be a party that we would remember for the rest of our lives all around town. Absolutely.
S1: Absolutely. And Bryce , even looking at San Diego sports beyond just the Padres , I mean , the San Diego Wave FC , they've set multiple attendance records in their league , the NWSL.
S5: I know when the Stan Kroenke group got involved with the the stadium bill , the development happening with that plan. The question that was on everybody's mind , is there a possibility that the NBA could come here ? The NHL could come here. I've written a lot about that in the past , and without getting too deep in the weeds , there are complications with all those questions , if not just flat and likelihoods , Hoods , but just a city the size. The eight largest city in the United States. Does it feel like there's more here ? Um , available from a sports fan , uh , investment perspective ? Uh , I think that's worth exploring. That's something they've shown. Uh , look at a season ago , I remember writing a column about these Padres , as they were historically disappointing in ways that you could mention and go tick off and go through. Uh , the MVP of the team I said was the fan base because there was a ticket price increase. They still there were sellouts. They showed up , they brought energy. Look around the country , at other ballparks and the crowds that they get and and compare and contrast that to what what the Padres have developed in San Diego. So it is a baseball town. I don't think there's any doubt about that anymore. That question existed when the when the Chargers were still here , uh , because they had a longer , more successful in some ways , history , you know , some of the biggest stars in in the city's long time. You know we're chargers. But at the same time everyone has left the stage. For the most part you're right. The wave FC have been a great addition to the landscape. San Diego State Aztec Basketball was in the national title game uh , in Houston. Uh , so it's not limited to the Padres , but there's no doubt who draws our attention where the fan base is invested and where all eyes are moving forward , especially right now.
S1: So darn playoff tickets for home playoff games , they're going to be pretty hard to come by and probably pretty expensive too.
S6: It's become just kind of a funny internet trend. Whenever something exciting Sighting happens in a Padres game. You'll see an old clip from the Gaslamp from , I believe , 2020 after they won a playoff series. That's the great thing about having a downtown stadium that's situated by bars and restaurants and that sort of thing. I think the fun of a playoff run is you feel it pulsating throughout an entire city , throughout an entire county , and everybody would love to be at the games. Um , but , you know , I myself growing up wasn't , you know , somebody that was at every single big game , every single playoff game. But the fun thing about a run like this and a postseason , a team that captivates the community as you feel it everywhere you go. And if you want to get a taste of that experience but don't have a ticket to get into the gates at Petco Park , walk around the stadium , go to the team shop , go to some bars and restaurants , hang out afterwards because you're going to feel that before and after , especially after a win. Heck , we saw Wil Myers buying drinks for fans after I believe it was the Dodgers series back in 2022. So that's what makes this sort of thing so much fun is it's not just for the people in the stadium , it's for the entire fan base , the entire city , and everybody is going to get a chance to feel it and experience in some capacity. Absolutely.
S1: Absolutely. And expecting to see a lot of brown and gold on the streets , on buildings all over. I want to get each of your final thoughts here. What did the Padres need to do to keep this season going later into October is I think everybody's hoping for Bryce will start with you.
S5: Well , stay healthy for starters , if you're going to have the conversation about how complete this clubhouse is , how complete this lineup is , how complete this rotation and bullpen are for the Padres , the most important part is , is keeping guys healthy. We saw what a difference maker it has been with Joe. Not only Joe Musgrove return to that rotation , but returning in the way that he has , the way that he has pitched you. Yu Darvish has looked , for the most part , really , really good. And there were question marks about whether he'd even be back this season. We've seen the power return to Manny Machado. His numbers early in the season had people questioning , you know , his his level of readiness every single day. Uh , but but he seems healthy. Uh , Fernando Tatis Jr is healthy again. Um , so as you go through the list of what's most important to them , I would start there.
S1: Dani , what jumps to mind for you ? You know , I.
S6: Think , you know , here in Jesse talk about Mike shield. One thing that I've noticed with Mike Shildt is , and this is a compliment , he kind of has a boring approach to the game of baseball , which can be helpful in a 162 game season. If you so dramatically ride the highs and lows , it's going to be tough. It's going to make it tough on your team. And if you listen to somebody like Manny Machado , he kind of has taken on that mindset of every game's a big game. We're going to treat it with the same level of seriousness , every single situation. And I think that's really important during the postseason , there's going to be a tough moment. There's going to be a tough game. But how do you respond to that if you have a big win ? Do you have the relentlessness that okay , we're going to flush that and try and do the same thing the next night. If you lose a game in extra innings , are you able to flush it and move on and not let it kind of carry over to the next game ? I think that's been one of the differences with this year's team is just having a very businesslike approach. It's worked for them and so I see no reason to change it.
S1: Now , Jesse , you have the final word.
S3: They're going to put themselves in as good of a position as they can possibly be in. That guarantees nothing of of course , you know , sports , like life , are inherently unpredictable. Um , I like to say baseball is the most beautifully stupid of all the games. Because any time you think you understand it or you know something about it , uh , the game kind of smacks you in the face and reminds you that you don't know anything at all. But , um , that is the point of having that kind of approach that Darnay just , uh , described. And it is boring , but it's a necessary boring to survive the grind of this sport , which is different than any other. And so I think if the 2024 Padres continue to do what they have done , they will continue to have success in the ways that they have this year.
S1: Well , we just want to say thanks for breaking down that grind for all of us here as we continue to follow the Padres season. I've been speaking with Padres radio announcer Jesse Aguilar. You can hear him on 97 three The Fan. Bryce Miller , sports columnist with The Union Tribune , is also been here , along with NBC sports anchor and reporter Dani Tripp. Thanks again. I know it's a really busy time a year for you all , and we thank you for your time today. Thank you.
S8: Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. Thanks so much for listening. You can listen to KPBS roundtable anytime as a podcast. Roundtable airs on KPBS FM at noon on Fridays again Sundays at 6 a.m.. If you have thoughts on today's show or ideas for a future one , you can email us at roundtable at KPBS. Org you can also leave us a message at (619) 452-0228. Roundtable's technical producer this week was Brandon Truffaut. The show was produced by Jacob Air. Brooke Ruth is roundtable senior producer and I'm Andrew Bracken. Thanks again for listening and have a great weekend.
