The stairs inside of the home plate gate at Petco Park have been transformed into a memorial with flowers, candles, baseballs, hats, jerseys, letters and more, in memory of San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler.
The 63-year-old died Tuesday, the team announced. He survived two rounds of cancer treatments and, most recently, announced in September he would not be able to attend the rest of the season’s games because of an unspecified medical procedure.
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Seidler was known for spending hundreds of millions of dollars and making bold moves in an attempt to bring a long-elusive World Series championship to San Diego. However, he was also known for giving back to the community outside of the ballpark, specifically when it came to homelessness.
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NBC 7 visited the memorial at Petco Park on Wednesday and asked Padres fans to share a few words about what Seidler meant to them.
This is what they shared:
“How should I say this? It’s like part of a family, I guess. It’s just something you do to pay your respects and honor a person of his stature here in San Diego, and just to let him know that even though he’s gone that we truly do, we truly appreciate everything he did for San Diego and all his things that he did behind the scenes,” Frank Escarcega, a lifelong Padres fan who drove down from Escondido to visit the memorial with his son, said.
“It’s hard to explain. It is, but it’s not. He brought the city of San Diego, all the communities together. He’s our family. I’m here because I want to pay respect the same way he paid us respect. He brought life and culture back into this city with baseball,” Luis Solis, who brought flowers and a conch shell to perform a ritual in Seidler’s honor, shared.
“Peter was a good owner. He changed the culture here in San Diego. Ever since the Chargers left, we haven’t had much to root for ever since that, and so he kind of changed what it is to be a San Diego Padres fan. It means a lot especially for someone who has grown up here and who has been a Padres fan their entire life.” Andrew Flores, who was born and raised in San Diego, said.
“I’m having a tough time with this because it’s hard to believe he’s gone, especially since he was a year younger than I am, but we just send our blessings and we pray that our organization can still continue to do well and win the World Series for him next year,” a Padres season ticket holder of more than 10 years told NBC 7.
“Number one, Peter was just a fabulous person for our community. Not only did he bring our community together through baseball, which we all love, he was here for the community in a humanitarian way too. He helped the homeless. He then decided he wanted to make this team come together and have a winning season, finally, and with that said you got to get behind people like that. It’s not about the money in your pocket, because all of us at the end of the day are just going to walk away with what we’ve done on this earth and I appreciate him for that,” a man who drove from Oceanside to deliver a poster that read, "P.S. we heart you," said.
The Friars released a statement on Tuesday morning, which read, in part:
“The Padres organization mourns the passing of our beloved chairman and owner, Peter Seidler,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner. “Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate. His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations. His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres. Although he was our chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”
The Padres will open the Home Plate Gate at Petco Park beginning this afternoon for those who wish to gather to pay their respects. Free parking will be available at Tailgate Lot.
The gates were expected to be open until midnight on Wednesday.
