The 2023 San Diego Padres
- The first pitch on Opening Day has been moved from 1:10 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. due to weather, the Padres announced Wednesday night.
- San Diego is coming off a great year when they eclipsed the Dodgers in the playoffs but lost the pennant to the Phillies, who were vanquished in the World Series by the Astros
- According to the Bleacher Report, the Friars' payroll this season is $251.1 million, trailing only New York's Mets ($336.1 million) and Yankees ($268 million)
UPDATE: First Pitch Delayed
The Padres' season opener Thursday at Petco Park has been pushed back to 6:40 p.m., the team announced Wednesday night. The move was forced by rainy afternoon weather forecasted by the National Weather Service.
Petco Park will open to fans with tickets at 4:30 p.m.
Well, San Diego, at long last, is this the Padres year? While they made a great run in 2022's postseason, finally sending home the dreaded Dodgers, Padres GM AJ Preller and the rest of the front office moved the needle even more in the Friars' favor during the off-season, inking deals with Xander Bogaerts and others and contract extensions with fan favorites like Manny Machado and Yu Darvish. So, what do you need to know before the first pitch of the season?
When Is Opening Day?
For all the new Friars fans, heads up: Opening Day at Petco Park this year is Thursday, March 30. The opening pitch will be thrown at 6:40 p.m. by the Colorado Rockies starter. Padres ace Blake Snell (8-10 in 2022 with a 3.38 ERA) has been tapped to take the mound for San Diego.
Friars' Opening Day Forecast
Rain moves in this week on Wednesday morning, according to NBC 7's Sheena Parveen, and will drop through the day, with another round Thursday. As of now, most rain looks to be Thursday morning, with showers lingering through the afternoon. Winds don’t look as high as our last storm, mostly gusting near 20-25 mph at the coast and inland valleys Wednesday. Rain totals could be around 1 inch for most of the county over both days combined.
Rainouts at Petco Park are a rarity: The last one was five years ago when it was too wet for the Friars to beat the Dodgers on May 7, 2017.
The Padres have a somewhat complicated policy regarding rainouts, and canceled and postponed games. Get the deets here.
Opening Day Giveaway
Sorry, fam, but the Friars giveaways don't begin till Sunday, April 2, when 40,000 fans will get an Opening Series Hat.
- Sunday, April 2 at 1:10 p.m.
*Giveaway!
Event: Military Opening Day
The San Diego Padres salute servicemembers and veterans with 25% off tickets on Sundays all season.
Event: Kidsfest
Ahead of the game, bounce houses, face painting, balloon artists and more. After the game, kids can run the bases.
Here are more details on the scheduled giveaways:
Opening Day Block Party
Again, you're gonna have to wait till the weekend. A block party is slated for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, on J Street between 7th-10th avenues. The 11th Annual Opening Weekend Block Party party is free and will feature lots of locals vendors, live music and more.
More on Opening Day 2023
How to Get to Petco Park
The Padres and MTS are expecting sellout crowds for most home games this season, so the best bet for most fans headed to those 81+ games should plan on jumping on the Trolley, if possible. The Green Line from Old Town, which will set you back $2.50 each way, is a great way to go. You'll need to transfer to the Blue or Orange Line to get to the stop at 12th and Imperial, then walk over. Just follow all the folks in brown and yellow, er, gold?
The MTS says the red rail cars will arrive every 15 minutes during Opening Weekend, with additional trains added after the games. You'll want to add the Pronto app on your phone and buy fares before you go.
Tickets Still Available for Padres Opening Day
Believe it or not, there are still seats — or, at least, tickets available for the so-called Gallagher Square area familiarly known as the Park in the Park, for $79, plus fees.
AND there are still seats available in some of the more swanky field adjacent sections, but the prices are steep: Section 110, right near third base, Row 5? $304 apiece, as of Wednesday. It looks like, with fees, two tickets will set you back $688.50.
Parking for Opening Day
Spots in Tailgate Park at Imperial and 12th avenues will run you $48, as will those in the Parkade Lot at 440 11th Ave. Spots at the Hilton at Harbor Drive are 35 bucks, as are those at Convention Center at 111 W. Harbor. Those spots are available via Ticketmaster.
Or maybe you'll luck out with street parking? Kind of a gamble, that.
What You Can Bring to Petco Park
This one's kinda complicated. We scanned the Padres FAQ and grabbed the following directly from their site. Head on over there for more information:
Banners and Signs: The San Diego Padres welcome and encourage fan support including homemade signs and banners. To ensure that these articles do not distract others, we ask that guests adhere to the following guidelines: The San Diego Padres request that banners not be placed in the direct sight line of the batter and/or hung in any area of the playing field or over seat backs, protective railings, infringe on the sight lines of other guests, obstruct any advertising signage or video ribbon boards, be larger than four (4) feet by eight (8) feet in size, or be commercial, political, or obscene in nature.
Beverages: Factory-sealed plastic bottled water that is still, clear and unflavored and that is one (1) liter (32 ounces) or less, and soft-sided single juice or milk containers or ADA required liquids in a sealed container are permitted into Petco Park. Guests with disabilities may bring factory-sealed plastic or paper containers that contain liquids required for medical reasons into the ballpark.
Cameras: Guests are welcome to bring non-professional still cameras and video cameras into Petco Park for their personal use provided the lenses are no longer than 6" long and no extra detachable lenses.
Credit/ATM Cards: Petco Park is a cashless venue. Credit cards, Padres Pay and other forms of digital payment will be accepted at all concession and retail locations.
Food: The San Diego Padres permit guests to bring food into Petco Park intended for individual consumption (not for groups of individuals) and should be consumed in one’s seat. Outside food cannot be brought into any ballpark restaurant, club lounge, or suite. Guests must also adhere to the following:
- All food items should be wrapped, bagged or left inside a container to avoid spillage
- Food that might be thrown as a projectile must be sliced or sectioned (i.e., oranges, apples and other fruits)
- Food containers must be soft-sided and comply with Petco Park bag policies
- Guests are allowed to bring one factory-sealed plastic bottled water that is still, clear and unflavored, and that is one (1) liter (32 ounces) or less, and soft-sided single juice or milk containers or ADA required liquids in a sealed container
- One (1) liter reusable water bottles (no glass) are permitted and must be empty upon entry into the ballpark
Kids: Petco Park offers complimentary admission to children under 36 inches in height, provided they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. These children must sit in the lap of the accompanying adult and not occupy an additional seat.
Service Animals: Service animals are welcomed at Petco Park. In keeping with U.S. ADA regulations, disabled guests may use either a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the guest
Stollers, Wheelchairs and Walkers: Petco Park welcomes guests with strollers, wheelchairs and walkers. However, their use must not limit guest movement or block aisles.
Umbrellas: Small, collapsible umbrellas are allowed in Petco Park. Any umbrella that blocks sightlines or becomes a nuisance for any reason to other guests is not permitted.
How to Watch the Padres at Home
Can't go make it out to the game yourself? TV and streaming to the rescue.
With Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks and the owner of Bally Sports, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, there have been some concerns, however, about how to watch the games this year, and, more immediately, on Opening Day.
As of now, fans can tune in to Bally Sports San Diego as they normally do. If, however, Bally Sports were to stop broadcasting the games, Major League Baseball is reportedly ready to come in for the save, streaming games for free on MLB.com.
Prior to Diamond releasing a statement, the New York Post reported that the company was expected to reject the contracts of teams it's losing money on, which includes the Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Guardians. If so, per the Post, MLB intends to take over local broadcasts for the impacted teams and stream the games for free in the local markets while negotiations continue.
Base packages for Bally Sports+ begin at around $20 per month.
LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.
