San Diego Stadium

Lore & Background

The stadium was the longtime home for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Padres played home games at the stadium from their founding in 1969 through the 2003 season, then moved to Petco Park in downtown San Diego. The stadium hosted the 1984 and 1998 World Series, the 1978 and 1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and games of the 1996 and 1998 National League Division Series and the 1984 and 1998 National League Championship Series. It was the only stadium ever to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year (1998).

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun glinted off the Coronado Bridge, casting long shadows across the warning track as the seventh-inning stretch began. Inside Petco Park, the air smelled faintly of grilled fish from the nearby Gaslamp Quarter and fresh cut grass. A young fan, clutching a foam hot dog, watched in awe as the pitcher wound up, the wind from the bay barely rustling the flags atop the outfield wall. Unlike the howling gales of the old stadium days, this was a quiet, reverent moment where history felt tangible, connecting the present game to decades of San Diego dreams played out on this very field.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was configured for baseball with portable sections placed in the western quadrant along the third base-left field side. Open bullpens were located along both foul lines. In the Padres' final five seasons at the stadium from 1999 to 2003, the home plate area took on the shape of home plate itself.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was the first of the square-circle 'octorad' style.
• It was the only stadium ever to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year (1998).
• The original scoreboard was replaced in 1978 by the first full-color outdoor scoreboard ever built.
• The stadium was temporarily renamed 'Snapdragon Stadium' for 10 days in December 2011.