SAN DIEGO — Within the house clubhouse at Petco Park, they arrange sheets of plastic across the lockers, then wheeled within the tubs of beer and champagne. There was a speech from the supervisor, then screaming and laughing and liquids flying across the room from all angles. They took footage collectively and sang and hugged. When it was accomplished, they spilled onto the sector to revel within the second with their households.
It’s one factor to get right here; moments like this one have been uncommon for a lot of the Padres’ historical past. It’s one other factor to make it a behavior.
However right here they’re once more. The Padres are going to the playoffs. Again to the playoffs.
With their dramatic 5-4 victory over the Brewers in 11 innings on Monday evening at Petco Park, San Diego punched its ticket to the postseason for a second straight 12 months. That’s no small achievement. It marks the primary time the Padres have put collectively back-to-back playoff appearances since 2005-06.
“It’s fairly particular,” stated star third baseman Manny Machado. “Hell yeah, it’s particular.”
Stated supervisor Mike Shildt: “We’re in — I believe proper to start with of — the most effective period of Padres baseball.”
If something, this season solely solidifies it. The Padres have reached the postseason for the fourth time in six years. They’ve spent greater than half a decade as perennial contenders. They’ve entrenched themselves as one of many Nationwide League’s heavyweights.
Now, for that elusive subsequent step. The Padres are eyeing the primary World Sequence in franchise historical past, and Step 1 is full.
“We really feel like we’ve got a workforce that may win the entire thing,” stated normal supervisor A.J. Preller. “It begins by getting in. That’s the primary half.”
With the roster Preller constructed — then bolstered on the Commerce Deadline — the Padres definitely like their possibilities. If something, Monday’s clincher served solely to bolster the significance of the strikes Preller made on the Deadline.
It was newcomer Freddy Fermin who laced a walk-off single within the eleventh — the primary time in franchise historical past the Padres clinched their playoff spot with a walk-off. Collectively, they spilled out of the house dugout to mob Fermin simply past the infield grime. One other sellout crowd at Petco Park erupted.
“That second — that’s particular,” Fermin stated afterward within the clubhouse, in between dousings from Luis Arraez, then Adrian Morejon. “I put the swing [that] put my workforce within the postseason.”
Fermin’s arrival, in fact, got here on a frenzied Deadline day that noticed Preller swing six trades involving 22 gamers. These strikes appeared to handle virtually all the workforce’s flaws.
The lineup grew considerably deeper with the additions of Fermin, Ramón Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn. An already wonderful aid corps turned some of the fearsome in current reminiscence with the addition of Mason Miller. It’s the kind of bullpen that wins in October.
That’s the place the Padres are headed. There’s nonetheless an opportunity they may host a Wild Card Sequence, if they’ll reel in both the Dodgers or the Cubs over the following six days. They path each by 2 1/2 video games (and would win a tiebreaker over the Cubs however have already misplaced their tiebreaker with the Dodgers).
Wherever that sequence is performed, it sounds just like the Padres already know who’s going to take the ball. On Monday, Nick Pivetta accomplished some of the spectacular debut seasons in Padres historical past. He wasn’t at his sharpest, permitting three second-inning runs, however he saved the Padres within the sport from there and labored 5 2/3 stable frames.
“Nick was a warrior tonight,” Shildt stated. “And he’ll be arrange for, almost definitely, Recreation 1.”
Presuming that’s all for Pivetta this (common) season, he completed with a 2.87 ERA throughout 31 begins with 190 strikeouts to simply 50 walks. He has been a steadying presence in a rotation that has been in flux seemingly all summer time. Pivetta would have per week’s price of relaxation earlier than he takes the ball subsequent.
“That is only the start step,” Pivetta stated. “It is a great point. We completed some nice stuff. … However we’ve got a number of work in entrance of us.”
Nonetheless, Monday supplied an opportunity for the Padres to pause and rejoice what they’ve completed to this point. It’s solely the ninth journey to the postseason of their 57-season historical past. After a disappointing exit in 2024, they earned their manner again.
The pitching workers handled accidents to Michael King, Yu Darvish and Jason Adam. Their lineup was hit with its share of attrition, too. Heck, Fernando Tatis Jr. wasn’t even there to rejoice, as he battles an sickness which may maintain him out of the lineup for an additional day or two. (Machado FaceTimed Tatis into the celebration.)
“It has not been a straight line,” Shildt stated. “It’s been grindy. However that makes it much more particular.”
