The San Diego Padres, after being bullied since the day they were born, are convinced they are bigger, badder and better than the Los Angeles Dodgers, their neighbors up north on the I-5, says BNightengale
“It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come,’’ says Pomeranz, who remembers three Rule 5 players on his 2016 Padres team. “Before, the Padres were just a team no one talked about. No one cared about. Nothing. It’s unreal.
There’s six-time All-Star third baseman Manny Machado. There’s four-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Xander Bogaerts. There’s three-time Silver Slugger and World Series champion Juan Soto and two-time Silver Slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. There’s four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader. There’s five-time All-Star Yu Darvish, Cy Young winner Blake Snell and All-Star and World Series champ Joe Musgrove in the rotation.
Then again, there has never been a Padres’ team with a $255 million payroll, third-largest in baseball, either, after dropping more than $300 million in free-agent contracts this winter. The hysteria over the Padres has caused the front office to cap season-ticket sales. They are expected to set a franchise-record in attendance, drawing more than three million fans for only the second time in history. Fire marshals had to intervene and limit the number of fans pouring into Petco Park two weeks ago at the Padres’ FanFest. The celebration in the Gaslamp Quarter would make Mardi Gras look like an elementary school pizza party.
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