This Day in Padres’ History…Wiggins Swipes Five

Former Padres’ speedster Alan Wiggins. Mandatory Credit: ut-sandiego.com

On May 17th, 1984, the San Diego Padres were still trying to find themselves at 18-18. We know the end result of the 1984 season–a National League pennant and a World Series berth. But something special happened on that mid-May day at Jack Murphy Stadium.

The Montreal Expos were in town who had a certain man named Pete Rose in the lineup. Padres’ second baseman Alan Wiggins started the game with 19 stolen bases. He would finish with 24. Wiggins went 2-for-3 with 2 walks, 2 runs scored and most notably, 5 stolen bases. That tied a National League record at the time. The Padres eventually won the game 5-4, moving one game over .500 at 19-18.

Wiggins finished the 1984 season third in the major leagues with 70 stolen bases. That one day on May 17th let the whole league know he was a weapon once on the base paths.

Wiggins hit .341 with a stolen base in the 1984 postseason. He was a vital part in the NL Pennant run for San Diego. Unfortunately, Wiggins passed away in 1991 at the age of 32, but his ability on the base paths dazzled people for several seasons. He is third all-time in franchise history in stolen bases and also holds the top two spots for most stolen bases in a single season by a Padres’ player with 66 in 1983.