San Diego Padres: Both Sides of the Epic Rally

After Sunday’s historical Super Bowl, comebacks are at the forefront of much sports discussion. And while many may not remember, the San Diego Padres have been on both sides of the comeback.

Chances are, San Diego Padres fans had little to no rooting interest in last night’s Super Bowl. In a classic for the ages, the New England Patriots took home yet another Lombardi trophy in a 34-28 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Of course, the most compelling aspect of the game was the Super Bowl record 25 point comeback the Patriots were able to pull off. And as thrilling as it was for New England fans, the sting of defeat felt by the fans of the Falcons is devastating beyond compare.

The Padres have been on both sides of the epic rally. Fans have fond memories of exciting comebacks at Petco Park in recent memory. Similarly, many can sympathize with Atlanta fans, having experience with victory seemingly being unfairly snatched from their grasp.

In 2015, the Padres played a game for the ages at Citi Field in New York. In a rain filled contest, the two teams fought through two separate delays to finish a thriller. The Padres trailed 7-1 in the seventh, but defied everyone’s expectations by rattling off seven straight runs.

The rally was capped off by a three run blast by Justin Upton in the ninth, improving the surging club’s record to 49-53.

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What is freshest in the memories of fans though is the flip side of the stunning rally. Just this past season, the Seattle Mariners rolled into Petco Park and pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in baseball history. Rattling off 14 consecutive runs, the Mariners dug themselves out of a 10 run hole and won by a final of 16-13.

Padres fans in attendance that night definitely wish they could forget what was a shocking collapse. But much like the Falcons’ loss last night, blowing a substantial lead makes matters much more painful for all involved. Unlike Atlanta though, the Padres are fortunate that their defeat’s ramifications were not nearly as large as the Falcons’, since no championship was on the line.

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Comebacks are always going to be a part of sports. In baseball, rallies resulting from seized momentum make the game so much more interesting. They are the sole reason fans continue to watch in the stands and on TV even when their team is in a multiple run hole or has a significant lead. Comebacks are inevitable in baseball. The Padres only hope that this season the excitement of a rally works in their favor more often than not.

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