San Diego Padres Make History Again

The San Diego Padres were on the wrong side of history once again on Opening Day on Monday, dropping an ugly 14-3 decision at the hands of the Dodgers.

On Monday, the San Diego Padres made history for the second year in a row. This time it was just Dodger history, as that team, one of the oldest in the sport, had never before blasted four home runs on opening day. Last year, San Diego achieved the dubious honor of being on the wrong end of the worst opening day shutout loss in the history of Major League Baseball.

Of course with Clayton Kershaw pitching for L.A. the Padres didn’t have much of a chance anyway. Still, a 14-3 drubbing casts a pall over the team and the very young players.

But hey, there’s good news. In 2016 the Padres didn’t score one single run in the opening series against the Dodgers. The team banished that curse in the first inning, giving fans a brief moment of excitement, especially since it came against the generally acknowledged “best pitcher on the planet.”

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Just a few short years ago, both the Dodgers and Padres struggled under owners that should never have been allowed to buy the teams in the first place. Jeff Moorad’s installment plan didn’t  work in San Diego, and the Dodgers actually filed for bankruptcy thanks to Jamie and Frank McCourt.

Both teams were sold in 2012, and since then, the Dodgers have won the West five times with the Padres highest finish being third place. When current President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and General Manager Farhan Zaidi, took over the franchise in 2014, they chose to keep young stars like Corey Seager and Joc Pederson. Both hit home runs on opening day, with Pederson knocking in five of the runs scored by the Dodgers. Former Friar’s Logan Forsythe, Adrian Gonzalez and Yasmani Grandal all played a part in the beat down.

Next: Few Bright Spots in Opening Day Drubbing

The Dodgers have thrived since the ownership change, the Padres not so much. However, one of the reasons we love baseball is that there’s almost always a game the next day. The Padres have 161 more chances for better results.