San Diego Padres: When is Opening Day 2021?

While far from normal, Opening Day 2021 will certainly feel a lot closer to what San Diego Padres fans have grown used to over the years.

San Diego opens the regular season campaign at Petco Park on April 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. That game will mark the first in a six-game homestand for the Friars, who – like most other teams – will be playing in front of live fans in a reduced capacity.

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Guidelines issued by the State of California have permitted 20 percent capacity at Petco Park for Opening Day, which means between 8,000 and 10,000 fans in the seats. That, of course, assumes the state is within the prescribed metrics related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic next week, which looks likely.

Padres: Opening Day 2021 tickets are going for ridiculous prices

Padres fans are certainly excited for the opportunity to see the club back in action this season – so much so that prices are skyrocketing ahead of Opening Day. With the reduced capacity and increased demand after a tremendous offseason, tickets for the April 1 game are costing folks more than $1,000.

Hopefully, as vaccinations ramp up across the country, we’ll see increased attendance at Petco Park and other ballparks across the season. But until that happens, season ticket holders get first crack at all tickets – leaving thousands of folks clamoring to buy secondhand seats early on in the year.

Yu Darvish will get the ball on Opening Day

As everyone is well aware, the Padres boast one of the most impressive starting rotations in all of baseball. With such depth, manager Jayce Tingler had a tough decision to make when it came to the team’s Opening Day starter.

Blake Snell turned in a tremendous spring, but it’ll be Yu Darvish on the bump Thursday at Petco Park. The big right-hander was one of the team’s biggest acquisitions of the offseason and is coming off a runner-up finish in NL Cy Young voting a year ago.

How to watch Padres Opening Day 2021

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PDT. You can watch on Fox Sports San Diego and Fox Deportes San Diego. The game will also be broadcast on KWFN 97.3 and XEMO 860 if you’re more about the radio side of things.