San Diego Padres

By Karen Pearlman

Opening  day photos from Padres social media

 March 28, 2025 (San Diego) -- Sunshine-filled Petco Park was sold out for Opening Day of the San Diego Padres 2025 season on Thursday afternoon, where fans were treated to a 7-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

If Game One of 2025 was any indication, the Padres look to be ready for a stellar season following one of their best ever in 2024.

In front of a Petco Park-record 45,568 fans, the Padres rallied in the seventh inning to overcome a 4-3 deficit, scoring four runs to take the lead over the Braves.

The rally was sparked by a game-tying home run by pinch hitter Gavin Sheets in his first at-bat as a Padre.

Sheets, an off-season addition from the White Sox, joined the Padres in February of this year and was a standout during Spring Training, hitting six home runs in Cactus League play.

His homer tied the game at 4-4 and was followed by three more Padres runs in the seventh inning, including an RBI double by Manny Machado. The Padres also executed a double steal during the rally, with Machado stealing third as Xander Bogaerts stole second.

Jackson Merrill, who had a sacrifice fly that made the score 7-4, had four RBI in the game. He also had a two-run single in the first inning and an RBI groundout in the third inning.

“We have our superstars here,” Sheets said after the game. “I knew that I wasn’t coming in to be a superstar. I was coming in to add depth and lengthen the lineup out as long as possible, come off the bench if needed, just do whatever.”

Padres starter Michael King only lasted 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, while walking four batters. The Padres bullpen came through, with left-hander Wandy Peralta securing the victory, and right-hander Robert Suarez getting the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

In a media session at Petco Park before the game, Padres manager Mike Shildt called Opening Day “always an exciting day… Opening Day has its own life.”

Last year’s Padres team blended experienced leadership with emerging talent for a definite competitive edge while also laying a strong foundation for future success.

The 2024 Padres won 93 games, the second-highest amount in the team’s 57-year history.  The Padres clinched a National League Wild Card spot in September with a 4-2 win over arch-rival Los Angeles – a battle highlighted by a game-ending triple play.

The 2024 San Diego Padres achieved significant milestones, leading to a postseason appearance that brought San Diego County to a fever pitch. The team finished at 93-69, their best record since 98-64 in 1998.

In the 2024 postseason, the Padres swept the Braves in a best-of-three Wild Card series, but fell to the Dodgers in five games in the Division Series.

Shildt, 56, was rewarded after the Padres’ 2024 season with a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Padres through 2027.

Shildt previously managed the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-21. He was fired after the 2021 season and then coached the Padres in 2022 and 2023 before being named the team’s manager.

The team will continue the home series against the Braves with games on Friday, March 28, Saturday, March 29, and Sunday, March 30.

The Padres have more than a dozen promotional giveaways this season including Monday, March 31 against the Cleveland Guardians when the first 40,000 fans can get Merrill bobbleheads. That game starts at 6:40 p.m.

While parking is always tricky downtown, fans can easily get to the game and be dropped off right next to Petco Park on the San Diego Trolley. Check out https://www.sdmts.com/getting-around/petco-park for information and travel tips about public transportation.