In honor of the baseball excitement this week, NBC 7’s Dana Williams decided to take a deep dive into our archive footage to relive the best moments from the Padres’ two postseason appearances leading up to the world series in 1984 and 1998.
San Diego is all about baseball right now.
Padres fans are getting some much-needed playoff baseball for the first time since 2020. That year, because of the pandemic, fans were not able to see the action in-person. Needless to say, there is some making up to do.
When Were the Padres Last in the MLB Postseason?
Looking back, this is the seventh time the Padres are making an appearance in the Major League Baseball postseason. Besides this year, San Diego fans got to watch their team play into October in 2020, 2006, 2005, 1998, 1996 and 1984.
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Of the seven appearances in the postseason, the Padres have faced off in the MLB World Series twice. Once was in 1998 against the New York Yankees and the other was in 1984 against the Detroit Tigers.
In honor of the baseball excitement this week, NBC 7 decided to take a deep dive into our archive footage to relive the best moments from those two postseason appearances leading up to the world series.
1984 Postseason
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In 1984, it was the Padres' first time in the postseason. They battled it out with the Chicago Cubs for the National League title and started off slow, losing two games at Wrigley Field. Once they returned to San Diego, the Padres won three games in a row, winning the series.
In interviews, the Padres players agreed there was one main factor that helped get them the W (or Ws): San Diego’s fans.
“We were doubting that we could get it up and even play good baseball again, but like I said the fans had a lot to do with that last night. They really kind of picked our spirits up,” said Padres legend and player who was on the 1984 roster, Tony Gwynn.
One of the most memorable moments from the series against the Cubs came in game four when Steve Garvey hit a walk-off home run. Teammates rushed out of the dugout, surrounding Garvey and cheered before heading to the locker room to pop champagne.
“As far as my career, it has to be one of the top two or three moments, it really is, but especially because it is for San Diego. It’s for the fans and my teammates here and the organization,” said Garvey in an interview after the game.
After the homer, one of Garvey’s teammates told a camera that he was one of the greatest baseball players ever.
His response? “He’s just a short-stumpy first baseman that tries to make contact,” laughed Garvey.
The Padres won the National League pennant and advanced to play against the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series.
1998 Postseason
The second World Series appearance came 14 years later in 1998, after the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves in six games to win the pennant. The Padres won the first two, then gave up the following two before completing the series with a win at Turner Field.
The Padres went on to play the New York Yankees for the title but lost in four games.
2022 Postseason
Now in the second series of the 2022 postseason, the Padres face the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers.
If history means anything, two things are certain when it comes to the Padres: One, never count them out. And two, San Diego's fans can make all the difference.
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