Founded in 1969 as an expansion franchise, the Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League (PCL) team that arrived in San Diego in 1936.

Under manager Dick Williams, the Padres clinched their first NL pennant, losing to the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series.

The Padres achieved their second NL pennant alongside Trevor Hoffman, eventually being swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series.

This minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by 18-year-old Ted Williams, the future Hall of Famer who was a native of San Diego.

In 1969, the Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), the Kansas City Royals, and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers).

Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi, as well as a new stadium, the team struggled; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the NL West, losing 100 games or more four times.

One of the few bright spots on the team during the early years was first baseman and slugger Nate Colbert, an expansion draftee from the Houston Astros and was the long-time home run leader until 2024, when Manny Machado overtook him.

The team's fortunes gradually improved as they won five National League West titles and reached the World Series twice, in 1984 and in 1998, but lost both times.

The record was broken on April 9, 2021, as Joe Musgrove accomplished the feat against the Texas Rangers,[5] finally ending the longest no-hit drought by a team in MLB history.

[22] However, he played 14 of his 19 seasons with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers,[22] where he was also more productive, and the retirement of his number by San Diego has been heavily debated.

His retirement ceremony also celebrated his decision to be the first member of the Hall of Fame to have his plaque depicting him wearing a Padres cap.

[32] Prior to moving to Petco, the team played at San Diego Stadium, where the retired numbers were originally displayed on banners hanging from the light towers above the left field stands.

[34] † Number retired by Major League Baseball The Padres also have a "star on the wall" in honor of broadcaster Jerry Coleman, in reference to his trademark phrase "Oh Doctor!

The full team name, which was written in a more futuristic font, was emblazoned in front while the swinging friar logo was added to the left sleeve.

The updated design removed the swinging friar logo while returning to the team name/city name dynamic for home and road games respectively.

The road uniforms eliminated the pinstripes and added the city name in navy blue block letters with white trim and orange drop shadows.

The alternate blue uniform featured the same "Padres" script in sand, and the swinging friar logo was added to the left sleeve.

In addition, the "SD" replaced "Padres" in front of the navy alternates, and the city name wordmark on the road uniforms was updated.

[54][55][56] Despite this major change, the brown and gold alternate uniform from the previous set was retained, with the addition of the "SD" on the left sleeve.

The primarily white uniform featured pink, mint green and yellow accents on the letters and sleeves, and has "San Diego" written in a graffiti style.

The Padres' historical rivalry against the Los Angeles Dodgers has often been largely lopsided in favor of LA, however; recent growth between the two teams in competition during the 2020s has added intensity on top of proximity between Los Angeles and San Diego (driving from Dodger Stadium to Petco Park can be done by simply taking Interstate 5).

Off the field, the rivalry has been just as competitive, as the two teams have aggressively battled on the trade market and free agency over numerous star players.

For 2016, to coincide with hosting the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the Padres added a second camouflage jersey, this time in navy blue.

When present, the team commemorates them with a special Fourth Inning Stretch featuring the Marines' Hymn played by stadium organist Bobby Cressey.

[68] This is part of an extensive military outreach program, which also includes a series of Military Appreciation Night games,[69] and game tapes mailed to deployed United States Navy ships of the Pacific Fleet for onboard viewing (a large portion of the Pacific Fleet is home ported in San Diego).

The San Diego area is home to a number of military installations, including several Navy and Coast Guard bases centered on San Diego Bay, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (former home of the "Top Gun" training program), and the Marine Corps training ground at Camp Pendleton.

Games air on the following cable providers and networks:[74][75][76] Don Orsillo is the play-by-play announcer, with Mark Grant as color analyst and Bob Scanlan as field reporter.

The games are also broadcast in Spanish on XEXX-AM, Radio Ranchito 1420 AM, with Eduardo Ortega, Carlos Hernández and Pedro Gutiérrez announcing.

In 2015, the San Diego Padres were also seen in an HBO original comedy/Documentary style movie, Ferrell Takes the Field starring Will Ferrell, where he plays ten major league baseball Spring-training games in ten different positions on the field in one day, one of the teams including The San Diego Padres.

[84] In 2016, the San Diego Padres were portrayed once again in the one-season Fox television series Pitch, starring Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker, the first female to play in Major League Baseball.