Petco Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Petco Park

Petco Park in 2019
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Address	100 Park Blvd
Location	San Diego, California
Coordinates	32°42′26″N 117°09′24″W / 32.7073°N 117.1566°W / 32.7073; -117.1566
Public transit	12th & Imperial Transit Center Gaslamp Quarter
Owner	City of San Diego: 70% San Diego Padres: 30%
Operator	Padres LP
Executive suites	75
Capacity	39,860 (since 2024) 39,909 (2022–2023) 40,019 (2020–2021) 40,204 (2019) 40,209 (2017–2018) 40,162 (2016) 41,164 (2015) 42,302 (2014) 42,524 (2013) 42,691 (2008–2012) 42,445 (2004–2007)
Record attendance	Baseball: 47,773 (Oct 9, 2024) Concert: 79,123 (September 17 and 18, 2022)
Field size	Left field Line – 334 feet (102 m) Left field – 357 feet (109 m) Left field alley – 390 feet (119 m) Center field – 396 feet (121 m) Right field alley – 391 feet (119 m) Right field – 382 feet (116 m) Right field line – 322 feet (98 m)
Surface	BullsEye Bermuda (Grass)
Construction
Broke ground	May 3, 2000
Opened	April 8, 2004
Construction cost	US$450 million ($697 million in 2022 Dollars )
Architect	Populous (then HOK Sport) Antoine Predock (design) Spurlock Poirier (landscape) ROMA (urban planning) Heritage Architecture & Planning (Historic Preservation)
Project manager	JMI Sports, LLC.
Structural engineer	Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineer	M–E Engineers, Inc.
General contractor	San Diego BallPark Builders (a joint venture of Clark Construction, LLC, Nielsen Dillingham Builders Inc. and Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.)
Tenants
San Diego Padres (MLB) (2004–present)

Petco Park is a cool ballpark in San Diego, California. It is the home field for the San Diego Padres, a team in Major League Baseball (MLB). The park is in the East Village part of downtown San Diego, right next to the Gaslamp Quarter. Petco Park opened in 2004. It took the place of San Diego Stadium, where the Padres played from 1969 to 2003.

On April 8, 2004, the Padres played their very first game at Petco Park. They won against the San Francisco Giants with a score of 4–3 in extra innings. Petco Park hosted the first-ever 2006 World Baseball Classic championship game. It also hosted the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. On October 9, 2024, Petco Park set a new attendance record for a baseball game. A huge crowd of 47,773 people watched a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Petco Park has some really special design features. One is the historic Western Metal Supply Co. building. This old warehouse was built right into the ballpark. Its corner even acts as the left field foul pole! There's also Gallagher Square beyond the outfield wall. It's a park and viewing area that's open to everyone, even when there isn't a game.

Building Petco Park

How the Stadium Was Built

Petco Park being built in 2001

San Diego Ballpark Builders constructed Petco Park. This group included Clark Construction, ROEL Construction, and Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. The stadium cost over $450 million to build. Some of the money came from a mix of public and private funds. The goal was to help make downtown San Diego, especially the East Village, a lively place again.

The stadium is across from the San Diego Convention Center. Its main entrance is near a San Diego Trolley light rail station. The park was supposed to open in 2002. However, construction stopped for a while because of legal and political issues.

There was also a delay because of the Western Metal Supply Co. building. This building was a historic landmark. After talking with people who wanted to save old buildings, the builders agreed to fix it up. The building was then included in the stadium's design. This is a great example of using an old building in a new way.

Because of these delays, the Padres had to play the 2002 and 2003 seasons at Qualcomm Stadium.

Where Petco Park Is Located

The southern side of the stadium is next to the San Diego Trolley tracks. These tracks run along Harbor Drive and serve the nearby San Diego Convention Center. Part of K Street is closed to cars. It's a walking path behind the left and center field seats. This path also leads to Gallagher Square.

Two entrances to the outfield are at K Street's crossings with Seventh and 10th avenues. The main entrance is behind home plate. It's at the end of Park Boulevard and faces the 12th & Imperial Transit Center trolley station. The ballpark is also about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Santa Fe Depot station. This station serves Amtrak and Coaster trains.

Who Named the Park?

Petco, a company that sells pet supplies, bought the rights to name the stadium in 2004. They paid $60 million for a 22-year deal. In 2021, Petco signed a new agreement with the Padres. This deal means the stadium will be called Petco Park until at least 2027.

This new deal also started other projects for Petco and the stadium. Petco's new logo now appears on digital signs around the park. Petco also teamed up with Padres players Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.. They work together to promote the health of pets and their owners. Petco also collaborates with players on social media to share tips about pet health.

Baseball Highlights

The very first baseball game at Petco Park was on March 11, 2004. It was part of a college tournament hosted by San Diego State University. The San Diego State Aztecs baseball team, coached by former Padres star Tony Gwynn, beat Houston. This game still holds the record for the most fans at a college baseball game.

Lance Zawadzki got the first hit, a double. Rielly Embrey hit the first home run in the same game. On April 8, 2004, the Padres played their first regular season game at Petco Park. They won against the San Francisco Giants 4–3 in 10 innings. On April 15, 2004, Mark Loretta hit the first Padres home run. It was off Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The stadium's first playoff game was on October 8, 2005. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Padres 7–4. This win completed their sweep of the 2005 NLDS.

Petco Park hosted the semifinals and finals of the first World Baseball Classic in March 2006. It also hosted second-round games for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. On April 4, 2006, Petco Park had its first rainout. This postponed a Padres game against the San Francisco Giants.

On August 4, 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run. This tied Hank Aaron's record.

On April 17, 2008, the Padres and Rockies played a 22-inning game. It was the longest MLB game in almost 15 years. The game lasted 6 hours and 16 minutes, ending at 1:21 am. The Colorado Rockies won 2–1. This is still the longest game in Petco Park's history.

On July 2, 2009, the park had the first MLB game delayed by a swarm of bees. A small group of honeybees settled around a chair in left field. This caused a 52-minute delay. A beekeeper was called, and the bees were removed. The Houston Astros won that game 7–2.

On June 14, 2010, during a Toronto Blue Jays vs. San Diego Padres game, an earthquake happened. It was a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, centered about 85 miles (137 km) east of San Diego. Play stopped for a moment in the eighth inning. The Blue Jays went on to win 6–3.

Rain delays caused the Padres' game with the Los Angeles Dodgers to be stopped on April 8, 2011. The game started 28 minutes late due to the first delay. Play then stopped for over 90 minutes in the second inning. It stopped again in the sixth inning for more than an hour. The score was tied 2–2 in the ninth inning when play was stopped at 1:40 am. After a fourth rain delay, the game finished on April 9. The Dodgers won in 11 innings, 4–2.

On April 30, 2012, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun became the first player to hit three home runs in one game at the park. Braun had a great game, with three home runs and a triple.

On July 13, 2013, Tim Lincecum threw the park's first no-hitter. He played for the visiting San Francisco Giants, who beat the Padres 9–0.

The park hosted the 2016 MLB All-Star Game.

In 2017, Petco Park hosted part of the 2017 World Baseball Classic. The USA team and undefeated Puerto Rico team moved on to the semi-finals.

For the 2020 MLB postseason, Petco Park was one of two stadiums to host neutral-site games for the ALDS. It was also the only stadium to host neutral-site games for the ALCS.

Eduardo Escobar of the New York Mets was the first player to hit for the cycle at Petco Park. This happened on June 6, 2022. Later that year, the Padres made it to the postseason. Petco Park hosted its first Padres postseason game with fans in 16 years. They played against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game 3 of the NLDS. The Padres won the series 3-1. On October 18, 2022, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies hit the longest home run ever recorded at Petco Park, traveling 488 feet. This happened in game one of the NLCS.

On May 11, 2024, Petco Park set a new attendance record for baseball. A game against the Los Angeles Dodgers had 46,701 people. This record was broken again on July 5, 2024, during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with 47,171 fans. The record was broken one more time on July 30, 2024, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with 47,559 people watching a walk-off win.

Other Exciting Events

Other Sports Played Here

Rugby

In February 2007, Petco Park became the new home for the USA Sevens. This is a rugby union sevens event that is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. After 2009, the event moved to Las Vegas.

Tennis

From January 31 to February 2, 2014, Petco Park's left-center field was turned into a red clay tennis court. This was for the Davis Cup match between the United States and Great Britain.

Motor Sports

In January 2015, Petco Park hosted rounds of Monster Jam and AMA Supercross Championship. It took over from Qualcomm Stadium for these events.

Golf

Since 2015, Petco Park has worked with Callaway Golf Company. They create a nine-hole golf course inside the stadium each November. The holes are in the outfield, and many of the tee boxes are in the stadium's upper decks.

Basketball

On December 7, 2015, Petco Park hosted its first college basketball game. The San Diego Toreros played against the San Diego State Aztecs. This was part of the Bill Walton Basketball Festival.

Football

The Louisville Cardinals football team on the field at Petco Park before the 2023 Holiday Bowl

On June 24, 2021, the Padres announced a partnership for the Holiday Bowl to be held at Petco Park. This agreement was for at least five years. The first Holiday Bowl at Petco Park was supposed to be on December 28, 2021. It was between the UCLA Bruins and NC State Wolfpack. However, UCLA had to pull out due to COVID tests, and the game was canceled. The 2022 Holiday Bowl was played as planned. On June 11, 2024, it was announced that the Holiday Bowl would move from Petco Park to Snapdragon Stadium.

Holiday Bowl Results

Rankings are based on the AP poll before the game.

Rodeo

The first San Diego Rodeo took place at Petco Park from January 12–14, 2024.

Concerts at Petco Park

Many famous musicians have performed concerts at Petco Park.

Other Fun Events

• In 2011, auditions for the TV show American Idol were held at Petco Park.

American Idol auditions at Petco Park, July 8, 2011

• The Food Network filmed a cooking challenge at Petco Park in 2011. It was for an episode of The Next Iron Chef.
• In 2019, TwitchCon had a party at Petco Park. It featured music groups like Blink-182 and Madeon.
• On April 21, 2025, it was announced that Survivor Series 2025 would take place at Petco Park. This will be the first Survivor Series event held outdoors in a stadium.

San Diego Comic-Con Activities

The San Diego Comic-Con is a huge event. Because there isn't enough room at the Convention Center, some activities happen at Petco Park. For example, on July 29, 2018, the video game Rocket League held its third birthday party there. This was an offsite event for Comic-Con.

Cool Features and Design

The inside of Petco Park

Interior of Petco Park looking over downtown San Diego on August 12, 2024

Petco Park, seen from above

Petco Park looks different from many other baseball stadiums built around the same time. It doesn't use the common red brick and green seats. Instead, the stadium has Indian sandstone and stucco walls. Its steel parts are painted white, and the 39,860 seats are dark blue. This design is meant to remind people of San Diego's sandy cliffs and beaches. It also reflects the blue ocean and the white sails on San Diego Bay.

The architects, Populous and Antoine Predock, designed the park so that restaurants and offices are in separate buildings. This means the walkways inside the ballpark are open. You can see both the field and the city around you. Unlike many outdoor ballparks, the batter faces north at Petco Park. Fans in the stands get amazing views of San Diego Bay and the city skyline. They can also see Balboa Park, which has the San Diego Zoo, beyond center field.

Petco Park's official address is 19 Tony Gwynn Way. This honors Tony Gwynn, a Padres legend. He wore that uniform number during his career. A 10-foot (3.0 m) statue of Gwynn was put up on July 21, 2007. On August 18, 2018, a statue of another Padres star, Trevor Hoffman, was unveiled. It stands along K Street, facing Gwynn's statue.

Gallagher Square is a grassy hill behind the outfield fence. Fans can sit there and watch games. When there are no games, Gallagher Square is a free public park for people in the area. Petco Park used to have an unusual feature: the home team's bullpen was behind the center field wall, but the visiting team's bullpen was in foul territory. Both bullpens were moved behind the center field wall before the 2013 season.

The large HD video board in left field was installed in 2015. It is 61.2 feet (18.7 m) tall and 123.6 feet (37.7 m) wide. This new board is almost five times bigger than the old one. It was one of the largest in Major League Baseball in 2016. The Padres can show live game action, replays, or fan messages on the screen. They can also split the screen to show stats, graphics, and animations.

The Padres also added LED ribbon boards. These stretch almost 750 feet (230 m) along the first and third-base lines. There are also 130 feet (40 m) of ribbon boards on the left-field grandstand.

The team also put in eight smaller scoreboards under overhangs in the seating area. New 60-inch Sony TVs were added in these areas too. This helps fans sitting in the back of those sections see the game better.

The Western Metal Building during a game.

The Western Metal Supply Co. building is a brick building that is over a hundred years old. It was going to be torn down for Petco Park. But it was saved and made part of the stadium's design. The building was fixed up and now has the team store, private suites, a restaurant, and rooftop seating. The corner of the building in the southeast acts as the left field foul pole. It is protected by a bright yellow metal strip.

Fans at food stands, bars, or walking around can watch the game on 244 HDTV monitors. There are also 500 other TVs. More than 500 computer-controlled speakers spread sound throughout the park. This means the sound reaches everyone at the same time.

When the Padres hit a home run or win a game, a ship's whistle sounds. Fireworks also shoot off in center field. Starting in 2011, four torches were added to the center field wall. They light up when the Padres hit a home run or win. The ship's whistle is a recording from the Navy's USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear aircraft carrier.

The ballpark has 5,000 club seats and 70 luxury suites.

Changes to the Park

Petco Park was known for being a "pitcher's park." This means it was harder for batters to hit home runs. After the 2005–06 season, Padres CEO Sandy Alderson changed the dimensions in right-center field. He wanted to make it easier for hitters. At the end of the 2008 season, Petco Park was still one of the hardest parks for home runs.

After the 2012 season, the Padres announced more changes. They moved the fences closer to home plate. This was to make the park more friendly for hitters. The left-center field wall moved from 402 feet (123 m) to 390 feet (119 m). The right-center field wall moved from 411 feet (125 m) to 391 feet (119 m). The right field wall moved from 360 feet (110 m) to 349 feet (106 m). Also, the visiting team's bullpen moved behind the left-center field wall, next to the Padres' bullpen. The right field wall was also made lower, from 11 feet (3.4 m) to 8 feet (2.4 m).

After the 2014 season, more updates were made. These included a new HD video board. There were also small changes to the distance of the left-field fence. Some seats were removed from the middle deck and replaced with standing-room areas. All these changes were finished by Opening Day in 2015.

Weather at Petco Park

See also

In Spanish: Petco Park para niños

• List of current Major League Baseball stadiums