This Date In Padre Baseball - March 29th

THIS DATE IN PADRE BASEBALL

1998 SEASON

The Padre would have a rare rain out, and their exhibition rematch against the Yankees wouldn't happen. The Yankees stayed in San Diego to play the Aztecs. The Padres went to Alabama, yes Alabama, for one more exhibition game before the start of the season.

Notable games of March 29 

Notable by omission - what should be Game 4 of the 2020 season, the finale of a 4 game series with the Colorado Rockies.

PADRES FRANCHISE RECORD ON THIS DATE = 1-1

OPENING DAY 2018 - Brewers 2 Padres 1 (12 innings)

What started out hopeful, as all Opening Days do, turned into the reality that would be the beginning of a 96 loss year. My family attended Opening Day, and as the wind turned, making the 69 degree day feel more like 59, the Padre bats fell just as cold.

Chase Anderson gave up one hit through 6, a bloop single to Jose Pirela in the 4th, then turned it over to the Brewers pen, giving up one hit in the 7th and 8th. 

Clayton Richard gave up a run in the top of the 3rd, but that was all the damage the Brew Crew could do, as Richard scattered 6 hits and a walk over 7 innings, striking out 4.

The Padres tied it up in an exciting bottom of the 9th, with Carlos Asuaje lining a shot into center for a single to bring up Chase Headley. The former Padre All-Star had come home to San Diego, but today he showed his age. Hoping for some old magic, the Friar Faithful were on their feet.

Headley drove the second pitch from Brewer closer Corey Knebel to deep RF, but he pulled it too far towards center , and it fell into the glove of RF Domingo Santana at the track.

With Freddy Galvis due up, Manager Andy Green pinch run for Carlos Asuaje, bring in Matt Szczur, who promptly steals second. On a 2-0 pitch, Galvis finds the hole between first and second and with a great jump, Glenn Hoffman send Szczur home, who beats the throw to tie the game.

Freddy Galvis becomes my son's adopted Padre for 2018, despite being thrown out trying to steal second with Austin Hedges at the plate, sending us to extra innings.

In the 11th, the Padres rallied once more, loading the bases for Chase Headley, who with one out couldn't get the ball in the air, grounding weakly to third, starting an inning ending double play.

In the top of the 12th, the Brewers rallied with 2 outs, getting a double and a single to score the winning run of Padre reliever Adam Cimber, making his MLB debut.

The Padres had no magic in their bats in the bottom of the 12th, with Galvis, Hedges, and Spangeberg all striking out swinging to send us home unhappy.

Padres Making MLB Debuts on March 29

Adam Cimber
Age - 27
Position - P
Stat Line - 1 IP, 3H, 1ER, 1K and took the loss

Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 9th round of the 2013 amateur draft.

Transactions of March 29

1975
Released Rich Chiles.

• Left fielder, made his MLB debut in 1971 for the Houston Astros, signed with San Diego in 1974, but spent the season at AAA Hawaii.

1977

Released Alan Foster.

• Traded to the Padres from the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974, Foster appeared in 43 games with 15 starts. He posted a 6-7 record with a 2.95 ERA. He left baseball upon his release.

1993

Released Vicente Palacios.

• Pitcher signed and invited to Spring Training, but didn't do enough to make the club. Played 1993 in Mexico before signing with the Cardinals for 1994 and 1995. He would return to Mexico until 2000, when he appeared in a Padre uniform 7 years later. He would pitch in 7 games posting a 0-1 record and a 6.75 before his release.

1994

Traded Harold Reynolds to the California Angels. Received Hilly Hathaway.

• Originally drafted by the Padres in the 6th round of the 1979 draft, but never signed. Harold Reynolds signed as a free agent before spring training in 1994. Reynolds would play his last MLB season in the strike shortened 1994 season. 
• Hathaway was a AAA starting pitcher who didn't make it past AAA Las Vegas. Pitched in 13 games for the California Angels in 1992-1993.

1996

Robbie Beckett selected by the Florida Marlins off waivers.

• Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st round (25th pick) of the 1990 amateur draft. He would eventually make his MLB debut in 1996 for the Colorado Rockies.

1997

Traded Hal Garrett (minors) and Mark Smith to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Received Trey Beamon and Angelo Encarnacion.

• Garrett pitched in A ball for the Clinton LumberKings in 1996. Pitched until 2001 all in the minor leagues.
• Smith was traded to the Padres by the Baltimore Orioles in February 1997. He would play for 5 more seasons, finishing with Milwaukee in 2003.
• Outfielder Beamon appeared in 43 games in 1997 hitting .277 with 0 HR and 7 RBI. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers after the 1997 season. He appeared in 28 games in 1998 before his release.
• Catcher Encarnacion played 73 games at AAA Las Vegas before being traded to Anaheim Angels in August 1997.

1999

Released Chris Jones.

• Signed as a free agent at the start of spring training, OF Jones couldn't stick with the Padres in his second go around with the team. He appeared in 92 games in 1997, hitting .243 with 7 HR and 25 RBI. He would play one more MLB season with Milwaukee in 2000 (after another sign and release with the Padres that spring.)

Traded Gus Kennedy (minors) and Andy Sheets to the Anaheim Angels. Received Keith Volkman (minors) and Phil Nevin.

• Kennedy roamed the outfield for the A level Rancho Cucamonga Quakes but never progressed above that level with any organization.
• Sheet played all the infield positions for the 1998 Padres. Hitting .242 with 7 HR and 29 RBI. He was on the postseason roster, going 0-5 in 5 games. He would play 4 more seasons (ANA, BOS,TB)
• Volkman was a minor league reliever who didn't rise above Class A Rancho Cucamonga before his release.
• Nevin looked like a AAAA third baseman at the time of this trade. But he would spend the next 7 seasons wearing a Padre uniform hitting .288 with 156 HR and 573 RBI, making his lone All-Star appearance in 2001. Nevin on the all time Padre leader board:
• #7 WAR = 17.8
• T7 AVG = .288
• #4 SLUG = .503
• #9 RUNS = 428
• #8 HITS = 842
• T8 2B = 158
• #3 HR = 156
• #3 RBI = 573

2000

Released Oscar Henriquez.

• Signed during the off-season to a minor league contract, he would pitch in Mexico until his last season in MLB in 2002 for the Detroit Tigers.

2004

Traded Brian Hunter to the St. Louis Cardinals. Received Kerry Robinson.

• Hunter was a 10 year veteran outfielder, signed in the off-season to a minor league deal. He would be released again twice in 2004, ending his MLB career.
• Robinson was a defensive substitute for the Padres in 2004, appearing in 80 games, but only getting to the plate 101 times, hitting .293 with 0 HR and 5 RBI. He did steal 11 bases, tying a career high. He would be released at the end of the season and return in 2005, but only at AAA Portland.

2009

Returned Ivan Nova (earlier draft pick) to the New York Yankees.

• Nova pitched at AA and AAA for the Yankees in 2008, and was a Rule 5 draft pick by the Padres in December 2008. He didn't pitch well enough in spring training to keep him, so he was returned to the Yankees. 89 MLB wins later, Nova now pitches with the Detroit Tigers.

Sold Chris Burke to the Seattle Mariners.

• Utility player Burke signed as a free agent in January, sold to Seattle here, then purchased back in April. He would appear in 32 games in 2009 hitting .207 with 1 HR and 5 RBI before being granted free agency in June.

2011

Traded Allan Dykstra to the New York Mets. Received Eddie Kunz.

• Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st round (23rd pick) of the 2008 amateur draft, this left-handed first basemen had power, but couldn't get his average above .241 at Class A Lake Elsinore. He would eventually make his MLB debut in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round (42nd pick) of the 2007 amateur draft, this right-handed pitcher never met the expectation of a 1st round pick and topped out at AAA Tucson with the Padres. Made 4 appearances in 2008 for the New York Mets.