This Date in Padres Baseball - March 28th

THIS DATE IN PADRE BASEBALL

1998 SEASON

Playing an exhibition game in San Diego, GM Kevin Towers made a prediction. According to Ross Newhan of the Los Angeles Times, Towers said "I remember telling [Yankee General Manager] Brian Cashman that maybe we'd face each other in the World Series and find out then who's best. It's David vs Goliath. We'll see if we can 
slay the giant."

That exhibition game was against those New York Yankees, and ended with a tie score, 8-8.

With the season a few days away, something special was beginning to surface at the Q.

Notable games of March 28 

What should be game 3 of the 2020 season.

PADRES FRANCHISE RECORD ON THIS DATE = 1-0 

OPENING DAY 2019 - Padres 2 Giants 0

For the second consecutive year, my family attends Opening Day. This one turns out much better than 2018, as our Padres shutout the Giants 2-0. 

Behind a strong start by Eric Lauer (6 IP, 4H, 1BB, 3K, and his reliable 1 man picked off 1st) and a solid bullpen, All-Star closer Kirby Yates finished off the Giants with a 1-2-3 9th, for his first save of the year.

While most of the pre-game excitement surrounded the Padre debut of free agent signing Manny Machado, as well as the MLB debut of Fernando Tatis Jr, the offensive star of the day was Wil Myers. Taking Madison Bumgardner deep in the third inning for his first home run of the year, then with a single in the 6th to drive in Ian Kinsler and provide the Padres with an insurance run.

Padres Making MLB Debuts on March 28

2019 

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Age - 20

Position - SS

Batting - 6th

Stat Line -  2 for 3, 1K, 1CS, 2 putouts in 2 chances

Originally signed by the Chicago White Sox in 2015, he was traded to the Padres in 2016 with Erik Johnson for James Shields. What a steal!

Transactions of March 28

1969
Traded Ron Davis and Bobby Klaus to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Received Chris Cannizzaro and Tommie Sisk.

• Davis was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Padres in December of 1968. This outfields would play for the Pirates in 1969 before being sent to the minors for the next 2 seasons and then leaving baseball.
• Infielder Bobby Klaus was a Rule 5 draftee from the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in 1964 (CIN) and 1965 (NYM) but would not return to the majors.
• Catcher Chris Cannizzaro would become the San Diego Padres very first All-Star in 1969. He would play 4 seasons with the Padres, hitting just .238 with 10 HR and 87 RBI in 292 games. Not a speedy man, he would hit into 35 double plays in his Padre career, landing him at 35th on the all time Padre leader board. He would be traded to the Chicago Cubs in 1971.
•  Pitcher Tommie Sisk epitomized Padre pitching in 1969, posting a wretched 2-13 record and a 4.78 ERA. This former 13 game winner with the Pirates never found his groove in San Diego, being traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1970.

1974

Leron Lee selected by the Cleveland Indians off waivers.

• Left-fielder Lee appeared in 298 for the Padres from 1971-1973. He hit .271 with 19 HR and 98 RBI. His 11 triples places him tied for 37th on the all time Padre leader board.  He would play 2 seasons in Cleveland before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978.

1975

Released Vicente Romo.

• Pitched in 103 games for the Padres from 1973-1974. Posted a 7-8 record with a 4.08 ERA and 16 saves. Those saves put him at 19th place on the Padre all-time leader board. Mainly a mop up guy, he finished of 58 games as a Padre, good for a tie at 24th place. Upon his release he would pitch in Mexico until the 1982 season, where at age 39 he pitched in 15 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1978

Released Brent Strom.

• Pitcher who was traded to the Padres by the Cleveland Indians in 1974. Primarily a starting pitcher, Strom posted a 20-26 record with a 3.47 ERA between 1975-1977. He pitched 14 complete games and 2 shutouts in his 62 games as a Padre. A little out of control at times, his 18 wild pitches still place him at 29th all time in Padre history.  His 14 CG place him 16th, the 3 shutouts place him tied for 18th, and his 20 wins place him tied at 49th on the Padre leader board.

1982

Traded Douglas Lulay (minors) to the Houston Astros. Received Jim Pankovits.

• 1B/3B Lulay was with the Reno Silver Fox (A) when traded. He would never rise above AA in his career.
• Utility player Pankovits would spend all season as a Hawaii Islander (AAA) before being released. He found his way back to the Astros, eventually making is debut in 1984 and playing 5 seasons before finishing his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1990.

1983

Returned Ray Searage to the Cleveland Indians as part of a conditional deal.

• Bullpen piece Searage was given back after a less than stellar spring in 1983. He would go on to pitch 6 more seasons (MIL,CHW,LAD).

1985

Signed Al Bumbry as a free agent.

• Former ROY (1973) and 1980 All-Star, long time center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, at age 38 plays his last season in MLB. All of his signature speed now gone, Bumbry hits just .200 with 1 HR and 10 RBI in 68 games.

2001

Released Greg LaRocca.

• Utility infielder, first drafted by the Padres in 1994 (10th round). Made his MLB debut in 2000, appearing in 13 games, hitting .222 with 0 HR and 2 RBI. Would sign with the Cleveland Indians, appearing in 26 more games between 2002-2003.

Released Ed Sprague.

• 1B/3B for 8 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Sprague would play in 73 games for the 2000 Padres. His 2000 year was odd, as he started with the Padres, was traded to Boston, then released, the resigned with the Padres. In 2000, he hit .261 with 10 HR and 27 RBI. He would finish his career in 2001 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Traded Omar Ortiz (minors), Matt Clement and Eric Owens to the Florida Marlins. Received Cesar Crespo and Mark Kotsay.

• Ortiz was pitching for the Fort Wayne Wizards (A) when traded. He would never rise above AA before leaving baseball in 2003
• Clement started 68 games for the Padres between 1998-2000. He went 25-29 with a 4.82 ERA. His place on the all time Padre leader board: 25 Wins (38th), .463 win pct (22nd), 399 1/3 IP (46th), 318 K's (39th), 36 Wild Pitches (6th), he also hit 25 batters (11th). Clement would move on to the Boston Red Sox after Florida, earning an All-Star nod in 2005 before finishing his career in 2006.
• Outfielder Eric Owens only played 2 seasons for the Padres (1999-2000) but his style of play made him a fan favorite. Hitting .282 with 15 HR 112 RBI and 62 SB, Owens seemed to always leave a part of himself on the field. Owens place on the all-time leader board : 10 Triples (T41), 62 SB (T21)
• Utility player Crespo would play himself right off the Padres in 2002, hitting a meager .202 with 4 HR and 12 RBI in 80 games. He would later be traded to the Boston Red Sox. 
• Center-fielder Kotsay would play a total of 5 seasons in San Diego (2001-2003, 2012-2013) hitting .273 with 37 HR and 183 RBI in his Padre career. He would be traded to the Oakland Athletics after the 2003 season and would go on to finish 14th in the MVP vote in 2004. His places on the Padre all time leader board: 7.2 WAR (34th), .273 AVG (20th), .343 OBA (17th), 586 Games (27th), 230 Runs (31st), 482 Hits (30th), 94 Doubles (23rd), 12 Triples (T32), 37 HR (46th), 183 RBI (37th), 30 SB (40th). 

2004

Sent Clay Condrey to the Philadelphia Phillies as part of a conditional deal.

• Pitched 2002-2003, mainly as a starter. Posted a 2-4 record with a 5.49 ERA in 18 appearances. Would pitch for Philadelphia through the 2009 season. Cannot find any record on what the conditional deal was!

2005

Traded Humberto Quintero to the Houston Astros. Received Tim Redding and cash.

• Catcher Quintero appeared in just 35 games for the 2003 and 2004 Padres. Hitting .242 with 2 HR and 12 RBI. He would play 10 more seasons (HOU, KC, PHI, SEA)
• Redding would start 6 games and appear in 3 others before being traded to the New York Yankees in July. He went 0-5 with a 9.10 ERA.

2006

Traded Trey Johnston (minors) and Matt Thayer (minors) to the Philadelphia Phillies. Received Aquilino Lopez.

• Johnston was a utility player at rookie ball (Arizona Padres) who would only play in 2 more minor league games before being out of baseball in 2006.
• Thayer was an outfielder for the Lake Elsinore Storm (A) and would never rise higher in the Phillie organization.
• Pitcher Lopez would spend 2006 with the AAA Portland Beavers until his release in July. He would find his way back to the majors in 2007 and 2008 with the Detroit Tigers.

Steve Andrade selected by the Kansas City Royals off waivers.

• Pitched for the AAA Omaha Royals before his release and subsequent signing by the Padres. He would pitch at AAA Portland in 2006 before his release at the end of the season.

2011

Released Oscar Salazar.

• Outfielder appeared in 140 games between 2009-2010 hitting .251 with 6 HR and 38 RBI. Came to the Padres via a trade with Baltimore in 2009 for Cla Meredith. He would not return to a major league roster.

Traded Erik Davis and cash to the Washington Nationals. Received Alberto Gonzalez.

• Davis was a pitcher drafted by the Padres 2008 (13th round) rising to AAA Portland. He would make his MLB debut as a National in 2013, appearing in just 10 big league games before his release.
• Infielder Gonzales appeared in 102 games in 2011, hitting .215 with 1 HR and 32 RBI. He would be granted his release after the season. He would play for 2 more years (TEX,CHC,NYY)

2016

Released Justin Sellers.

• Infielder invited to Spring Training, but failed to make the team in what would turn out to be his last MLB experience.

Traded Erik Kratz to the Houston Astros. Received Dan Straily.

• Veteran catcher Kratz was invited to camp in 2016. He continues to find his way onto 40 man rosters (HOU,PIT,NYY,MIL,SF,TB) and currently back in Yankee camp.
• Straily, a pitcher, wouldn't even put on a Padre uniform, waived 3 days later.

2017

Released Jon Edwards.

• Originally obtained via a trade with the Texas Rangers as part of a package for Wil Venable in 2015, Edward would appear in 11 games out of the bullpen for the 2015 Padres. He posted a 3.38 ERA without a decision. He would pitch for the Cleveland Indians in 2018 and 2019.