The Padres made it: For the first time in their history, they won the division back-to-back. And although they finished level with the Los Angeles Dodgers when all was said and done, the title is truly sweet in comparison to some of the darker moments during the season ” seemingly endless skids in July and August, not to mention a horrible start, 9-15, in April.
Along the way, their reliable old closer made history: On Sept. 24, 39-year-old Trevor (“Hell’s Bells”) Hoffman passed Lee Smith to become the all-time saves leader by saving his 479th career game in a 2-1 win at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. As of the end of the regular season, he had extended his tally to 482 and aimed to add to it as he is signed on for another year.
In all, he notched 46 saves in 51 save opportunities, pitching a total of 63 innings with 50 strikeouts and a 2.14 ERA.
His record-breaking moment was something special, as he now becomes the only Padre to hold an all-time record in baseball. On that Sunday afternoon, he had his mother, two brothers, a number of family members from his wife’s side and his three sons among the 41,392 fans in attendance. Upon notching the final out, catcher Josh Bard leaped into Hoffman’s arms as the two were mobbed by teammates on the mound. It all capped off a superb eight days in which he had converted five of six save opportunities.
The Padres’ record of 88-74 is a marked improvement over their 82-80 of last year, when they were jokingly referred to as being the “best of the worst,” as the only NL West team with a winning record. As of press time, they currently face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series, while their division rivals, the Dodgers, battle it out with the New York Mets.
While the Pads’ season started in a lackluster fashion, they didn’t stay at the bottom for long, as their 19-10 record in May ” featuring a run of 14 wins in 15 games from April 30 through May 15 ” launched San Diego into a season-long struggle for first place with a number of other teams in their division. Such was the parity of the National League West that, at times, as few as three games separated first from last.
The Padres and Dodgers each hold a record of 88-74, but their head-to-head record awards San Diego the division title as the Pads took 13 of 18 games from the Dodgers this year, including seven of nine at Dodger Stadium. Proper credit for their gritty resolve this season must go to the Padres pitchers, who posted the lowest ERA in the National League, 3.87, second only to the Detroit Tigers in all of baseball.
As the Padres were swept last year in the NL Division Series by the Cards, you can bet they have something to prove this go-around. They’re now just two series wins away from their third trip to the World Series.