The Padres had won the 1st 3 games of the series, but the Braves had won the next 2, making some people think this might be the 1st time a Major League Baseball team could drop the 1st 3 games of a postseason series and win 4 straight to win it anyway.
But Sterling Hitchcock, pitching on short rest, pitched 5 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits, and the San Diego bullpen pitched hitless ball over the last 4. Hitchcock would be named NLCS Most Valuable Player.
It is the 2nd Pennant for the Friars, the 1st coming in 1984. If you should ever meet a Chicago Cubs fan, do not mention this to him.
The Padres lost the ensuing World Series to the Yankees, but the run to the Pennant got the voters of San Diego County to vote, as a banner at Qualcomm Stadium asked, "YES ON C." This led to the team being able to leave what's now named SDCCU Stadium, and move into Petco Park for the 2004 season.
That saved major league sports in San Diego. They've never had an NHL team, and their WHA team, the San Diego Mariners, folded in 1977. In basketball, the ABA's San Diego Sails folded in 1975, and the NBA's Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984. And, following the City of San Diego's refusal to build them a new stadium to replace San Diego/Jack Murphy/Qualcomm/SDCCU Stadium, the city's original major league sports team, the AFL/NFL's Chargers, moved back to Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego.
The Padres are all that's left. They were a rough expansion team from 1969 to 1974. Since then, they've rarely been outright bad, and they've won the National League Western Division in 1984, 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2006, and lost a Playoff for the NL Wild Card in 2007. But they've only won 2 Pennants, and are 1-8 in World Series play, having won Game 2 in San Diego against the Detroit Tigers in 1984, and getting swept by the Yankees in 1998.
That Pennant won on October 14, 1998 remains their last. That's 20 years. How long has that been?
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The 1998 team was easily the most talented in the Padres' 1st half-century of existence. Manager Bruce Bochy had 2 future Hall-of-Famers: Right fielder Tony Gwynn, an 8-time NL batting champion and soon to be a member of the 3,000 Hit Club; and Trevor Hoffman, later to be the major leagues' all-time saves leader and still the NL's all-time leader.
There are also All-Stars in pitchers Kevin Brown, Mark Langston and Randy Myers; 1st baseman Wally Joyner, 3rd baseman and 1996 NL MVP Ken Caminiti, and outfielders Greg Vaughn and Steve Finley.
This was the 1st season of play for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Rays (or Devil Rays, as they were then known). Due to these new teams coming in, realignment meant that the Milwaukee Brewers were moved from the American League to the National League. The Houston Astros have since moved from the NL to the AL. And the Montreal Expos have since moved to become the Washington Nationals.
Half of all MLB teams, 15 out of 30, have since built new ballparks: The Seattle Mariners in 1999; the Detroit Tigers, the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants in 2000; the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001; the Cincinnati Reds in 2003, both the Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, the Nationals in 2008, both New York teams in 2009, the Minnesota Twins in 2010, the Miami Marlins in 2012 and the Atlanta Braves in 2017.
The Boston Red Sox had not won the World Series in 80 years, the Chicago White Sox in 81, the Chicago Cubs in 90; the Giants since moving to San Francisco; the Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Angels and the Astros, never. The Diamondbacks, the Angels, the Astros, the Colorado Rockies, the Rays and the Texas Rangers had never won a Pennant. The Diamondbacks, and the Expos/Nationals franchise, had never won a Division title in a full season, or even made the Playoffs in one.
All of those things were then true, but are no longer.
The following players were already in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and were still alive, but are no longer: Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Bobby Doerr, Monte Irvin, Lou Boudreau, Enos Slaughter, Hal Newhouser, Ted Williams, Early Wynn, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Bob Lemon, Stan Musial Larry Doby, Warren Spahn, Red Schoendienst, Ralph Kiner, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider, Robin Roberts, Al Lopez, Eddie Mathews, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Jim Bunning, Willie Stargell, Catfish Hunter. Also manager Earl Weaver, and former American League President Lee MacPhail.
Gwynn, Gary Carter and Kirby Puckett were not yet in. Nor were managers Dick Williams and Sparky Anderson, nor umpire Doug Harvey, nor former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. They all lived long enough to see themselves elected, but have also since died.
As I said, Gwynn and Hoffman were then active, and were later elected to the Hall of Fame. So were Dennis Eckersley, Paul Molitor, Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken, Wade Boggs, Barry Larkin, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Ivan Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Mike Piazza, Pedro Martinez, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones and Vladimir Guerrero.
They will almost certainly be joined over the next few years by Yankees Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Mike Mussina, and possibly Andy Pettitte and Curt Schilling. As for steroid-clouded active-1998 players like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Rafael Palmeiro, your guess is as good as mine. But it would be the height of hypocrisy if, upon both of them becoming eligible in 2022, David Ortiz (debuted in 1997) got in but Alex Rodriguez (1994) didn't.
In 1998, current Padres manager Andy Green was at the University of Kentucky. Aaron Boone of the Yankees was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Mickey Callaway was playing in the Devil Rays' farm system.
Barry Trotz of the Islanders had just become the 1st head coach of the Nashville Predators. Pat Shurmur of the Giants was the offensive coordinator at Stanford University. Todd Bowles of the Jets was the defensive coordinator at Grambling State University in Louisiana. David Fizdale of the Knicks was an assistant coach at the University of San Diego. John Hynes of the Devils was an assistant coach at Boston University. David Quinn of the Rangers was an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (not to be confused with the main campus in Lincoln). Kenny Atkinson of the Nets was playing in the Spanish basketball league. Speaking of Spain, Domenec Torrent of NYCFC was managing Palafrugell in Girona, Catalonia. And Jesse Marsch of the Red Bulls was helping the Chicago Fire go from MLS expansion team to MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup "Double" winners in just 1 season.
The defending World Champions were the Florida Marlins, the Denver Broncos, the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Red Wings, and D.C. United. The Heavyweight Champion of the World was Evander Holyfield. Arsenal had won England's Premier League and its FA Cup, for a Double, while Real Madrid broke a 32-year drought to win the UEFA Champions League.
The Olympic Games have since been held in America, Australia, Greece, Italy, China, Canada, Britain, Russia, Brazil and Korea. The World Cup had just been won by France, on home soil, and has since been held in Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.
Only 3 Justices then on the U.S. Supreme Court are still on it now: Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. The idea that corporations were people, and entitled to the rights thereof, was ridiculous -- but then, so was the idea that people of the same gender could marry, and get all the rights and protections thereof.
The President of the United States was Bill Clinton, and he was under an impeachment inquiry for things far less serious than Donald Trump is under investigation for now. Trump was then married to his 2nd wife, Marla Maples. Barack Obama was a State Senator in Illinois. George W. Bush was running for re-election as Governor of Texas. Former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, their wives, and the widow of Lyndon B. Johnson were all still alive.
The Mayor of San Diego was Susan Golding, the city's 1st Jewish Mayor, a Republican but one who was pro-choice, pro-environmental protection, pro-affirmative action and pro-gay rights, flying in the face of a previous Mayor, then running out the string as Governor of California, Pete Wilson, about to be succeeded by Gray Davis. She is now the CEO of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation.
Current Mayor Kevin Faulconer was then a public relations executive -- which helps in governing, and definitely in elections. Jerry Brown, about to leave the Governorship for the 2nd time, was launching his political comeback, about to be elected Mayor of Oakland.
The Governor of the State of New York was George Pataki. The Mayor of the City of New York was Rudy Giuliani. The Governor of New Jersey was Christine Todd Whitman. As for the current holders of those posts: Andrew Cuomo was U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, Bill de Blasio was one of his aides, and Phil Murphy was running the Asia office of Goldman Sachs out of Hong Kong.
There were still living veterans of World War I, the Bolshevik Reovlution, the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, and the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20. There were still survivors of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, the 1904 General Slocum fire, the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and the sinkings of the Titanic and the Lusitania.
The Nobel Peace Prize had just been awarded to John Hume and David Trimble, for their work on the Good Friday Accord that ended "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland after 30 years. The Pope was John Paul II. Pope Francis, the current Pontiff, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The Prime Minister of Canada was Jean Chrétien, and of Britain Tony Blair. The monarch of each was Queen Elizabeth II -- that hasn't changed. There have since been 4 Presidents, 4 Prime Minister of Britain, and 3 Popes.
Major novels of 1998 included Blood Work by Michael Connelly, About a Boy by Nick Hornby, and Giles Foden's dramatization of Uganda's dictator Idi Amin, then still alive, The Last King of Scotland. All would be made into major motion pictures. Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency would become a TV series. Stephen King published Bag of Bones, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and George R.R. Martin A Clash of Kings.
No one had yet heard of Ash Ketchum, Robert Langdon, Master Chief, Rick Grimes, Wynonna Earp, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.
Notable films of the Autumn of 1998 included Rush Hour, Ronin, What Dreams May Come, Beloved, Bride of Chucky, Practical Magic, Apt Pupil, Life Is Beautiful, Pleasantville, American History X, Elizabeth, Gods and Monsters, and the football film The Waterboy.
George Lucas was working on Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. If anyone told him, "Wait a minute... " about any part of it, he didn't listen. Steven Spielberg was about to release Saving Private Ryan. The Next Generation cast was filming Star Trek: Insurrection.
Pierce Brosnan was playing James Bond, Dean Cain had recently wrapped up playing Superman, George Clooney (with help from director Joel Schumacher) had nearly ruined Batman, Lynda Carter was still the last live-action Wonder Woman, and Nicholas Hammond still the last live-action Spider-Man. And Paul McGann's one-shot deal was the only appearance of The Doctor since 1989.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?, That '70s Show, Total Request Live, The King of Queens, Felicity, The Hughleys, Sports Night, Martial Law, V.I.P, Seven Days, the original versions of Will & Grace and Charmed, and the cartoons The Wild Thornberrys, Pokemon and Rolie Polie Olie, and the disastrous The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer had recently premiered. The Famous Jett Jackson, Becker, Jay Jay the Jet Plane and The Powerpuff Girls soon would.
No one had yet heard of Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning or Jane "Eleven" Hopper.
The Number 1 song in the country was "The First Night," by Monica Arnold, who went by only her first name, and, by this point, was the only Monica anyone wanted to hear about. Cher was about to release her 22nd studio album; Britney Spears, his 1st. Frank Sinatra had recently died. So had Linda McCartney, wife of ex-Beatle Paul. Bob Dylan was touring in support of his album Time Out of Mind, and Michael Jackson had just become the father of Paris Jackson.
Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.54 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 32 cents, and a New York Subway ride $1.50. The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.12, a cup of coffee $1.86, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $5.69, a movie ticket $4.58, a new car $20,238, and a new house $181,500. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 7,968.79.
The tallest building in the world was the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mobile phones had become common, but they didn't yet have Internet connections. There was no Wikipedia, no Skype, no MySpace, no Facebook, no YouTube, no Twitter, no Tumblr, no Pinterest, no Instagram. There was no iPod, no iPhone, no iPad. The Nintendo PlayStation was the leading home video game system.
In the Autumn of 1998, a Swissair MD-11 crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, killing 229 people. An oil pipeline explosion in kills over 1,000 people in Nigeria. Hurricane Mitch kills 11,000 people in Central America. The Iranian government retracted its fatwa against novelist Salman Rushdie. Europol was founded. Prime Minister John Howard and his Liberal Party were re-elected in Australia -- a country whose conservative party is named the Liberal Party. Former Chilean President Augusto Pinchoet was arrested for war crimes in Britain.
In America, Matthew Shepard was tortured and murdered, giving the gay rights movement its 1st true martyr since Harvey Milk, 20 years earlier. And Google was founded.
George Wallace, and Doak Walker, and Florence Griffith Joyner died. So did baseball figures Gene Autry, Dan Quisenberry, and Mark Belanger. And championship New York head coached William "Red" Holzman and Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank. Nolan Gould, and Trae Young, and Christian Pulisic were born.
October 14, 1998. The San Diego Padres won the National League Pennant. They have never won another.
Might another one be soon in coming? They lost 96 games in 2018, and 91 the year before that, which doesn't suggest much. We shall see.
Pierce Brosnan was playing James Bond, Dean Cain had recently wrapped up playing Superman, George Clooney (with help from director Joel Schumacher) had nearly ruined Batman, Lynda Carter was still the last live-action Wonder Woman, and Nicholas Hammond still the last live-action Spider-Man. And Paul McGann's one-shot deal was the only appearance of The Doctor since 1989.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?, That '70s Show, Total Request Live, The King of Queens, Felicity, The Hughleys, Sports Night, Martial Law, V.I.P, Seven Days, the original versions of Will & Grace and Charmed, and the cartoons The Wild Thornberrys, Pokemon and Rolie Polie Olie, and the disastrous The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer had recently premiered. The Famous Jett Jackson, Becker, Jay Jay the Jet Plane and The Powerpuff Girls soon would.
No one had yet heard of Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning or Jane "Eleven" Hopper.
The Number 1 song in the country was "The First Night," by Monica Arnold, who went by only her first name, and, by this point, was the only Monica anyone wanted to hear about. Cher was about to release her 22nd studio album; Britney Spears, his 1st. Frank Sinatra had recently died. So had Linda McCartney, wife of ex-Beatle Paul. Bob Dylan was touring in support of his album Time Out of Mind, and Michael Jackson had just become the father of Paris Jackson.
Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.54 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 32 cents, and a New York Subway ride $1.50. The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.12, a cup of coffee $1.86, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $5.69, a movie ticket $4.58, a new car $20,238, and a new house $181,500. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 7,968.79.
The tallest building in the world was the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mobile phones had become common, but they didn't yet have Internet connections. There was no Wikipedia, no Skype, no MySpace, no Facebook, no YouTube, no Twitter, no Tumblr, no Pinterest, no Instagram. There was no iPod, no iPhone, no iPad. The Nintendo PlayStation was the leading home video game system.
In the Autumn of 1998, a Swissair MD-11 crashed off the coast of Nova Scotia, killing 229 people. An oil pipeline explosion in kills over 1,000 people in Nigeria. Hurricane Mitch kills 11,000 people in Central America. The Iranian government retracted its fatwa against novelist Salman Rushdie. Europol was founded. Prime Minister John Howard and his Liberal Party were re-elected in Australia -- a country whose conservative party is named the Liberal Party. Former Chilean President Augusto Pinchoet was arrested for war crimes in Britain.
In America, Matthew Shepard was tortured and murdered, giving the gay rights movement its 1st true martyr since Harvey Milk, 20 years earlier. And Google was founded.
George Wallace, and Doak Walker, and Florence Griffith Joyner died. So did baseball figures Gene Autry, Dan Quisenberry, and Mark Belanger. And championship New York head coached William "Red" Holzman and Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank. Nolan Gould, and Trae Young, and Christian Pulisic were born.
October 14, 1998. The San Diego Padres won the National League Pennant. They have never won another.
Might another one be soon in coming? They lost 96 games in 2018, and 91 the year before that, which doesn't suggest much. We shall see.