Padres Set Attendance Records in 2025, and Now San Diego Needs to Live Up to Fans' Loyalty

[Andy Johnson]

The San Diego Padres may not have had a record-setting season on the field, but their fans had another season for the record books. 

Petco Park sold 72 out of its 81 home games, a new record in 2025. In total, San Diego brought in 3,437,201 fans in 2025, breaking their record previously set in 2024. The Padres claim it's the best home-field advantage in baseball, and it's almost true. San Diego won 52 games at home, going 52-29 at Petco Park. Only Toronto (54) and Philadelphia (55) won more at home. The Dodgers and Brewers matched the Padres with a 52-29 home record. 

What does playing at home do for San Diego? Why does it provide such an advantage? 

Part of it, surely, is the fanbase. Having such a devoted group of faithfuls is part of what makes the Padres such a special team. San Diego lost its football team, and doesn't have a basketball team or a top-tier University in the area. The Padres are the only major sports team in the city, and it's clear the city will always support them. 

Fans clearly love coming out to Petco, and not just for the baseball. In March, Sports Illustrated ranked Petco as the fifth-best ballpark in all of baseball, and there are some fans who probably rank it even higher than that. Its proximity to the beach, the waterfront, and downtown makes it one of the most enjoyable atmospheres in the game. 

Still, at the end of the day, the fans are there to support the baseball team, and they deserve a team that will win, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. They deserve a team that is capable of posting a winning record on the road, something the Padres have only done four times since 2008 (in 2010, 2020, 2022, and 2024). The point is, as fun as San Diego has been in the past seven years with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado leading the way, these fans deserve more. They deserve a championship. The Padres need to deliver soon, or else eventually, the fans could turn on them. 

It's incredible what the Padres have been able to do in the past half-decade or so, bringing in record numbers of fans, but it was not that long ago when San Diego was barely bringing in over 2 million fans per season. Between 2009 and 2014, San Diego never reached more than 2.19 million fans over the year. The lesson: keep winning, or the fans could stop supporting the team altogether. It's happened before. 

The good news for the Padres is that the core is in place. Tatis, Machado, Jackson Merrill, & Jake Cronenworth are a solid core group to build a lineup from, and the bullpen is full of controllable pieces, led by recently-acquired flamethrower Mason Miller.

The bad news is that the team has been coming up short, again and again. In 2022, 2024, and 2025, the team has suffered heartbreaking playoff losses. How can they avoid another heartbreak in 2026? How many more heartbreaking playoff losses can this fanbase take before they give up? 

It's clear the fanbase spirit is not broken yet. The city was faithful as ever in 2025, even after their 2024 postseason letdown. Still, the organization should not take their support for granted. It is time to deliver the fanbase what they are dreaming of: A World Series championship. 

The Padres need to keep their foot and the gas and attack this offseason like they've never attacked one before. Bring in the supporting cast to uplift their superstars. Add to their depth, to make sure their back-third of the lineup is not a complete black hole every night, like it sometimes felt in 2025. 

San Diego is capable of it, and the fans are ready to see it. They broke records in 2025; an even better team in 2026 could further up the ante.

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