This course tour is about the San Diego Padres' home stadium.
Pitch overview
Home team: San Diego Padres
Located in: Downtown San Diego
Owner: The City of San Diego shares with the San Diego Priests
Regular visitor capacity: 40,209
Maximum admission: 45,567
Course surface: natural turf
Stadium structure: no roof
Course dimensions: Left outfield 334 ft (102 m) / Left outfield 390 ft (119 m) / Front Field 396 ft (121 m) / Right Outfield 382 to 391 ft (116 to 119 m) / Right Outfield 322 ft (98 m)
Construction History: Construction began on May 3, 2000 and opened on April 8, 2004
Construction cost: $450 million ($617 million in 2020)
Oracle Stadium in Northern California, one of the north American stadiums, was introduced before, and today it was the turn of another stadium that is comparable to the Wolong phoenix in terms of scenery - The San Diego Padres in Southern California.
Image source: petco.com
Since its founding in 1969, the Padres have spent more than three decades at San Diego Stadium, a multi-purpose venue that was demolished last year not only for the clerics, but also for teams like the San Diego State University football team and the NFL San Diego Lightning.
San Diego Stadium Source: Intersofia
Even if the "donut" field for baseball and olive use was popular at the time, it was inconvenient for an MLB team to squeeze in with two resident football teams. And the stadium is a certain distance from downtown San Diego, baseball season schedule is dense, there are a lot of weekday games, slightly suburban location is not good for the baseball city.
So the priests decided to build the second home of the team's history in downtown San Diego, in a very prime location, quite close to the port of San Diego, with easy access to public transportation.
The red label in the picture is Peco Stadium
San Diego has a pleasant climate, most of the time the wind is beautiful, no matter which angle you look up from the court, you will be greeted by blue skies and white clouds. Coupled with the design of the Peco Stadium, the architectural structure and background are perfectly integrated, and the view of the sea from the right field of the course is simply poetic.
Image source: Sun Sentinel
In the same way that the Beauty Juice Stadium introduced earlier in this series, Peco Stadium is also a fusion of historic buildings. In fact, according to the original plan, the Peco Stadium should be put into use two years earlier, and the reason for the delay is related to the financing of the stadium on the one hand, and to a four-story building with a red brick façade on the outside of the stadium on the other hand.
It was once the headquarters of the Western Metal Supply Company, founded in 1888, and was recognized as a historic building in 1975. Initially, the building was not part of the blueprint for the stadium' construction, but it was insisted that it should be protected. Therefore, the stadium decided to retain the original style of the building and integrate the main body of the building into the left field of the stadium.
Western Metal Supply Company Building Source: Fox 5 San Diego
Unlike the United Railway Station building at Meijuyuan Stadium (see the first part of this series for details), in addition to the façade facing the outside of the stadium as a team shop, the part facing the stadium is also fully presented, with multi-storey platforms and an antique spectator seat. Whenever the ball flies to the left field, viewers can clearly identify the building and the "WESTERN METAL SUPPLY CO" on it from the live footage of the match. signboard.
The perimeter of the stadium is also worth seeing, with statues of two of the padres' great names, tony Gwy Gwynn, a famous batter of the last century, and Trevor Hoffman, the all-time rescue king of the League of Nations, as well as a replica plaque display wall of players from the Team's History Hall of Fame.
Unlike some stadiums that are very "stingy" and unwilling to give people "white prostitutes" (such as fenway stadiums introduced in this series), the tall buildings on the side of the Peco stadium can directly overlook the field. During the 2020 pandemic, Peco Stadium was one of the closed playoff venues, and some enthusiastic fans rented a nearby apartment building to cheer for the home team.
Even better, a special open strip is set up in the outer field of the stadium, facing a sloped lawn, where fans can directly watch the pitching duels in the stadium.
Image source: Petco Park official website
This "free to watch" location contains the ingenuity of the designers, who walk by and sit by, and when they are interested, they can also take their children to the mini ballpark on the side for field teaching. The integration of the stadium and the community fully reflects the cultural significance of baseball's affinity. It is not excluded that some people are fascinated by the outside, they will pay for tickets to enter the venue, just like the supermarket has a tasting, the stadium can also "try to see", soliciting business is really a routine!
There is also an unexpected small element related to China at the Course: some porcelain from China was unearthed during the construction of the stadium, which the stadium attaches great importance to and is specially placed in the publicity window showing the history of the stadium construction. This window is outside the stadium, and even friends who pass by "playing soy sauce" can visit the stadium without entering. In addition, after the unsealing of the stadium last year, steamed dumplings with a variety of fillings were added to the on-site food, which were sold along with burgers, hot dogs, and taco burritos, which is also another place with Chinese elements.
图源：Cool San Diego Sights
Having said all that, this article is not to encourage everyone to go to The Peco Stadium and only walk around outside and not go in. Such a beautiful and sincere course, please be sure to include it in your San Diego tour plan. In particular, it is recommended to arrive slightly earlier than the kick-off point, play outside the court for a while, and then enter the arena to enjoy the wonderful MLB game. I believe that when you leave, you will definitely be troubled by which photos to choose to send to the circle of friends.
Image source: CBS 8
Historic buildings, statues of Hall of Fame players, "test zone" lawns, and Chinese porcelain... what's most appealing to you about this scenic Perco Stadium? Which is the best background board for your photo? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section!