Curtain call
Padres fans have a tendency to cheer on their team, even in defeat.
Just like in 1998, the 2022 Padres’ playoff run came to an end after they surprised two heavily favored opponents.
And just like in 1998, San Diego fans were there to cheer on their team, even in defeat.
While the Padres were eliminated on the road this season, in 1998, the season ended at home.
The Padres only played one bad game in the 1998 World Series. But this was the Yankees, and an especially potent Yankees team at that.
So the Padres found themselves down 3-0 and facing elimination.
Game 4 starters Kevin Brown and Andy Pettitte exchanged zeroes until the sixth inning, when New York pushed across a run to make it 1-0.
In the top of the eighth, the Yankees struck again, pushing across two more runs on a Scott Brosius single and Ricky Ledee sacrifice fly.
That was all the run support the Yankees would need. Especially when closer Mariano Rivera entered the game, getting a four-out save to secure another championship for the Bronx Bombers.
Following the game, the Yankees celebrated another championship, while the San Diego fans stuck around to cheer on their team. Ken Caminiti and the other players filtered back onto the field to thank the fans for their support.
The Padres had vanquished the Astros and Braves, then stood tall against a Yankees team that won more games than any other team in any other season.
This was a special team.
And fans wouldn’t soon forget.