San Diego Padres: The franchise all-time bracket
By Bill Felber
San Diego Padres: The All-Time Bracket
No. 1 vs. 8 seed
The 1998 World Series team won 98 games, six more than any Padres club has ever done.
Tony Gwynn, whose name will dominate this bracket, hit .321 in 1998 while left fielder Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs and drove in 119.
Acquired from the World Series-winning Marlins the previous December, Kevin Brown was 18-7 in 35 starts for his new team and filled the role of staff ace. Trevor Hoffman saved 53 games.
Winfield hit .308 in 1978 with 24 home runs and 97 RBIs. Catcher Gene Tenace and left fielder Gene Richards also had strong seasons, each recording an OPS_ of 134.
Gaylord Perry was the mound ace, producing a 21-6 record in 37 starts with a 2.73 ERA. Although not the dominant force he had been two seasons earlier when he won the Cy Young Award, Randy Jones still delivered 36 starts and 253 innings.
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Game 1: As previously noted, the 1998 club had the best regular-season percentage in franchise history, at .605. So as long as they’re in the bracket, they begin 1-0.
Game 2: The 1998 champions played .500 post-season ball, winning their division series over Houston in four games and beating Atlanta in six for the NL pennant before being swept in the World Series. That .500 post-season record is also the best in franchise history and ensures them an automatic 2-0 star That’s certainly true against the 1978 club, which did not qualify for post-season play.
Game 3: The 1998 Padres had a MLB average 100 team OPS+. In 1978, Winfield led the Padres at 151, but the team as a whole only managed 95.
Game 4: Perhaps unsurprisingly this series ends quickly. The 1998 team had a staff ERA+ of 108. The 1978 Padres only got to 101.
Result: 1998 in four games