PADRES WIN FIRST SEVEN GAMES TO SET TEAM RECORD
By Karen Pearlman
Photo: Slugging star Fernando Tatis Jr., courtesy of San Diego Padres
April 4, 2025 (San Diego) --- With seven consecutive wins to start the 2025 season, the San Diego Padres got off to their franchise-best start since they launched in 1969 as an expansion Major League Baseball club.
Although the team lost to the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Friday, April 4, in the opener of a three-game series in Chicago, the Padres were riding high as one of the two hottest and only undefeated teams in MLB – both in the National League West Division.
The Padres were perfect through the first week of the season after sweeping the Atlanta Braves over four games followed by a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers were ahead, with an 8-0 record going into a three-game series in Philadelphia against the Phillies.
But as the defending World Series champions Dodgers are also beginning the season strong, the Padres’ best start cannot be overlooked. The team had never started a season better than 4-0, and only doing that once – on the way to the team’s 1984 pennant-winning year.
Behind stellar pitching, power, clutch hitting, speed on the basepaths (11 stolen bases over the first seven games) and tough defense (only making two errors), it's been an exciting start to the season.
The Padres have been getting contributions from superstars and role players alike, creating a well-rounded offensive attack while both starting pitching -- led by Michael King’s two wins -- and the bullpen have proven dependable.
The first week also saw the Padres offer star outfielder Jackson Merrill a big contract extension – nine years for $135 million. For the 2025 season, Merrill is earning $800,000. The contract extension is for 2026-34 and includes a $10 million signing bonus and average annual salary of $15 million.
Merrill has been living up to his pay, batting .407 with two home runs and eight RBI through the first seven games. The Padres have also gotten strong offensive performances from other key players like Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gavin Sheets.
San Diego started the season with a come-from-behind 7-4 victory over the Braves on March 27. Sheets had a game-tying pinch-hit home run and more offense followed, with Tatis Jr. and Machado leading the way. The Padres also executed their first double steal of the season. Starting pitcher Freddy Peralta earned the team’s first win and reliever Robert Suarez the first save.
The Padres got two one-run victories over Atlanta in the next two games, edging Atlanta 4-3 in the second game of the season on March 28 (with Suarez securing his second save), and then beating the Braves 1-0 in game three on March 29, behind Jake Cronenworth’s RBI double in the seventh inning.
The Padres then finished up the sweep on March 30 with a 5-0 win over the Braves. In his debut as a Padre, pitcher Nick Pivetta allowed just one hit over seven innings, and faced the minimum 21 batters. In a game in which the Padres stole four bases, Tatis Jr. was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Machado had an RBI double in that game as well.
Against Cleveland on March 31, the Padres won 7-2 for their fifth-straight win, behind strong offense and 12 hits, including a 3-for-3 game by Gavin Sheets, who also scored twice and drove in four runs. Pitcher Josh Hart earning the win.
After the first five victories, Padres manager Mike Shildt said that “Baseball IQ does win,” and noted the team’s experienced “high-IQ ballplayers who enjoy the game” like Machado and Cronenworth.
“Baseball is a game of situations,” Shildt said. “If you understand the situations and have the talent, which we have as well — it’s a talented league. So, the separation is the ability to go out and play smart, heads-up baseball — to be on point.
“I’ve always felt that baseball is like a game of human chess. The pieces are familiar. But the board moves consistently. No two games are alike. You play to the scoreboard and you’re playing to situations. Players who are aware of the situations and can think along with them mentally and physically are pretty big part of it.”
The Padres won their sixth game in a row with a 7-0 shutout over the Guardians on April Fool’s Day. In that game, starter Michael King struck out 11 in five shutout innings. Merrill broke a scoreless tie with a fourth-inning homer, and Tatis and Arraez also had key hits.
The team’s seventh consecutive victory was a 5-2 win over Cleveland on April 2 as Merrill slugged a two-run HR. Arraez also homered and was part of successful double steal. Starting pitcher Dylan Cease went 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run while fanning seven. Suarez earned his third save of the season.