Westgate Park
Westgate Park was a baseball stadium located in San Diego, California. The ballpark was home to the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League from 1958 to 1967.
  Westgate Park Location in California  Westgate Park Location in the United States | |
| Address | Friars Road at State Route 163 San Diego, California US |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°46′9″N 117°9′48″W |
| Owner | C. Arnholt Smith |
| Capacity | 8,268 |
| Record attendance | 15,154 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 28, 1958 |
| Closed | 1967 |
| Demolished | 1969 |
| Construction cost | $1 million |
| Tenants | |
| San Diego Padres (PCL) 1958–1967 | |
The ballpark was located in the largely undeveloped Mission Valley region of San Diego. The location was on Friars Road at State Route 395 (now State Route 163), in the northeast corner of what is now the Fashion Valley Mall.[1]
Westgate was built to replace the deteriorating Lane Field, where the minor-league Padres had played since 1936. Constructed for $1 million in private funds by Padres owner C. Arnholt Smith, Westgate was a modern stadium with a capacity of 8,268 fans, with an eye to be expanded to major league size (up to 40,000) if necessary.[2] In 1958 when it opened, "Not even Yankee Stadium or Boston's Fenway Park can surpass the comforts and conveniences of the Padres' new home. ... This is a real ballpark, built for the game of baseball, a ballpark in which the city of San Diego can take great pride."[3] It was named for the Westgate-California Tuna Packing Corporation.[4]
The first Padres games played in Westgate were on April 28, 1958, a day-night doubleheader versus the Phoenix Giants.[2] Actor William Powell threw out the first pitch.[5] San Diego won the first game, 5-3, and the second, 3-1. The afternoon game attracted 4,619 fans, while the nightcap attracted 7,129 fans.[2]
However, the American Football League's San Diego Chargers were demanding a new stadium to replace Balboa Stadium, a structure dating from about 1915. With major league baseball soon to arrive, the city decided to build a single, multi-purpose stadium for both baseball and football. The new facility was initially called San Diego Stadium. This ended the possibility of expansion for Westgate. The minor league Padres played the 1968 season in the cavernous (by PCL standards) new stadium, knowing they were a lame duck, with the major league San Diego Padres set to begin play the next year. Plans for Fashion Valley Mall were unveiled in December 1967, and Westgate was razed by 1969 to make room.
References
- Center, Bill (April 4, 2004). "Previous Homes of the San Diego Padres". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- Crawford, Richard (April 9, 2009). "Westgate Park a major marvel as home for minor-league Padres". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- Ferkovich, Scott. "Westgate Park (San Diego)". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- Fetzer, Leland (2005). San Diego County Place Names A to Z. San Diego: Sunbelt Publications. p. 154. ISBN 978-0932653734.
- "For the record: South Edition". The San Diego Union-Tribune. April 25, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
