SAN DIEGO — Another sold out, standing room only crowd packed Petco Park for Tuesday's playoff game against the Phillies. Fans, coming off three days to rest their vocal chords, started screaming again before the first pitch. But does our noise really affect the play on the field?
Fans say Petco Park was literally shaking Saturday night. The crowd pumped up, hoping their loud “Beat LA!” chants would help end more than 20 years of Friar frustration. And it worked, with the padres scoring five runs in the 7th inning to come from behind and beat the Dodgers.
“It's awesome,” said Pitcher Nick Martinez. “We feed off it so much. We're never out of it with these fans. We're never out of the game with them.”
Manager Bob Melvin echoed Martinez, “I feel great for the city of San Diego because they showed up these last two games and really inspired us to win. it was like an avalanche there at the end.”
“They helped a ton,” added second baseman Jake Cronenworth. “This place was insane the last two days. They gave us the fuel and we just went with it.”
Pitcher Joe Musgrove admits the crowd was so loud that at first it fired him up a bit too much, but the El Cajon native quickly calmed himself down and understands just how big this is for all of San Diego. “These fans deserve it,” Musgrove said. “They've been waiting for so long and I used to be that fan. I was waiting.”
Even those players new to the area appreciate just how special this moment is. “This town, you can feel the passion,” said outfielder Trent Grisham. “You can see it every night and just keep coming out and supporting!}
And if you doubted that fired up fans make a difference, José Azócar’s actions during that wild 7th inning tell you all you need to know.
Azócar stood on the edge of the dugout, waving a towel, encouraging the crowd to get even louder! The team is having fun, but they also know this season isn't about just beating the Dodgers - it's about bringing San Diego its first ever World Series Championship.
“It's all about the want,” said third baseman Manny Machado. “We want it. We want it for the city. We want it for this organization.
So keep the faith, and keep getting louder. “Amazing, I love it,” said outfielder Juan Soto. “I love it. I need you guys to keep coming. Keep getting loud!”
WATCH RELATED: Game day in America's Finest City | Padres set to take on Phillies for a chance in World Series (Oct. 2022).