Westgate Park

Westgate Park was a former 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.

The ballpark was located in the Mission Valley region of San Diego. The "Union-Tribune" source gives the location as Friars Road at Route 163, the northeast corner of what is now the Fashion Valley Mall.

Westgate was built to replace the deteriorating Lane Field. It was of modern construction and was designed to be expanded to major league size if necessary. Such plans were under consideration in the mid-1960s. However, the 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, which was initially called San Diego Stadium and later Qualcomm Stadium.

That spelled the end of Westgate's short existence. The minor league Padres played the 1968 season in the cavernous (by PCL standards) new stadium, also knowing they were a lame duck, with the major league San Diego Padres set to begin play the next year.

External links

* [http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/sports/images/82-13673-1488.jpgAerial photo of Westgate Park]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040404/news_mz1x4previou.html Union-Tribune article about San Diego ballparks]