List of San Diego Padres Opening Day starting pitchers

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League (NL) West in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Padres first played their home games at San Diego Stadium, now called Qualcomm Stadium, and formerly called Jack Murphy Stadium, until mlby|2003 when they moved into Petco Park. [cite web|url=http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/history/ballparks.jsp|title=Padres Ballparks|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=2008-10-11] The Padres have used 23 different Opening Day starting pitchers in its 40 seasons. The 23 starters have a combined Opening Day record of 15 wins, 12 losses and 13 no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game.

The Padres first Opening Day starting pitcher was Dick Selma, who received a win against the Houston Astros. Randy Jones and Eric Show ties the Padres' record for most Opening Day starts with four, and both of them combined have an Opening Day record of 3 wins, 3 losses, and 2 no decisions. Jones also hold the most Opening Day starts consecutively with 3, holding it with Andy Benes and Jake Peavy. Andy Benes has the most Opening Day losses consecutively with 3 from mlby|1993 to mlby|1995. Jake Peavy was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Padres since mlby|2006.

Overall, the Padres's Opening Day starting pitchers have a record of 8 wins and 5 loss at San Diego Stadium/Jack Murphy Stadium/Qualcomm Stadium, and 2 wins and 0 losses at Petco Park. In addition, although the Padres were nominally the home team on Opening Day 1999, the game was played in Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. [cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN199904040.shtml|title=Apr 4, 1999, Rockies at Padres Play by Play and Box Score|publisher=Baseball-Reference|accessdate=2008-10-11] The Padres' Opening Day starting pitchers' combined home record 11 wins and 5 losses, and their away record 4 wins and 7 losses. The Padres went on to play in the MLB post-season 5 times, winning the National League Championship Series (NLCS) in 1984 and 1998. [cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SD/|title=San Diego Padres History & Encyclopedia|publisher=Baseball-Reference|accessdate=2008-10-11] In those five seasons, the Opening Day starting pitchers had a combined record of 3 wins and 0 losses.

Pitchers

{| class="wikitable sortable"!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Season!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Pitcher!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Decision!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Opponent!style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Location!style="background: #e3e3e3;" class="unsortable"|Reference
-
align=center|1969
sortname|Dick|Selma
W
Houston Astros
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|cite web|url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SD/opening.shtml|title=San Diego Padres Opening Day Starters and Results|publisher=Baseball-Reference|accessdate=2008-10-11] cite web|url=http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/history/opening_day_lineups.jsp|title=Padres Opening Day Lineups|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=2008-10-11]
-
align=center|1970
sortname|Pat|Dobson
W
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1971
sortname|Tom|Phoebus
L
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1972
sortname|Clay|Kirby
W
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1973
sortname|Clay|Kirby small|(2)
W
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1974
sortname|Bill|Greif
L
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1975
sortname|Randy|Jones|Randy Jones (baseball)
ND (L)
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1976
sortname|Randy|Jones|Randy Jones (baseball) small|(2)
W
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1977
sortname|Randy|Jones|Randy Jones (baseball) small|(3)
L
Cincinnati Reds
Riverfront Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1978
sortname|Gaylord|Perry
ND (W)
San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|1979
sortname|Gaylord|Perry small|(2)
W
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1980
sortname|Randy|Jones|Randy Jones (baseball) small|(4)
W
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1981
sortname|John|Curtis|John Curtis (baseball)
ND (W)
San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|1982
sortname|Juan|Eichelberger
L
Atlanta Braves
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1983
sortname|Tim|Lollar
W
San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park
align="center"|
-
style="background-color: #D0E7FF" align=center|1984**
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|sortname|Eric|Show
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|W
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|Pittsburgh Pirates
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|Jack Murphy Stadium
style="background-color: #D0E7FF" align="center"|
-
align=center|1985
sortname|LaMarr|Hoyt
ND (L)
San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|1986
sortname|Eric|Show small|(2)
L
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1987
sortname|Eric|Show small|(3)
ND (L)
San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|1988
sortname|Ed|Whitson
ND (L)
Houston Astros
Astrodome
align="center"|
-
align=center|1989
sortname|Eric|Show small|(4)
L
San Francisco Giants
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1990
sortname|Bruce|Hurst
L
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1991
sortname|Ed|Whitson small|(2)
ND (W)
San Francisco Giants
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1992
sortname|Bruce|Hurst small|(2)
ND (W)
Cincinnati Reds
Riverfront Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1993
sortname|Andy|Benes
L
Pittsburgh Pirates
Three Rivers Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1994
sortname|Andy|Benes small|(2)
L
Atlanta Braves
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|1995
sortname|Andy|Benes small|(3)
L
Houston Astros
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align=center|1996*
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|sortname|Andy|Ashby
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|ND (L)
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|Chicago Cubs
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|Wrigley Field
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align="center"|
-
-
align=center|1997
sortname|Joey|Hamilton
W
New York Mets
Jack Murphy Stadium
align="center"|
-
style="background-color: #D0E7FF" align=center|1998**
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|sortname|Kevin|Brown|Kevin Brown (right-handed pitcher)
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|W
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|Cincinnati Reds
style="background-color: #D0E7FF"|Cinergy Field
style="background-color: #D0E7FF" align="center"|
-
align=center|1999
sortname|Andy|Ashby small|(2)
L
Colorado Rockies
Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey
align="center"|
-
align=center|2000
sortname|Sterling|Hitchcock
ND (L)
New York Mets
Shea Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|2001
sortname|Woody|Williams
L
San Francisco Giants
Pacific Bell Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|2002
sortname|Kevin|Jarvis
ND (W)
Arizona Diamondbacks
Chase Field
align="center"|
-
align=center|2003
sortname|Brian|Lawrence
ND (L)
San Francisco Giants
Qualcomm Stadium
align="center"|
-
align=center|2004
sortname|Brian|Lawrence small|(2)
W
Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
align="center"|
-
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align=center|2005*
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|sortname|Woody|Williams small|(2)
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|ND (L)
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|Colorado Rockies
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|Coors Field
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align="center"|
-
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align=center|2006*
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|sortname|Jake|Peavy
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|W
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|San Francisco Giants
style="background-color: #FFE6BD"|PETCO Park
style="background-color: #FFE6BD" align="center"|
-
align=center|2007
sortname|Jake|Peavy small|(2)
W
San Francisco Giants
AT&T Park
align="center"|
-
align=center|2008
sortname|Jake|Peavy small|(3)
W
Houston Astros
PETCO Park
align="center"|cite web|url=http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20080331&content_id=2476985&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=home&c_id=sd|title=Peavy tallies RBIs, win|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=2008-10-11]
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References