San Diego Padres make history with series shutout of Colorado Rockies
San Diego Padres outfielder Jason Heyward gushed about his team's togetherness after their 2-0 win on April 12 at Petco Park.
By Julia Andersen, CNN
(CNN) — It was a weekend of firsts for the San Diego Padres as their hot start to the season shows little sign of slowing – and it’s hard to know which statistic to start with.
On Sunday, the Padres became the first MLB team since the then-named Cleveland Indians in 2017 to hold an opponent scoreless over a series of at least three games with a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. It was also the first time in franchise history that the team has achieved the feat.
The series result also marked the first time the Rockies have ever been dealt a shutout in a series of three or more games, according to MLB.com.
They say there’s no place like home, and for the Padres and Petco Park that certainly seems to be the case. With the victory, San Diego moved to 10-0 at home, another franchise record.
Additionally, the Padres became the second team in MLB history – matching the 1966 Cleveland team – to rack up six shutouts in the first 16 games of the season, all of which have come at Petco Park.
The only other time a team has held its opponent to fewer than a dozen runs over its first nine home games happened in 1876, according to Opta – the first year of MLB.
Veteran outfielder Jason Heyward said the key to the hot start is the Padres’ ability to play as a team.
“I think, you know, no matter what the result is on any given day on both sides of the baseball, let’s go up there, have our approach,” Heyward said after Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Colorado.
“It’s not gonna be perfect. Right? It’s not always gonna work out the way you want. But it’s following up with that approach and that process and we’ve been doing a great job I think since spring training in just falling in love with that.”
Padres manager Mike Shildt reiterated his player’s perspective on the positive clubhouse and stadium environment post-game.
“It’s an unbelievably supportive place; it’s a fun place that our guys love to play. I feel like we’re playing with our fans and the support we’re getting and, conversely, it’s a really challenging place (for our opponents) to play.
“You know, it’s a playoff-like atmosphere almost every game,” Shildt added.
The camaraderie of the team is palpable and it’s translating in the performances, especially with the pitching staff. The Padres are second in the league with a team ERA of 2.68 and their bullpen has an MLB-leading 1.51 ERA.
Sunday’s starter, Michael King, pitched the first complete game shutout of his career in front of a sellout crowd and became the first Padres starter to notch an individual shutout this season.
“These fans are incredible,” the 29-year-old said of the support. “They show out and it’s always fun to put on a show for ‘em.”
“We got a lot of different approaches. I mean the Rockies just saw three different starting pitchers. You got a four-seam curveball guy in Nick (Pivetta), a lefty (Kyle Hart) with every pitch you have and really good command, and me as a sinker-sweeper guy,” King said of the pitching staff’s versatility and dominance.
The MLB-leading Padres (13-3) will look to record their fourth consecutive shutout tonight when they host the Chicago Cubs at 9:40 pm ET.
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