Petco Park is a baseball stadium located in downtown San Diego, California. It is the home ballpark of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). The park opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium, which the Padres shared with the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).
Petco Park is named after the pet food company Petco, which is based in San Diego and owned by a private equity firm. The park includes a dog-friendly area called “The Bark at Petco Park.”
The ballpark is located between 7th and 10th Avenues, south of J Street. It is bordered by K Street (southwest), 14th Street (northeast), Imperial Avenue (northwest), and Park Boulevard (southeast).
The stadium was built with public funds from the City of San Diego as part of an effort to revitalize downtown San Diego.
Construction began in 2002 and was completed in 2004 at a cost of $458 million. The stadium opened on April 8, 2004, with a game between the Padres and the Houston Astros.
Petco Park has a seating capacity of 42,445, making it the smallest ballpark in Major League Baseball by seating capacity.
The stadium features a natural grass field and has views of San Diego Bay. It also has a unique park within a park concept, with an area containing several palm trees and a playground.
The ballpark was nominated for Sports Facility of the Year by Sports Business Journal in 2006. In 2010, it received an honorable mention in Sports Illustrated’s “Best Of” list for ballparks.
Why is it called Petco Park?
It’s named after the pet food company Petco, which is based in San Diego and owned by a private equity firm.
