1998 San Diego Padres

Baseball is not a fair game. Sometime the World Series features two evenly matched foes and all 7 games could go either way. Others are like the 1927 Pirates where they knew they were getting swept during batting practice before the series even started. In those uneven years, the team on the wrong side of destiny can only curse their luck and hope they can both get back to the WS soon and that next time the opponent is a little more manageable.  

The San Diego Padres have only been to the World Series twice. With such few opportunities to win it all, you'd think the baseball gods would smile upon them and give them a fair fight? Nah, those gods decided to laugh sadistically and force them to try to stop one of baseballs all time greatest teams.

The Padres under Manager Bruce Bochy got off to a hot start in '98, building up a lead in the National League West. Behind stars like Greg Vaughn, Trevor Hoffman, Ken Caminiti and Mr. Padre Tony Gwynn, the Padres went 98-64 and easily took the NL West, with the Dodgers a distant 9.5 games in 2nd place. Despite their record, they were the 3 seed in the NL come postseason time.

The road to a championship was going to be rough in the 1998 playoffs. If they were to win it all, the Padres would have to become the 1st team to beat three different 100 win teams in October, no easy task. First up were the 102 win Houston Astros. In the only season they had Randy Johnson on staff, the Astros watched in horror as their ace got out-dueled twice in the series as the Padres moved on in 4 games.

Next on the journey, the Padres had to face the 106 win Braves, winners of 4 of the last 6 pennants. The Braves and their three aces took the Padres to Game 6, but Series MVP Streling Hitchcock was up for the task, winning 2 of the games and sending the Padres to their 2nd World Series.

The World Series is where the fun stopped very abruptly for San Diego. The 114 win Yankees were waiting, sitting on 121 wins after winning the AL pennant and looking to set the all time wins mark of 125. Homers by Greg Vaughn and Tony Gwynn helped give SD a big lead in Game 1, but the Yankees came back and handled business. Down 0-2 in the series, the Padres had a lead in Game 3 to hand to Hoffman, only for him to give up a demoralizing homer and lose. The sweep was completed the next night.

Some things you just don't realize was an injustice until it's already been rectified. Seeing Mr. Padre in Yankee Stadium getting ready for Game 1 made millions realize how little we get to see one of baseballs greatest hitters in the fall classic. It seemed ridiculous that he only got two shots at a ring for how good of a hitter he was.
Another example of how insanely good Tony Gwynn was at hitting: In 1998 he hit .321, which was only the 13th best he ever did in a season, and a 50 point drop off from last year. Most players see .321 as a career high, Gwynn saw it as a down year.

If the '98 Yankees had one question mark in their lineup, it was Left Field. Greg Vaughn was supposed to go there. He was gonna be a Yankee, but a bad physical killed the trade the Yankees had ready and he stayed a Padre. The Silver Slugger and NL Comeback Player of the Year led the team with 50 Home Runs, an accomplishment that was overshadowed in 1998 by the McGwire-Sosa steroid season of homers despite Vaughn keeping good pace with them most of the way. The last laugh goes to Vaughn, since he easily won the '98 postseason Home Run battle; he hit 3 (2 in the World Series) while McGwire and Sosa combined for 0.

While the all stars Gwynn and Vaughn led the offensive charge, they were backed up by this collection of regulars. Many of them have similar looks to their official Showdown cards would look for the next season. Caminiti was hampered by injury but still almost knocked out 30 homers.

The Padre reserves. Nothing too outstanding among them. They traded to bring Leyritz in so he could hit his annual World Series Home Run. Aside from their reliable pinch hitter John Vander Wal, everyone here is pretty much anonymous.

Bruce Bochy turned to just Brown, Ashby and Hitchcock as his postseason rotation, but Hamilton and Langston were the other guys during the regular season. Brown and Ashby were the pitching representatives of the Padres in the all star game. Hitchcock may have missed out but he was the go-to guy in the NLCS, winning the series MVP.
This was peak Kevin Brown as he led the staff with 18 Wins, 257 Strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA.

The NL Reliever of the Year, Trevor Hoffman made his first all star squad and led all of baseball with 53 Saves.

It helps when you have some solid relievers to bridge the gap between the rotation and Hoffman. The Padres either had the reliable arms in place or were able to go out and bring in what they needed to give them a solid bullpen to rely on.