San Diego is honoring the late Padres owner and chairman Peter Seidler by naming a street after him near Petco Park, officials said this weekend.
The Padres celebrated Seidler's life and legacy with a public ceremony at Petco Park on Saturday.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he had "started the process of renaming one of the streets leading to Petco Park `Peter Seidler Way"' to honor Seidler, who died last November at the age of 63.
Padres broadcaster Don Orsillo served as master of ceremonies, with current and former Padres players, team and league executives, family members and local dignitaries in attendance.
"One of the greatest humans that I've had the privilege of knowing. Peter left a huge mark. Not just in the world of baseball, but in our community. His legacy will live through the countless lives he's touched and the impact he left on everyone in this building," Padres third-baseman Manny Machado said.
Owning baseball teams ran in Seidler's family. His grandfather, Walter O'Malley, owned the Dodgers before and after their move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and his uncle, Peter O'Malley, owned the Dodgers for many years after Walter's death.
However, Seidler did not go right into baseball. He earned his master's degree in business administration from UCLA, then launched a private equity firm, Seidler Equity Partners, in 1992.
In 2012, Seidler followed the family tradition and took the plunge into team ownership. He partnered with Peter O'Malley and Ron Fowler to form the O'Malley Group, which in turn purchased the San Diego Padres.
They collectively owned the team until 2020, when Seidler bought out Fowler's shares to become the primary owner. An avid baseball fan, he pumped a considerable amount of money into the team. Their payroll increased to the sixth highest in the sport in 2022 and the third highest in 2023.
"We're gonna have every chance to be in the mix for the World Series every single year. And so that gives me some kind of serious long-term comfort," Seidler said in a 2023 interview.
In 2022, the Padres went to their first League Championship Series in 24 years. Seidler's devotion to winning earned him the trust of fans and players alike.
"Just about a year ago, Peter said one day the baseball gods would smile on the Padres and we'd have a parade in San Diego," Peter's brother Tom Seidler said Saturday.
The first 10,000 fans at the celebration received a complimentary jersey patch. The patch is also available for sale at the Padres Team Store at Petco Park this season with the net proceeds benefiting the Padres Foundation.
Funds raised will be used to support the newly formed Peter Seidler Legacy Projects, which will include significant impact grants in the greater San Diego community and northern Baja.
The jersey patch design idea, with Peter's initials inside a heart, came from Seidler's children and will be worn by the Padres over their hearts this season on each of their uniform combinations.
Seidler's charitable efforts included forming the Tuesday Group, an organization of business and civic leaders in San Diego who discussed ways to support homeless people in the city.
He also helped raise over $18 million for cancer research via "Pedal the Cause," among other philanthropic efforts.
