It's a great time to be a sports fan in San Diego.
Both the Padres and Wave Fútbol Club (FC) have advanced to their leagues' postseason semifinals in dramatic fashion.
Padres fan Tom Browne was celebrating with his wife in Chula Vista on Monday.
“Against a team, who this year had 111 games that they won. A franchise record for the Dodgers, 111 games. And to beat them, decisively! Our pitching was amazing,” Browne said.
The Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on both Friday and Saturday in front of some of the loudest sports crowds the city has ever seen.
Saturday’s game was like a movie, with El Cajon’s Joe Musgrove pitching for his hometown Padres. The matchup featured a come-from-behind victory — in the rain — against their biggest nemesis.
“I am feeling very happy because I love the Padres! I love them and we’re going for more,” Chula Vista's Minerva Denson told KPBS.
The comeback story was similar for Wave FC who ended up winning 2-1 in extra time against the Chicago Red Stars.
“Being in their inaugural season — and this expansion team being the first team to make the playoffs and win a playoff game, it shows that the whole energy, the whole vibe here is so positive,” Wave FC fan Hector Trujillo said.
Destiny can come in many forms. For San Diego sports fans — it came with feathers.
“The duck is good luck! It made a very good moment,” Denson said.
That moment Denson described is when a greater white fronted goose — not a duck — landed on the field in Game 2 of the Padres-Dodgers series.
After that, the team and fans of both the Padres and Wave FC adopted the "rally goose" as a good omen.
“We’ve watched all through the years the Padres, their ups and downs. They've had more downs than ups, but the thing that's so amazing about this series is that nobody, nobody gave the Padres a chance to beat the Dodgers,” Browne said.
Both San Diego teams still have more playoffs ahead of them.
The Padres will kick off the best-of-seven National League Championship Series at Petco Park on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
On Sunday, the Wave will face the Portland Thorns in Oregon for their semifinals.
Whether baseball or soccer, both teams are hoping the good luck goose will help lead them to a championship.
