MLB Top 5: San Diego Padres Pitchers

This is the fifth and final article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the San Diego Padres. In this installment are right- and left-handed starters as well as relief pitchers.

The Padres have had several solid pitchers but only two who could be classified as stars for their efforts with the team. The top starter is a lefty from the 1970s who set several of the team’s pitching records. The other is a closer who spent 16 years in San Diego and is in the conversation for the greatest at the position in major league history.

The best Pitchers in San Diego Padres history

Right-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Clay Kirby was selected by the Cardinals in the 1966 draft but was selected by the Padres in the expansion draft two years later. He led the league with 20 losses but pitched respectably in San Diego’s first season. In 1970, he gave up a run but had a no-hitter going through eight innings when was pulled for a pinch hitter (the Mets scored two more times and won, 3-0). Kirby had his best season the following year, setting career highs with a 15-13 record, a 2.83 earned run average, 231 strikeouts in 267 1/3 innings and 13 complete games, and he also threw two more one-hitters. He was traded to the Reds after the 1973 season, ending his five-year Padres tenure (1969-73) ranked third in franchise history in complete games (34), sixth in strikeouts (802), tied for sixth in shutouts (seven), seventh in innings (1,128) and ninth in games started (170) to go with a 52-81 record and a 3.73 ERA. Kirby played with Cincinnati and Montreal, came back to San Diego and spent a year in the minors and retired after a failed tryout with Minnesota in 1978. He was a financial securities broker after his playing career and passed away after suffering a heart attack in 1991 at age 43.

Steve Arlin joined Kirby on those early Padres pitching staffs and, like his fellow righty, he lost a no-hitter in heartbreaking fashion. He spurned the Tigers to return to Ohio State and win a National Championship in 1966 then was selected by the Phillies in the first round of the draft. Arlin worked out a deal with his new team to enroll in dental school while pitching in the minor leagues, but Philadelphia gave up on him and San Diego selected him in the expansion draft. He pitched sparingly for the first two years until he graduated then led the league in losses in each of his first wo years despite possessing an above average fastball and curve. Arlin was more than solid on the mound, but the Padres offense was so anemic that he had to pitch a complete game just to get a win (he won 19 games in those two seasons and pitched 22 complete games). He was one strike away from pitching a no-hitter against his old team in July 1972, but allowed a hit, balked the runner to second then gave up a run-scoring hit but still won the game. Arlin experienced shoulder issues and was sold to Cleveland in 1974, finishing up his six-year run in San Diego (1969-74) tied for second in franchise history in shutouts (11) and fourth in complete games (31) along with a 32-62 record, a 4.19 earned run average and 443 strikeouts in 745 innings. The injury turned out to be a torn rotator cuff and he retired after the season. Arlin ran a private dentist practice for more than 25 years and passed away in 2016 at age 70.

Ed Whitson was a Tennessee native who was drafted by the Pirates in 1974 and was traded to the Giants early in Pittsburgh’s 1979 championship season. He earned his only All-Star selection the following year and over the next few seasons was traded to the Indians and then the Padres. Whitson developed a palmball during the 1984 season and he used that, as well as his fastball, to go 14-8 with a 3.24 earned run average in the regular season. He won Game 3 of the NLCS against the Cubs but got hit hard by the Tigers in his only World Series start. Whitson signed with the Yankees and had a tumultuous tenure in the “Big Apple.” He got in a late-night fight with Billy Martin that left the manager with a broken arm, and he refused to start in Yankee Stadium after the fans turned on him. Whitson was traded back to San Diego in the middle of the 1986 season and produced double-digit win totals each of the next four years. He went 16-11 with a 2.66 ERA in 1989 and 14-9 with career-best totals of a 2.60 ERA, six complete games and three shutouts the following year. Whitson had shoulder surgery in 1991, tore a ligament in his elbow during a late September game and retired after the season. He ranks third in franchise history in innings (1,354 1/3), fourth in wins (77-72) and starts (208), seventh in strikeouts (767) and complete games (22) and tied for eighth in shutouts (six) to go with a 3.69 ERA.

Melton “Andy” Hawkins was a native Texan who was selected by the Padres in the first round in 1978. He had a rough rookie campaign four years later but returned the following season to post a career-best 2.93 earned run average. While spending time as the team’s fifth starter in 1984, Hawkins came out of the bullpen during the postseason, giving up just one run in 15 2/3 innings over six appearances and getting San Diego’s only win in the World Series. The following year, he developed a cut fastball and had his best season, going 18-8 with a 3.15 ERA and set career highs with 228 2/3 innings and five complete games. “Hawk” saw his numbers decline over the next two years, and he also developed tendinitis in his pitching shoulder, but he rebounded to win 14 games in 1988. In what turned out to be his final start with the Padres, he faced the Dodgers and Orel Hershiser in late September. The pitchers traded zeroes through 10 innings, with the last one for Hershiser allowing him to set the record for consecutive scoreless frames (San Diego won in 16 innings). Hawkins finished his seven-year run with the Padres (1982-88) tied for sixth in shutouts (seven), seventh in wins (60-58) and eighth in starts (172), complete games (19) and innings (1,102 2/3) to go with a 3.84 ERA. He signed with the Yankees, went 15-15 in his first season and threw a no-hitter against the White Sox in July 1990 but lost, 4-0. His next start, he pitched 11 scoreless frames against the Twins but lost the game in the 12th inning. Hawkins was released and signed with the Athletics in 1991 and pitched in the minors for the Mariners the following year before retiring. He worked in construction and on a ranch, then became a minor league pitching coach with the Rangers and Royals. Hawkins was named to the same position with the Angels in 2024.

Like several of the other stops he made during a 19-year career, Kevin Brown kept his stay in San Diego short. The Georgia native was a first-round pick of the Rangers in 1986 and showed flashes of brilliance during his eight-year stay in Texas, leading the league with 21 wins in his 1992 All-Star season and adding 15 more the following year. After one year in Baltimore and two in Florida (which included a championship in 1997), he was traded to San Diego in the Marlins’ roster purge. Armed with a sinking fastball, slider and splitter, Brown was an All-Star and finished third in the Cy Young voting after going 18-7 with a 2.39 earned run average, a career-high 257 strikeouts in 257 innings, seven complete games and three shutouts. He struck out 16 Astros in a win in the Division Series and pitched a three-hit shutout against the Braves in the NLCS before losing the fourth and final game of the World Series as the Yankees swept the Padres. Brown signed a huge (for the time) contract with the Dodgers in 1999 and spent five seasons in Los Angeles and his final two in New York with the Yankees before retiring in 2005 with a 211-144 record, a 3.28 ERA, 2,397 strikeouts and six All-Star selections. Despite all the numbers and accolades, Brown’s Hall of Fame candidacy was ruined after the Mitchell Report came out and implicated his steroid use dating back to 2000.

Yu Darvish was born to a Japanese mother and an Iranian father. He has been a high strikeout pitcher throughout his career, which began when he pitched for the Nippon Ham Fighters in his home country, amassing a 93-38 record and a 1.99 earned run average in seven seasons. When he decided to come to the U. S., Darvish signed with the Rangers, earning four All-Star selections in five years and finishing as the Cy Young Award runner-up in 2013. Two years later, he had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and missed the season. Darvish was traded to the Dodgers and appeared in the 2017 World Series (a loss to the Astros). He signed with the Cubs the following year, finished second in the Cy Young voting again in 2020 and was traded to the Padres after the season. Despite winning just eight games in his first season, Darvish struck out 199 batters and earned an All-Star selection. He won 16 games in 2022 before dropping back to eight the following year. Entering the 2024 season, Darvish is 32-29 with a 3.87 ERA and 537 strikeouts in 497 1/3 innings. In a late May game against the Braves, he won his 200th major league game between Japan and the U. S. Darvish may be best known for his use of arm angles and pitches, which has totaled a record 10 since the advent of the pitch tracking database in 2008.

Joe Musgrove was born in Southern California and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round in 2011. He was sent to the Astros as part of a 10-player trade the following year and faced several injuries but recovered to play in the 2016 MLB All-Star Futures Game and make his major league debut later that season. Musgrove struggled as a part-time starter the following year and had a few rough outings in the playoffs, but he was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers. He was part of the contingent heading to Pittsburgh in the 2018 trade for Gerrit Cole and spent three seasons with the Pirates before being sent to the Padres in a three-team trade. Musgrove has had some of his best seasons for his hometown team, going 11-9 with a 3.18 earned run average and a career-high 203 strikeouts. However, his greatest achievement by far occurred on April 9, 2021, when he became the first San Diego pitcher to throw a no-hitter, striking out 10 Rangers in the 3-0 win. The following year, he went 10-7 with a career-best 2.93 ERA and 184 strikeouts to earn his first All-Star selection. After signing an extension with the Padres, Musgrove went 10-3 in 2023 before the season ended early thanks to inflammation in the capsule of his right shoulder.

5. Andy Benes – He was an Indiana native, the brother of another major league pitcher, a pre-med student and a stellar pitcher who was taken by the Padres first overall in the 1988 draft and then helped Team USA win the gold medal in the Summer Olympics. The following year, he joined San Diego, going 6-3 in 10 starts before rattling off four straight seasons with at least 10 wins. Benes won 15 games in 1991 and matched the total two years later when he earned his only All-Star selection. Thanks to an ineffective Padres offense, he lost a league-leading 14 games in 1994 despite topping the N. L. with 189 strikeouts. After losing an arbitration case, Benes was traded to Seattle the following year, finishing his seven-year stint in San Diego (1989-95) ranked second in franchise history in strikeouts (1,036), fifth in starts (186), innings (1,235) and shutouts (eight), sixth in wins (69-75) and tenth in ERA (3.57) to go with 15 complete games. He won a personal-best 19 games with the Cardinals in 1996 and, after a two-year run in Arizona, he finished his career with a second stint in St. Louis in 2002. Following his playing career, he coached youth baseball and hosted a show for children in the St. Louis area for more than a decade.

4. Andy Ashby – The Kansas City native was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies in 1986, spent four years in the minors and had a difficult time in two major league seasons in Philadelphia. Ashby was selected by Colorado in the expansion draft but was sent to the Padres in a late July trade. While San Diego struggled for the most part, he went 12-10 with a 2.94 earned run average in 1995 and was the opening-day starter the following year. Ashby took a no-hitter into the ninth inning in 1997 and earned his first of back-to-back All-Star selections the next season, setting career highs with 17 wins, 151 strikeouts, 225 2/3 innings and five complete games along with a 3.34 ERA. He had two solid starts in the NLCS (both blown by the bullpen) and was hit hard by the Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series. Ashby went 14-10 with a league-leading three shutouts the following year, split 2000 between the Phillies and Braves, then spent three seasons with the Dodgers before undergoing Tommy John surgery and returning to make two relief appearances in 2004. He had another elbow surgery and tried to make comebacks each of the next two years before he retired. Ashby ranks fifth in franchise history in wins (70-62) and strikeouts (829), sixth in starts (185) and innings (1,212), tied for eighth in shutouts (six) and tied for ninth in complete games (18) along with a 3.59 ERA. Following a 14-year playing career, he was a Padres television analyst and spring training instructor, and he also is a part-owner of the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

3. Eric Show – He used religion, his guitar playing and baseball to try to overcome an overbearing, oftentimes verbally and physically abusive father. Show was drafted by the Padres in 1978 and made his big-league debut three years later. Originally a reliever, he was moved to the rotation in 1982, and he went on to post double-digit victory totals five times in his 10-year Padres career (1981-90). Show won 15 games for the second straight year during the team’s 1984 pennant-winning season but got pounded in three playoff starts. The following year, Show won 12 games but earned his greatest notoriety for giving up Pete Rose‘s 4,192nd hit, which broke the all-time record (although future analysis would reveal the record was actually broken three days earlier). An injury-plagued season and a down year followed before he righted things with a career-best 16 wins, 144 strikeouts, 234 2/3 innings and 13 complete games in 1988. However, back injuries caused his numbers to decline and led to both disc surgery on his back and a dependence on painkillers. Show left the Padres and spent one final down year with the Athletics, finishing his decade in San Diego as the all-time franchise leader in wins (100-87), and he ranks second in starts (230), complete games (35) and innings (1,603 1/3), tied for second in shutouts (11), fourth in strikeouts (951) and sixth in appearances (309) to go with a 3.59 earned run average. Following his playing career, Show’s drug dependency got worse, and he started having hallucinations. He passed away in a California detox clinic in 1994 at age 37 with the cause of death listed as acute morphine and cocaine intoxication.

2. Gaylord Perry – Most baseball players are nearing the end of their careers as they get close to age 40. Perry was putting together two terrific seasons with the Padres. He had a pair of tough seasons to begin his career until he learned to throw a slider as well as the long-outlawed spitball early in his decade-long tenure with the Giants. He won 134 games with San Francisco and took home the Cy Young Award after winning 24 more in his first season with Cleveland in 1972. Following time with the Indians and Rangers, Perry repeated the feat as a 39-year-old after a trade to the Padres in 1978, winning a league-high 21 games and posting a 2.73 earned run average in 260 2/3 innings. In the process, he became the first pitcher to win the award in each league and the third to win at least 20 games in a season for three teams. The following year, he earned his fifth and final All-Star selection after going 12-11 with a 3.06 ERA and 10 complete games.

Perry returned to the Rangers and spent time with the Yankees and Braves before joining the Mariners and winning his 300th game in May 1982. He finished his career with the Royals the following year, ending his 22-year major league tenure with a 314-265 record, a 3.11 ERA and 3,534 strikeouts. After his playing career, Perry ran a farm, worked for a food company and created a baseball program at Limestone College in South Carolina. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility in 1991 and passed away in 2022 at age 84.

1. Jake Peavy – He was drafted by the Padres in 1999 and made his major league debut three years later, fanning future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for his first career strikeout. Peavy went on a run of six straight seasons with double-digit victory totals, beginning with 12 in 2003. He won 15 games the following year while leading the league with a 2.27 earned run average, then earned his first All-Star selection in 2005 and topped the N. L. with 216 strikeouts. After a down year, Peavy had his best season in 2007, earning his second All-Star berth and winning both the Cy Young Award and the Pitching Triple Crown, leading the league with a 19-6 record, a 2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts. He had another solid season the next year despite missing time with a torn tendon in his ankle, but he was sent to the White Sox the following year at the trade deadline.

Over an eight-year Padres tenure (2002-09), Peavy is the all-time franchise leader in strikeouts (1,348, including three times with 200 or more), and he is tied for second in wins (92-68), third in starts (212), fourth in innings (1,342 2/3) and seventh in ERA (3.29) along with seven complete games and three shutouts (all in 2005). He earned his third and final All-Star selection with Chicago in 2012 but was traded in each of the following two seasons, first to Boston and then San Francisco. Although he was not good in the postseason (1-5, 7.98 in nine starts), Peavy was a member of back-to-back championship teams with the Red Sox in 2013 and the Giants the following year. He played his last season with San Francisco in 2016, and he finished his 15-year career with 152 wins and 2,207 strikeouts. Peavy bought a former plantation in Alabama and turned hit into an activity destination with a bowling alley, arcade, music stage, waterfalls, trails and a hunting area. He lost more than $15 million of his earnings after it was found that his financial adviser was running a Ponzi scheme.

Left-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Not to be confused with the longtime outfielder and Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts was signed by the Phillies in 1963 after several teams watching him pitch in an American Legion tournament in Ohio. He was waived and signed by the Pirates the following year, was taken by the Athletics in the Rule 5 draft in 1966 but was returned after injuring the ulnar collateral ligament in his arm. Roberts had a solid season following surgery and was taken by the Padres in the expansion draft, but he experienced more pain in his shoulder and was sent to the minor leagues. He returned to have a solid season in 1970 and had his best campaign the following year, going 14-17 and setting career highs with a 2.10 earned run average (second in team history), 14 complete games (third) and 135 strikeouts in 269 2/3 innings (second). Roberts was traded to the Astros after the season and played for seven teams over the next decade, converting to the bullpen and undergoing knee surgery later in his 13-year career. Following his time as a player, the champion with the 1979 Pirates ran a sprinkler company, worked for a detention center in Maryland and was a college baseball coach in West Virginia. Roberts passed away from lung cancer in 2009 at age 64.

Fred Norman used a stellar fastball to get signed by the Kansas City Athletics after graduating high school in Miami in 1961. He was traded to the Cubs, where he suffered a shoulder injury, then played for the Dodgers and Cardinals before being sent to the Padres in 1971. Like many pitchers in the early days of the franchise, Norman pitched well despite being backed up by a lackluster offense. He went 3-12 after the trade and 9-11 the following year despite posting career highs with 167 strikeouts, 10 complete games and six shutouts, which tied a team record. The cash-strapped Padres traded him to the Reds the following year, finishing his time in San Diego with a 13-30 record a 3.55 earned run average and 16 complete games. Norman went on to win 85 games in seven years with Cincinnati, and he was a part of back-to-back championship teams in 1975-76. He played his final season in Montreal and retired after he was released in 1981.

5. Clayton Richard – The University of Michigan product was selected by the White Sox in 2005 and made his major league debut three years later after appearing in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Richard came to the Padres in the Peavy trade in 2009 and sandwiched two good seasons around one that ended with surgery on his shoulder. His best campaign was 2010, when he went 14-9 with a 3.75 earned run average, a career-best 153 strikeouts and his first shutout. After another injury-plagued season in 2013, Richard underwent Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery and spent the following year in the minors. He came out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2015, was traded back to the Padres the following year and posted solid numbers at first before tailing off. Richard posted a league-high 15 losses in 2017 and the following season ended early due to knee surgery. He ended his eight-year tenure in San Diego (2009-13 and 16-18) ranked seventh in franchise history in starts (175), eighth in wins (58-68) and strikeouts (678) and ninth in innings (1,046 1/3) along with a 4.37 ERA, four complete games and three shutouts. Richard ended his career with one season in Toronto followed by one in the White Sox minor league system. He is now a football coach and baseball manager at a high school in Indiana.

4. Dave Dravecky – A native of Ohio, he was drafted by the Pirates in 1978 but was traded to the Padres three years later. Dravecky made his major league debut the following year and used his cut fastball to stymie hitters, first in the bullpen and then as a starter. He was selected to his only All-Star Game in 1983 thanks to a career-best 14-10 record and nine complete games. Dravecky split the following season between spot starting and long relief, going 9-8 with a 2.93 earned run average in the regular season and throwing five scoreless outings out of the bullpen during San Diego’s run to the pennant. He was a solid starter each of the next two years but a rough beginning to 1987 led to a trade to the Giants. Dravecky ranked fourth in franchise history in ERA (3.12), sixth in complete games (23) and tied for eighth in shutouts (six) to go with a 53-50 record and 558 strikeouts in 1,062 2/3 innings over 119 starts. He went 1-1 in two NLCS starts with his new team despite only allowing one run and striking out 14 batters in 15 innings. The following season was riddled with injuries and ended with the worst possible news, a lump on his pitching arm that turned out to be cancer. Dravecky underwent a harsh treatment that included freezing part of the bone and taking out most of the deltoid muscle and doctors told him he might not regain full use of his arm. The southpaw worked hard to rehab and took the mound for the Giants more than a year later. He won both his starts but the bone, still brittle from the treatment, broke while he was on the mound and was rebroken while he celebrated the team winning the 1989 pennant. When the cancer returned a few weeks later, Dravecky retired. The following year, the cancer spread, and he developed a staph infection that required him having his left arm amputated. He now works as a motivational speaker, a Giants community ambassador and the founder of an organization that helps cancer patients.

3. Blake Snell – The Seattle native was taken by the Rays in the first round in 2011, spending four years in the minor leagues and appearing in the 2015 MLB All-Star Futures Game before making his major league debut the following year. Snell had a rough first two years, but a solid final month in 2017 earned him a roster spot the following year. He did not disappoint, leading the league with a 21-5 record and a 1.89 earned run average while striking out 221 batters to earn his only All-Star selection to date and win the Cy Young Award. Snell’s numbers tailed off over the next two years, but he helped the Rays reach the World Series in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, then was traded to the Padres in December. His first two campaigns were marred by injuries, but he returned to join Perry as a Cy Young winner in both leagues after going 14-9, topping the N. L. with a 2.25 ERA and posting a career-best 234 strikeouts. Snell finished his time in San Diego with a 29-25 record, a 3.15 ERA and 575 strikeouts in 436 2/3 innings to go with a 2-0 mark in three starts to lead the team to 2022 NLCS. He signed with the Giants in 2024.

2. Bruce Hurst – The Utah native was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round in 1976 and went on to win 88 games in nine seasons with Boston. He won Game 2 of the 1986 ALCS, during which the Red Sox came back from 3-1 down to beat the Angles, then won his first two starts against the Mets in the World Series and took the mound for Game 7 on three days’ rest. He gave up three runs and left with the score tied, with New York pulling away late to win the title. After his only All-Star selection the following season, Hurst had career year in 1988, going 18-6 and posting two solid outings in the ALCS, despite losing both to Oakland. He signed with the Padres in the offseason and went 15-11 with a career-best 2.69 earned run average, 179 strikeouts and a league-leading 10 complete games.

Hurst reached double figures in wins the next three years, running his consecutive streak to 10 seasons. He suffered a torn rotator cuff at the end of the 1992 campaign and underwent surgery. Hurst was traded to the Rockies in 1993 (in the deal that brought Ashby to the Padres) and spent his final season with the Rangers. In five years with San Diego (1989-93), he ranks fourth in shutouts (10), fifth in complete games (29), sixth in ERA (3.27) and tied for ninth in wins (55-38) to go with 616 strikeouts in 911 2/3 innings over 131 starts. After failed coaching stints in college and the independent leagues, Hurst taught at Major League Academies throughout Europe, coached the Chinese National Team, was a special instructor for the Red Sox and evaluated talent in Latin and South America for the Dodgers.

1. Randy Jones – The Padres had a group of young pitchers that kept the team in games early in their existence, but he was by far the best. In college, Jones had a stellar fastball until he pulled several tendons that caused him to rely more on his slider and other “junk pitches,” as both he and opposing hitters referred to them. San Diego drafted him in 1972, and he expanded his repertoire with a sinker he learned in the minors. After an impressive half-season in the majors the following year, Jones was a “bad luck” pitcher, leading the league with 22 losses in 1975, including 17 by two runs or fewer. He changed his mechanics in the offseason and was stellar in the next campaign, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing second in the Cy Young voting and was named Comeback Player of the Year after going 20-12, throwing 285 innings with 18 complete games and a career-best six shutouts (which tied a team record) and leading the league with a 2.24 earned run average. His best outing came in early July when he took a perfect game into the eight innings against the Reds.

Jones had his best season in 1976, winning 16 games in the first half of the season, a mark that has not been equaled since, and he tied a record by going 68 straight innings without issuing a walk. He started and was the winning pitcher in the All-Star Game and survived a car accident in August to win the Cy Young Award after leading the National League and setting team records with a 22-14 record, 315 1/3 innings and 25 complete games to go with five shutouts and a 2.74 ERA. However, he severed a nerve attached to his biceps tendon and was never the same after the surgery. Jones had a decent season in 1978, going 13-14 with a 2.88 ERA and helping the Padres to their first winning record, but he went just 35-51 over his final four seasons. After straining the same nerve in his arm in 1980, he was traded to the Mets after the season. Jones

Known for his control and his quick pitching pace, Jones is the all-time franchise leader in games started (253), complete games (71), shutouts (18) and innings (1,766), and he tied for second in wins (92-105), ranks eighth in ERA (3.20) and ninth in strikeouts (677). He was also solid at his position, winning the fielding title in 1976 and leading pitchers in assists three times. Jones was plagued by poor fielding in New York, going 1-8 in 1981 and struggling at home the following year, finishing with a 7-10 record. He retired after being released by the Pirates in spring training in 1983 and returned to San Diego to run the car wash franchise he opened while he was a player and open a catering business and a barbecue stand. Jones also ran clinics for young players (which was attended by future Cy Young winner Barry Zito) and worked with the Padres Volunteer Team, especially involving the miliary. After years of tobacco use, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which he beat in 2017.

Relief Pitchers

Honorable Mentions – Craig Lefferts was born in Germany as the son of a lieutenant colonel in the U. S. Air Force. He overcame failing his Air Force physical (due to a “lazy eye”) as well as being cut from both his high school and college teams to lead Arizona to a College World Series title. Lefferts was drafted by the Cubs and was a started throughout his three years in the minor leagues before being moved to the bullpen with Chicago. He was traded to the Padres after the season, emerging as the setup man and posting 10 saves and a 2.13 earned run average in 62 regular-season appearances. In the playoffs, Lefferts went 2-0 with eight strikeouts in 10 scoreless innings over six appearances, and he picked up a save in San Diego’s only World Series victory in Game 2. His ERA jumped by more than a run in 1985, but he continued to be used at a high rate. Lefferts went 9-8 the following year and set a team record with 83 appearances, which also led the National League. After struggling to start the 1987 season, he was traded to the Giants and appeared in another World Series two years later, but San Francisco lost the title to Oakland. Lefferts signed back with San Diego in 1990 and jumped into the closer role, saving 23 games in each of the next two seasons. He became a starter in 1992 for the first time in a decade but, despite 13 wins, the lefty was experiencing more pain in his shoulder and was traded to the Orioles, ending his seven-year Padres career (1984-87 and 90-92) ranked second in franchise history in games (375), fifth in ERA (3.24) and seventh in saves (64) to go with a 42-40 record and 404 strikeouts in 659 innings. Lefferts retired in 1994 and spent two decades as a minor league pitching coach and coordinator with the Blue Jays and Athletics. He also underwent spinal fusion surgery and had two more on his eyes.

Huston Street was drafted by the Athletics in the first round in 2004 and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award after posting a 1.72 earned run average and 23 saves the following season. After four years in Oakland, he was traded to Colorado and put up more than respectable numbers during his three seasons pitching in the high altitude. Street was sent to the Padres in 2012 and made an immediate impact, earning his first All-Star selection thanks to a 1.85 ERA and 23 saves, but he also pitched through shoulder and calf strains that cost him more than two months. He overcame early inconsistency to notch 33 saves the following year and was an All-Star once again in 2014, saving 24 games and posting a nearly unhittable 1.09 ERA before being traded to the Angels in July. Overall, Street went 5-6 with a 2.03 ERA, 127 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings and 80 saves, which ranks fifth in franchise history. He retired in 2018 after four years with the Angels, ending his 13-year career with 324 saves.

Kirby Yates is a Hawaii-born hurler who signed with the Rays as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He spent time with the Yankees an Angels before being claimed off waivers by the Padres in 2017. After a year in the setup role, he became the closer, notching 12 saves after being given the spot late in 2018. The following year, he was incredible, posting a 1.19 earned run average, 101 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings and a league-leading 41 saves to earn an All-Star selection and be named to the inaugural All-MLB Team. After a rough start in 2020, his season ended early due to an elbow injury that would require Tommy John surgery and cause him to miss the following year. In four years with the Padres (2017-2020), Yates went 9-14 with a 2.55 ERA, 286 strikeouts in 183 2/3 innings and 56 saves, which ranks eighth in franchise history. He pitched two years with the Braves and was signed to close games for the Rangers in 2024.

5. Mark Davis – The California-born lefty was the first pick of the draft by the Phillies in 1979. He began his career as a starter and was traded to the Giants after spending the 1982 season in the minor leagues. Davis was moved to the bullpen after losing 17 games two years later and was traded to the Padres in the deal for Lefferts during the 1987 season. He earned All-Star selections in each of the next two years, posting a 2.01 earned run average and 28 saves in 1988. Davis became the seventh relief pitcher in either league to win the Cy Young Award the following year, thanks to a 1.85 ERA and an N. L.-leading 44 saves, which was two behind the major league record at the time. He used his performance to sign with Kansas City, but never got close to that success again for the rest of his career, including a second stint with San Diego. In five seasons with the Padres (1987-89 and 93-94), Davis went 14-20 with a 2.75 ERA, 298 strikeouts in 308 innings and 78 saves, with ranks sixth in franchise history. After a two-year hiatus, he finished his career with the Brewers in 1997 and has had roles as pitching coach for the Diamondbacks and coach and pitching coordinator with the Royals.

4. Rich Gossage – Many fans will say it is his acquisition that put the team over the top for the pennant in 1984. For most of his early career, he pitched multiple innings every time out, even in save situations. During his first dozen years, he relied almost exclusively on an overpowering fastball and earned seven All-Star selections, led the league in saves three times and pitched in two World Series with the Yankees, including 1978, the same year he won the Rolaids Relief Award. As with many players in the 1980s, Gossage clashed many times with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and signed with the Padres as a free agent in 1984 in the last move made by San Diego owner Ray Kroc before he passed away.

“Goose” was an All-Star in his first two seasons in his new home, going 10-6 with 25 saves and earning both Cy Young and MVP consideration in his first year. He had one save in the NLCS but was ineffective in two outings against the Tigers in the World Series. The following year, he notched 26 saves and posted a 1.82 earned run average. Despite 21 saves in 1986, his ERA rose more than 2½ runs a game, and he saw a reduced role the following year before being traded to the Cubs. Gossage ended his Padres career with a 25-20 record, a 2.99 ERA and 83 saves, with ranks fourth in team history. He bounced around to six teams in his final seven years (including a second brief stint with the Yankees), played in Japan in 1990 and finished his 22-year career in 1995 with 310 saves. Gossage was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 in his ninth year on the ballot.

3. Rollie Fingers – Several years before Gossage was with the Padres, another stellar reliever with an iconic mustache called Southern California home. Fingers made his name for his near decade of work with the Athletics, setting a team record (at the time) with 136 saves and leading the club to three straight titles, including 1974, when was named World Series MVP after getting a win and two saves against the Dodgers. Fingers and several others left Oakland during the first wave of free agency after the 1976 season and signed with San Diego, immediately taking to his new home by leading the league with 78 appearances and 35 saves on a team that won just 69 games. He earned his only All-Star selection with the Padres in 1978, posting a 2.52 earned run average and tying the National League record with a career-high 37 saves.

Although his usage and numbers dropped over the next two seasons, Fingers still was a steady presence until after the 1980 season, when he was traded twice in less than a week. He finished his four-year run in San Diego (1977-80) with a 34-40 record, a 3.12 ERA, 108 saves (third in franchise history) and 265 appearances (ninth). Fingers was sent to St. Louis on December 8 then, when St. Louis got the closer they really wanted, the Cubs’ Bruce Sutter, he was traded again four days later to Milwaukee. There, Fingers earned two more All-Star selections, won the Cy Young and MVP awards in the strike-shortened 1981 season and helped Milwaukee win the pennant the following year, although he missed the World Series as well as the 1983 campaign after suffering a torn muscle and tendinitis in his right arm. He returned for two more years and worked for a communications company and owned several golf courses after his retirement. Fingers was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

2. Heath Bell – The Southern California native had determination and work ethic instilled in him from a young age and used them to forge a major league career. Bell was drafted by the then-Devil Rays in the 69th round in 1997 but instead signed with the Mets the following year. From 2004-06, he alternated between stellar performances in Triple-A and struggling to win in New York, but his role increased after he was traded to San Diego. Bell became a setup man for the next closer on this list until taking over the role in 2009. He earned three straight All-Star selections, starting in 2009, when he led the league with 42 saves. Bell got MVP and Cy Young consideration the following year after posting career-best totals of a 1.93 earned run average, 47 saves (second in team history) and an 11.1 strikeout rate (86 in 70 innings). His ERA dropped to 2.44 in 2011, but he had 43 saves, and he finished his five-year Padres tenure (2007-11) with a 27-19 record, a 2.53 ERA, 389 strikeouts in 374 innings and 134 saves (second in franchise history) in 354 appearances (fourth).

Bell struggled in his final three seasons, each one spent with a different modern expansion team (the Marlins in 2012, followed by the Diamondbacks and the Rays). Known for his quirky free spirit that included rollerblading to spring training, sliding into the pitcher’s mound at the All-Star Game and wearing Star Wars sneakers at camp, he retired after being released by the Nationals in 2015. Bell played two years for an independent team in Kansas, owned a specialty coffee company and worked with a Christian-based youth organization that promotes sports and civic programs.

1. Trevor Hoffman – He could be one of baseball’s biggest success stories. A blocked artery forced Hoffman to undergo emergency surgery to remove one of his kidneys when he was just six weeks old. The brother of an infielder who spent nearly a decade in the major leagues, mostly with the Red Sox, he was drafted by the Reds as a shortstop in 1989. Hoffman converted to the mound two years later, developing his bread-and-butter pitch, a changeup, to pair with his fastball and slider. He was selected by the Marlins with their fourth pick in the expansion draft and made 28 appearances before Florida sent him to San Diego in the Gary Sheffield trade. After struggling in a setup role, Hoffman was moved to the closer spot in 1992 and responded with 20 saves. He had 31 the following year, and he would go on to post 30 or more 14 times in a 15-year span.

Although he didn’t earn All-Star honors, Hoffman got votes for both the MVP and Cy Young awards after going 9-5 with 42 saves in 1996. The following year, he added 37 more and struck out 111 batters in 81 1/3 innings for a career-best 12.3 rate. Much like Gossage 14 years before, Hoffman was one of the main reasons the Padres won the pennant in 1998. After adding AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” as his entrance music, he finished as the Cy Young Award runner-up after posting personal best totals of a 1.48 earned run average and 53 saves, with also led the league and set a team record. Although he was hit hard in his only appearance against the Yankees (taking the loss in Game 3 after giving up a home run to series MVP Scott Brosius) in the World Series, he had a win and three saves in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Hoffman continued his solid play in the new century, earning six All-Star selections and two Rolaids Relief Awards with the Padres, as well as posting 40 or more saves nine times. One of those years with 2006, when he again finished second in the Cy Young voting and led the league in saves, this time with 46, which is third in team history. The total helped him pass Lee Smith and move into the top spot on the all-time list (which is now held by Yankees legend Mariano Rivera).

Hoffman made his last All-Star team with the Padres after posting 42 saves in 2007 and he followed that with 30 more in his final year with San Diego. Not only is he the all-time franchise leader in saves (552), appearances (902) and ERA (2.76), but he ranks third in strikeouts (1,029), tenth in innings (952 1/3) and 11th in wins (54-64) in 16 seasons (1993-2008). In addition, Hoffman went 1-2 in 12 playoff appearances, registering a 3.46 ERA, 14 strikeouts in 13 innings and four saves. The lone blemish on his otherwise stellar career came in 2003, when he pitched just nine times and had two surgeries on his shoulder. Hoffman joined the Brewers and was an All-Star for the seventh and final time after posting a 1.83 ERA and 37 saves in 2009. He lost the closer role the following year but still occasionally picked up saves, including number 600 against the Cardinals in September. Following his retirement, he worked as a special assistant in front office and a spring training instructor for the Padres. Hoffman was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Baseball Hall of Fame two years later. The Hutch (2004), Gehrig (2006) and Branch Rickey (2008) award recipient hearkens back to his own early-life struggle and runs a charity to help children with kidney issues.

The next team to be featured will be the San Francisco Giants.