Padres Scene & Heard: Speaking his language, blue amid the brown, sheets for Sheets
Pregame batting practice is a relaxed, tranquil time for hitters to get some hacks, outfielders and pitchers to shag fly balls and infielders to take grounders.
Until, that is, the gates swing open a couple of hours before first pitch, fans rush down to the field level along the foul lines and behind the dugouts and the clamoring begins for autographs, photos and baseballs. Especially baseballs.
"Hey, (player's name) throw me a ball," can be heard over and over and over.
If you’re an adult, don’t waste your breath. Balls go to kids. The smart ones make sure to say "please." And it's not a bad idea to be wearing the team's jersey or hat or other gear when pleading your case.
Such was the scene the past two evenings as the Padres and Dodgers renewed their rivalry at Petco Park.
Dozens and dozens of baseballs found new homes during BP, many of them tossed by L.A. players to fans wearing Dodger blue; the Padres were already off the field when the gates opened.
Intriguing was one toss from Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim to a young Padres fan decked out in a City Connect 2.0 jersey.
Oliver Hurvitz and his father Aaron, residents of Fairbanks Highlands in North County, were standing adjacent to the visiting dugout when the youngster got Kim's attention in a most unusual and creative way.
"We shouted out to him in Korean," said Aaron Hurvitz, prompting Oliver to repeat what he said to a reporter, who looked unsuccessfully for a translator.
"It means, please give me a ball," Oliver said.
"We looked up in Korean how to say, ‘May I please have a baseball?’" explained Aaron, who was wearing a Beat LA T-shirt. "We went over it a couple times, and when Oliver shouted it at him, he smiled at us, asked for a ball (from the dugout) and then tossed it to him.
"We were trying to find a way to differentiate ourselves because it's really tough to get a Dodgers player to throw a ball to a Padres fan. Really tough."
Oliver made it look easy. The words rolled right off his tongue.
Maybe next time, he can learn how to say, "Please throw me your jersey."
Interloper
Temecula's Arthur Saunders had one of the best seats in the house for Monday's game, sitting on the first base side four rows behind the Padres dugout.
One problem: Saunders was wearing the blue Dodgers cap and Clayton Kershaw jersey amid a sea of fans wearing Padres brown.
"I wandered into enemy territory," Saunders said with a laugh. "I love the Dodgers. I've never been to this stadium and I wanted to come down.
"I figured this was a good view of the field. I tried to get over their where the visitors side, but it was pretty packed. … I'm sure I'm going to get harassed a little bit over here."
Asked how vocal he was going to be cheering for the Dodgers while surrounded by opposing fans, Saunders said, "as vocal as Padres fans are when they go up to L.A."
Saunders was quite pleased to pick up his ticket for "only" $300.
"To sit this far down in Dodger Stadium, it's like $1,000," Saunders said. "It didn't used to be that way, but when they started winning championships, people filled the stadium. It's crazy."
Spirit of the moment
Fans have taken to chanting "Ho-ly Sheets! Ho-ly Sheets!" whenever the Padres' Gavin Sheets steps to the plate.
Two San Diegans, Sheryl Smith and Denise Nelesen, took it a step further Monday night, wearing white sheets and standing up with signs that read "Holy" and "Sheets" each time the slugging first baseman/outfielder approached the batter's box.
"The idea just came into my head," Nelesen said.
"Like a lightning bolt," Smith said.
Added Nelesen: "Sheryl always likes to do fun stuff. This was the second time she's been to the game in a while, and I said, ‘Let's do something.'”
Mmmm, burger?
Padres DH Miguel Andujar's first-inning home run made all the difference in Monday night's 1-0 victory over Dodgers.
More importantly, it qualified fans to a free Jumbo Jack (with purchase of any large drink) at local Jack in the Box restaurants.
It's a solid promotion. At least in theory.
The Jumbo Jack pictured in the promo looks like this:
The last time I took advantage of the deal, my Jumbo Jack looked like this:
Not exactly a mouth-watering experience. And I doubt Padres broadcaster Mark Grant’s suggestion to “slap some cheese on it” would have helped. I don't want to single out the location where the burger was made, but its initials are Rancho Penasquitos.
Just the facts, man
Among the statistics and bio information posted on the video board when each batter steps to plate are fun facts on the player.
The items range from gee-whiz (Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy shares the same name with Oakland A’s infielder Max Muncy; they also share the same birthday, Aug. 25) to hmm (Fernando Tatis Jr., at 6-foot-4, is the second-tallest player to play second base for the Padres after 6-5 Archi Cianfrocco). Then there’s this: Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez’s favorite cereal is Frosted Flakes.
Music to the ears
Song playing on the Petco Park sound system an hour before Monday’s opener: War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
Parting shot
The City of San Diego is staring at another big budget deficit, prompting Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera to suggest slashing the city’s share of Petco Park expenses with the Padres to free up some money for the general fund.
San Diego's John Darby was walking up Seventh Avenue toward the Gaslamp Gate on Monday when he broached the subject with a buddy.
“They need to find other ways to pay off their debt rather than try to gouge the Padres,” Darby, sporting a Tony Gwynn jersey, told a reporter. “A deal’s a deal, and the Padres bring a lot of money here. And the city, even if they got the Padres to pay more, I don’t think that would fix their deficit."
Maybe the Padres could help out with a fundraiser - perhaps mayor and councilmember bobbleheads.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 9:07 PM.