Starting only because the AL's designated-hitter rule was in effect for the entire 1984 Fall Classic, veteran Kurt Bevacqua came up big for the Padres. Having tripped while attempting to stretch a double into a triple in a Game One loss, Bevacqua was eager to redeem himself the following night in front of a revved-up hometown crowd. And he did; with the Padres down a run in the bottom of the fifth, Bevacqua launched what proved to be a game-winning three-run homer off Detroit's Dan Petry.
Most Memorable Postseason Performer
Steve Garvey - 1984
FUN FACT
» The Padres' win over the Cubs in the 1984 NLCS made them the first team in National League history to rebound from two straight opening losses to emerge victorious in a five-game LCS. Chicago had outscored the Padres 17-1 in the first two games of the series.
No star shone brighter in the 1984 NLCS than Steve Garvey. With his club facing elimination in Game Four, Garvey capped a four-hit, five-RBI day with a ninth-inning, two-run homer off Cubs’ stopper Lee Smith. The round-tripper sealed a 7-5 Padres win. After his 8-for-20 performance in the series competition, Garvey was named NLCS MVP for the second time in his career.
Most Memorable Postseason Team
1996: Series Sweep Wins NL West
With three games to play in the 1996 season, few gave the Padres much of a chance to catch the rival Dodgers, who were ahead by two games in the 1996 NL West standings. True, the two teams would conclude the season by playing each other, but the games would be played at Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles needed just one win to seal the division. But thanks to a tenth-inning double by Ken Caminiti, the Padres took the opener 5-2; in the second game, it was Tony Gwynn who played hero, singling in two eighth-inning runs to snap a 2-2 tie. Not to be outdone, younger brother Chris Gwynn broke a scoreless deadlock with a two-run double in the eleventh inning of the final game, wrapping up an improbable division title for the Padres.
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