Recreation 5 of the Nationwide League Division Sequence was over. So was the Padres’ season — in agonizing trend. Past the mound, the Dodgers celebrated. The Padres — empty-handed after a season-ending 2-0 loss on Friday evening — may solely watch. One after the other, they retreated to the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. Merrill was the final to go.
“I simply didn’t wish to depart,” the Padres’ rookie phenom would later say. “I wasn’t actually sitting there grieving or sulking or something. I used to be simply sitting there wanting to remain on the sector. It ended fairly quick.”
Too quick. For a Padres crew that spent the 12 months constructing towards this second, the ending was borderline unfathomable.
“There’s no option to clarify the laborious moments,” mentioned Jurickson Profar. “Simply unhappy for this crew. We had all the things to go all the best way. However — baseball. They performed higher than us the final two video games, and now we’re going house.”
The 2024 Padres didn’t enter the season with outdoors expectations suggesting they may push the Dodgers within the NL West, then to the brink of elimination within the NLDS. However the 2024 Padres additionally recurrently made it clear how they felt about these outdoors expectations.
They swung trades early and sometimes to bolster their roster. Within the second half, they jelled, and rolled into the postseason on the power of the perfect document in baseball after the All-Star break. They simply dispatched the Braves within the NL Wild Card Sequence.
Fairly a run for a crew that had been principally written off on the outset. Which made the ending on Friday evening so positively agonizing. Nightmarish, even.
“There’s a variety of emotion,” mentioned Padres supervisor Mike Shildt. “Combination, clearly. A ton of disappointment in the long run consequence. However nothing however absolute respect and admiration for our total membership. It is a membership that from day one poured all the things that they had into this — each single man.”
From a roster-building standpoint, the Padres invested loads into 2024. They traded a sizeable chunk of their farm system in-season. These strikes will include a price.
And but — despite that value — the Padres ended their 2024 season in a a lot better place than they had been after the disappointments of ’23. The longer term appears brighter. Gone are studies of clubhouse points. The ’24 Padres constructed one thing far totally different.
“We labored as a bunch all 12 months to [create] a household right here,” mentioned Manny Machado. “I don’t suppose I’ve been a part of a crew that’s been as tight as this one. It’s a particular group that we had.”
Mentioned Merrill: “I believe I discovered a deeper love for baseball. I actually didn’t know the extent of how electrical it may be and the way a lot of a household you’ll be able to construct via a complete summer time of it.”
There’s no higher proof of that brighter future than Merrill. He’s a 21-year-old rookie who burst onto the scene and helped elevate the Padres. In the meantime, among the many trades the Padres revamped the previous 12 months, most of these gamers are again subsequent 12 months — Dylan Stop, Luis Arraez, Jason Adam, Michael King.
The Padres’ long-term offensive core stays intact as effectively, beginning with Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. At this level, it’s truthful to throw Merrill into that class, too.
“We have now a robust core right here,” Tatis mentioned. “Sky’s the restrict and I’ve little doubt we’re going to be knocking on the door each single 12 months. Can’t wait.”
That’s to not say the questions don’t exist. Profar elevated himself to All-Star standing this 12 months. He’s a pending free agent. Ha-Seong Kim will nearly actually decline his mutual choice and be part of Profar in free company. Joe Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgical procedure on Friday.
The 2025 Padres most likely received’t look that totally different. However they’ll look totally different.
“I need as many again as attainable,” Merrill mentioned.
Till then, the Padres can be left to rue the unthinkable ending to their season. After setting a franchise postseason document with a six-run second inning in Recreation 3, they didn’t rating one other run. San Diego ended its season with 24 scoreless innings — its longest drought of the season and the longest by any crew within the postseason because the 1991 Braves.
“I’m going to say dangerous timing,” Tatis mentioned.
In years to return, Friday received’t be remembered because the missed alternative. That got here Wednesday at Petco Park. In 2022, the Padres beat the Dodgers twice at house to win the NLDS. Positive sufficient, they carried a 2-1 lead this 12 months into Recreation 4 earlier than a frenzied house crowd.
They usually had been completely overwhelmed, 8-0. On Friday, Yu Darvish was stellar over 6 2/3 innings. However the offense once more got here up quick.
Afterward, a crew that had recorded all method of dramatic victories struggled to deal with the very fact they couldn’t discover another. Gamers hugged and mentioned somber goodbyes within the very clubhouse they’d celebrated a postseason-clinching triple play. It didn’t appear to make sense.
“That is the closest group I’ve ever performed with,” mentioned Jake Cronenworth. “It’s the closest factor to a household outdoors of our personal. I believe that’s why it hurts so dangerous.”