The Big Lead

Padres blocking Dodgers fans from buying Petco Park tickets again

By Joe Lago

Jul 31, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) tags Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) out at the plate to end the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Jul 31, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) tags Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) out at the plate to end the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images / David Frerker-Imagn Images
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The San Diego Padres are playing defense against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers again, not on the field but in online ticket sales for Petco Park.

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The Padres are restricting ticket sales for their home games in the upcoming National League Division Series to residents of San Diego County and surrounding areas. Residency will be determined by credit card billing address, according to the Padres web site.

The Padres resorted to such tactics the last time the teams met in the MLB playoffs in 2022. Dodgers fans typically pack Petco Park for regular-season games, but the Padres launched a preemptive strike before the teams' NLDS matchup by preventing L.A. fans from purchasing tickets in San Diego.

The ploy worked. The Padres split the first two games at Dodger Stadium and won the next two at a raucous Petco Park amid a clear home-field advantage to eliminate the hated Dodgers in four games and advance to the NL Championship Series.

That didn't mean Dodger fans weren't able to get in the stadium. However, without the ease of purchasing tickets online, Dodger Nation wasn't out in full force in San Diego like it usually is.

The stadiums, like in the NLDS in 2022, will be fortresses for the home sides with a trip to the NLCS being determined on the field and not by the visiting fans packing the stands.

Said Padres general manager A.J. Preller after the team's NL wild-card series victory: “It does always seem to go through the Dodgers."

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