Machado passes González for Petco Park HR lead in sweep of Angels
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SAN DIEGO -- Step aside Adrián González. Manny Machado is Petco Park’s home run king.
Machado’s go-ahead blast in the sixth inning of the Padres' 5-3 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night moved him into sole possession of first place on the home run leaderboard at the downtown San Diego ballpark, which opened in 2004.
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It was Machado’s 66th home run at Petco Park, passing the mark set by González, who launched 57 of those as a Padre from 2006-10, then eight more in the following seasons with the Dodgers.
González and Machado tell a story of two distinctly different eras of San Diego baseball. The Padres couldn’t extend González and ended up trading him to Boston before the 2011 season. A dozen years later, with Machado a year away from a player option that would’ve taken him to free agency, the Padres extended him for 11 years and $350 million.
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“I’ve hit 66,” Machado said. “That means you've been swinging the bat pretty well and making good contact. So, hopefully, I continue doing that for a long time.”
Wil Myers sits a close third on that list with 64 homers. Hunter Renfroe, who homered for the Angels at Petco Park this week, is in fourth place with 46 -- likely to be surpassed imminently by Fernando Tatis Jr., in fifth with 44.