Here are the 10 most comical Padres moments

SAN DIEGO -- The baseball season is long, and its moments of tension and excitement are often punctuated by moments of lightheartedness. Levity, it seems, is the best way to make it through a 162-game grind.

The Padres have certainly had their share of hilarious moments over the five decades of their existence. Here's a look at 10 of the most comical events in franchise history.

1. Kroc takes the mic
April 9, 1974

When Ray Kroc purchased the Padres in January 1974, it put an end to speculation that the team might move to Washington, D.C. San Diego had an owner who cared deeply -- and showed it. The Padres lost three games in Los Angeles to start the '74 season by a combined score of 25-2. Then, they fell behind in their home opener to the Astros, 9-2 -- a particularly ugly affair in which a player forgot the number of outs and a pipe burst in the stands causing flooding. Kroc took to the stadium mic following the 9-5 loss and addressed the crowd (much to the chagrin of the players). "Ladies and gentlemen, I suffer with you," Kroc spoke his now-famous words. "I've never seen such stupid ball playing in my life."

2. The original video review
June 6, 1986

Steve Boros only lasted one season as manager of the Padres, leaving a legacy for the strangest ejection in franchise history. A night earlier, Bip Roberts had been thrown out at home plate on a controversial triple play. Roberts left the field chirping at home plate ump Charlie Williams, who was unable to discern where the dissent was coming from. Williams wrongly ejected Steve Garvey. Boros kept quiet that night. But replays showed that Garvey hadn't said a word, and the following day, Boros presented Williams with a videotape of the incident during the exchange of lineup cards. Boros was ejected on the spot -- the first of his managerial career.

• Six of the weirdest ejections in baseball history

3. Headless Dave Winfield
Late 1970s

On the list of most beloved figures in Padres history, Jerry Coleman ranks near the top. Along with Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman, the legendary broadcaster is one of three people immortalized with statues at Petco Park. He was revered for his down-to-earth demeanor, his excitable personality -- and an occasional malaprop, too. Coleman’s most notable mishap on the mic came during a late 1970s call in which Coleman mistakenly implied a headless Dave Winfield. "Winfield goes back to the wall," Coleman began. "He hits his head on the wall and it rolls off! It's rolling all the way back to second base. This is a terrible thing for the Padres."

4. The birth of the Chicken
June 29, 1979

Ted Giannoulas had spent five years as the mascot for KGB, a local radio station, as a brightly colored chicken. But it wasn't until a June night in 1979 that he was rebranded as the "San Diego Chicken" -- a pivotal step on his way to becoming one of the most famous mascots in sports history. Giannoulas was rolled out in a giant egg as the "2001: A Space Odyssey" theme played at San Diego Stadium. He was hatched in front of a crowd of 47,000, most of whom had turned up to see his famous antics.

5. Maybin draws a three-ball walk
July 2, 2011

Four balls to walk – it’s as basic a rule as baseball has to offer. But on a July afternoon in 2011, Cameron Maybin needed only three. Maybin fell behind Mariners starter Doug Fister, 0-2. He proceeded to work a battle at-bat, fouling off a few pitches and earning a couple of balls. At some point, the scoreboard operator at Safeco Field inexplicably gave Maybin a third ball. When Fister's 2-2 pitch sailed high, Maybin trotted to first base. No one -- not Fister, not Mariners skipper Eric Wedge, not home plate ump Phil Cuzzi -- tried to stop him. Maybin would score the only run in the Padres' 1-0 win.

6. Beer and a ballgame
June 5, 2018

This early June tilt against the Braves was almost entirely forgettable on the field. San Diego trailed 14-0 in the ninth inning (before Franmil Reyes launched the longest home run ever tracked by Statcast at Petco Park -- a small consolation). But the game is remembered more for the dedication of one fan, who caught an Ender Inciarte foul ball in her Sculpin IPA. She chugged the entire beer, much to the delight of those on hand at Petco Park that night.

7. Bell makes a grand entrance
July 12, 2011

At the time, the Padres probably weren't all too thrilled with their star closer sprinting from the bullpen at the All-Star Game and sliding into the Chase Field mound. But in retrospect, Heath Bell authored one of the funnier moments in Padres history when he made his entrance at the 2011 Midsummer Classic. Bell faced one batter, Jhonny Peralta, who popped to second.

8. Red Sox get rickrolled
Aug. 25, 2019

"Sweet Caroline" has been a staple at home games in Boston for decades. With a number of Red Sox fans in attendance at Petco Park, the Padres pulled a prank worthy of celebrating. The ballpark videoboard called for a rendition of the Neil Diamond tune, then even played the first verse. Just as the song approached its chorus, it cut out. Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" played in its place, and the Red Sox fans in attendance were drowned out by uproarious laughter.

9. Say cheese
July 15, 2016

As the Padres rebuilt during the mid-2010s, few players were as beloved as Yangervis Solarte. His on-field antics and colorful persona made him a fan favorite on teams that didn't offer much else to cheer about. So, of course it was Solarte who emerged with a baseball covered in nacho cheese after diving into the left-field seats. Third-base ump Ed Hickox ruled that Solarte had made the catch before breaking into a grin when Solarte presented him with the cheese-covered baseball. Cameras don't show whether the ball exited Solarte's glove while he was on the ground in the first row. Given the nacho-cheese covering, it's hard to fathom a clean catch. Only Solarte will ever know the truth.

10. Reyes serenades Petco Park
May 31, 2019

No one would ever confuse Franmil Reyes with Dolly Parton or Whitney Houston. But the former Padres slugger serenaded Petco Park with the classic "I Will Always Love You," nonetheless. Reyes had begun a tradition of singing before games in the Padres' dugout. After a late-May win over the Marlins, he was asked whether he had anything to say to the fans. He belted out the chorus.