Story by
Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Former Flyer leads Padres to playoffs in first season as manager
- Story byDayton Daily News, Ohio
- Former Flyer leads Padres to playoffs in first season as manager
Craig Stammen made history in his first season as manager of the San Diego Padres .
Stammen, the former Dayton Flyers pitcher who is a 2002 graduate of Versailles High School, became the first Padres manager to win 90 or more games in his first season. His team finished 91-71, placing second in the National League West Division and earning a playoff bid for the third season in a row.
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The Padres won 17 of their last 20 games. They have the second-best record in baseball (43-23) since July 17.
"It's been a lot of fun," Stammen told reporters in San Diego on Sunday after a 9-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the final game of the regular season. "You win 91 games; it makes it a lot more fun. I think the best part is we battled some tough times. We battled through some adversity or low points, and we were able to come out of it stronger and better than ever. And we finished the season playing great baseball — probably the best of the season — and hopefully that carries on into the postseason."
San Diego will have home-field advantage in a best-of-three wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs . Game 1 will be played at 10 p.m. Tuesday at Petco Park. Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, will take place at the same time Wednesday and Thursday.
"The playoffs present a lot of ups and downs even throughout the game," Stammen said, "and being able to handle things that are tough is a good thing. I think these guys have found out that they can handle about anything and still come out on top. That's a good lesson to be learned and builds resiliency and toughness, and those are good traits to have in the postseason."
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Stammen had no managerial experience when he was hired in November. He worked previously with the Padres as a special assistant to the general manager after spending the final six seasons of his 13-year big-league pitching career as a reliever with the franchise.
Stammen replaced Mike Shildt, who stepped down after the 2025 season. The Padres finished 93-69 and 90-72 in Shildt's two seasons.
The Padres have won 90 or more games seven times in franchise history, including each of the last three seasons.
Last season, the Padres played the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the wild-card round. The Padres lost 3-1 in Game 3. This season, the Padres are 51-30 at home, but they lost five of six games to the Cubs and two of three at Petco Park.
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"We wanted the home-field advantage," Stammen said. "We were able to get it. It's going to be a big advantage for us. The fans came out all year."
The Padres ranked third in baseball in average attendance (41,321).
"That's pretty impressive for little old San Diego," Stammen said. "We're small but mighty, and I think the way the fans support us and show up every single day is pretty amazing. We wouldn't be here without them."
