Despite limited capacity early, Padres on track for one of highest attendance totals in past decade

The corner of Tony Gwynn Drive and Trevor Hoffman Way has been the place to be downtown this summer.

The Padres have enjoyed more midweek sellouts than ever before at Petco Park. Their average attendance since the ballpark was opened to full capacity is higher than in all but the team’s inaugural season of 2004. Just three teams have had more people attend their games this season.

And with just 11 home games remaining, the team is putting out the word that it is grateful — and hopeful.

“We want to say thank you for the support,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said Friday. “Their support has been nothing short of amazing. … It’s given us a homefield advantage all season long.”

The team’s message of gratitude is accompanied by a plea.

The Padres, who enter play Friday a half-game behind the Cincinnati Reds in the race for the National League’s second wild card spot, are 41-29 at home and 30-34 on the road.

“The record at home is a reflection of the passion and energy our fans have brought to the ballpark night in and night out,” Greupner said. “With only two homestands to go, we need our fans more than ever. … We’ve been blown away by the fan response. Fans are doing everything they can possibly do. We appreciate that. We just need them to keep doing that.”

The Padres were limited to slightly more than 10,000 fans for the season’s first seven home games, just more than 15,000 for the next 22 and a bit more than 16,000 for the six after that before venues in California were allowed to have full capacity beginning in mid-June. Still, the Padres are on track to eclipse their 2018 attendance of 2.168 million fans.

Only the Dodgers, who play in a far bigger stadium, have averaged more fans per game since the start of full capacity.

By maintaining the 36,875 they have averaged since going to full capacity on June 17, the Padres would draw more fans in 2021 than in all but three of the past 10 seasons the ballpark was open to fans. They drew 2.397 million fans in 2019, the first season Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. were on the team. Fans were not allowed in ballparks for the shortened 2020 season.

“All those metrics support the proposition our fans have been amazing this season,” Greupner said. “They’ve showed up. … We have a month left. We’re right in it. Once we get in, anything is possible. We need them now more than ever.”