Petco Park sets new record for sell-out games with Padres sweep of Texas Rangers

SAN DIEGO — Despite the ups and downs the Padres have had this season, faith in the Friars has never been stronger as fans hit a new Petco Park landmark this weekend.

On Sunday, fans packed the stands at the downtown stadium for the Padres’ final game in a three game series against the Texas Rangers. With the 42,943 people in attendance, the team hit their 45th sellout this season at the game — a new franchise record.

The previous record was last year’s 26 sellouts in the downtown stadium. Padres fans surpassed it last month with two full-house games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Two out of the three games during the series against the Rangers tacked on another sellout to this year’s Petco Park record. The first sellout during the weekend was during Saturday’s 4-0 win, recording about 42,677 people in attendance.

While the Padres swept their opponent, Friday’s 7-1 game had an attendance that was just shy of the sellout threshold for the 42,445 seat stadium, according to MLB Box data.

“Not only to get a sweep, to get a sweep at home (on the) weekend (with) sold-out crowds and against a team that scored what, 60 more runs than anybody else in the American league … it should be a confidence boost for us,” manager Bob Melvin said in a postgame press conference on Sunday.

The Padres have had an average attendance of about 40,629 fans at home this season, according to MLB. The average puts San Diego as the fourth best in the entire league, behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 53 games at home, the team has only drawn out a crowd of fewer than 30,000 fans once this year, when 29,581 people were in the stadium for the Padres’ 1-0 win on Wednesday, Apr. 19 against the Atlanta Braves.

There are 27 remaining games at Petco Park this season, and ticket sales still appear to be going strong, so it’s anyone’s guess what the sellout record will be by the end of the season.