SAN DIEGO -- At Petco Park, they couldn¡¯t quite believe it. Gavin Sheets, a non-roster invitee to Padres Spring Training, had just driven in his fourth run of the night with his third hit -- all three of them scorched off the bat of the hulking 28-year-old slugger.
Through five games, Sheets has a 1.390 OPS. His emergence has been emblematic of the Padres¡¯ red-hot start to the 2025 season in which contributions have poured in from everywhere on the 26-man roster.
¡°Ho-ly Sheets,¡± chanted the Petco Park crowd, with Sheets standing on second base.
Indeed, with their 7-2 victory over the Guardians on Monday night, the Padres are 5-0 for the first time in franchise history.
¡°It¡¯s a good ballclub, off to a good start, clearly, playing really good baseball across the board,¡± said manager Mike Shildt.
Only once had the Padres started a season with four consecutive victories. They went on to win the 1984 National League pennant. But in 57 years of the franchise¡¯s existence, San Diego had never been 5-0.
Until 2025.
Left-hander Kyle Hart notched his first career win in his Padres debut, working five innings of two-run ball. In doing so, he made his long-awaited return to the big leagues, after breaking through amid the unprecedented circumstances of the 2020 season.
¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time for that beer shower right there,¡± Hart said. ¡°[It¡¯s] just thrilling. It¡¯s awesome, too, that it¡¯s on the heels of four consecutive wins. Obviously, the last time that this organization did that, we won the pennant.
¡°It¡¯s been an unbelievable start. ¡ Just keep it rolling.¡±
And are the Padres ever rolling. They fell behind in the first inning on Monday night on Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez¡¯s solo home run. It was the first time they had trailed since the seventh inning on Opening Day.
No matter. San Diego responded with a four-run second, sparked by Jackson Merrill¡¯s 109 mph laser-beam of a leadoff single (on Jackson Merrill bobblehead night, no less). Sheets, a member of the 121-loss White Sox last season, stepped up two batters later with the bases loaded and nobody out. He ripped a two-run double, and the Padres didn¡¯t look back.
¡°It's beautiful," said Fernando Tatis Jr., who famously made the move from the White Sox organization to the Padres once upon a time. ¡°We need to bring in more players from the South Side, you know? Happy for him. He made really good adjustments in Spring Training. He came with a mission.¡±
Tatis tallied a pair of hits, as well, and Manny Machado went 3-for-5. The bullpen continued its early season dominance, too, lowering its collective ERA to 0.45. On their way to 5-0, the Padres have gotten contributions from superstars and role players alike.
¡°There¡¯s a lot of obstacles we¡¯re still going to have to overcome,¡± Machado said. ¡°But it¡¯s definitely a good start, for sure.¡±
The first of its kind in franchise history, in fact. And it won¡¯t be the only 57-year wait the Padres are looking to end this season.