However it started, Petco Park’s reputation reached legendary status on an August afternoon in its debut season. The hometown clean-up hitter believed he’d lost another home run to the park’s expansive dimensions, saw a teammate’s deep drive tracked down in deep left center, fired his helmet from second base toward the Padres’ dugout and uttered several obscenities as he glared at the general manager’s new suite. Kevin Towers later pulling Phil Nevin into the hall for a heated discussion heard through closed doors cemented a belief that persists today:
Petco Park was the place where home runs went to die.