The line at Petco Park began forming on Wednesday night long before the first pitch was ever thrown. It curled around the ballpark and caused logjams at the entrances. But it wasn’t about baseball. It was about a puffer vest.
A Padres-themed puffer vest, to be exact.
The story of the Padres puffer vest dates back to March 2nd in Peoria, Arizona at the Padres spring training facility.
New Padres manager Craig Stammen was photographed wearing the now-infamous outwear on the field. It looked sharp and clean. Fans started saying they wanted one of their own in the replies.
So when the San Diego Padres announced 40,000 of them would be handed out as a giveaway item against the Seattle Mariners, fans didn’t just show up they descended upon downtown San Diego like the city was giving away free lottery tickets.
What the Padres didn’t anticipate wasn’t demand. It was desperation.
Videos that ricocheted across social media showed lines devolving into chaos. At multiple gates, fans pushed and shoved, not for entry, but for sizes. Mediums vanished. Larges disappeared quickly. Some fans refused to move until another box arrived, clogging entrances into the park.
Inside the ballpark, the Mariners handled the Padres 6-2, but hey, at least fans got their puffer vests.