The San Diego Padres' season came to an end at Petco Park after being eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League playoffs, leaving players and manager Craig Stammen with mixed feelings.
"A lot to be proud of this year...a lot to go home and say, we did a pretty good job, but also, we're not satisfied...not satisfied until we finally bring that championship to San Diego, but this year made us one step closer to that," Craig Stammen said following a 3-1 loss in Game 4 of the series.
The Padres came up short despite several near-misses — including a ball knocked down by the roof in Milwaukee and a home run-robbing catch on Manny Machado's 406-foot drive in the clincher.
"Just inches away. A game of inches," Manny Machado said.
Despite the result, Machado said there was still much to be proud of from the season.
"It stings right now, for sure. At the same time, I'm proud of these guys and what they've accomplished, what they're doing, what we did this year. A lot of great things. Unfortunately, it just didn't go our way," Machado said.
Fernando Tatis Jr. reflected on what the season meant for the team.
"So many emotions. I mean, this group is so special, man. We went through so many downs and ups this year; how we became one, how we went through every battle and just stuck together--it was just an enjoyable group."
Stammen said the Padres need to reach a point where they are no longer relying on chance.
"You want to get to a point where you're not relying on chance to help you win a series. We've got to find a way to leave no doubt in these series. Even though we feel like we played good enough to win, we've got to play a little bit better against good teams like the Brewers," Stammen said.
With new ownership now in place — Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano — the future of the franchise remains uncertain. Tatis said he trusts the new leadership to make the right decisions.
"They've already shown a lot. They've already shown how much they care. I don't really have expectations of them. They know what has to be done and how to take care of us. Whatever decision they make I know it's going to be the right one," Tatis said.
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