An open letter to the San Diego Padres: Down does not mean out. It means keep the faith

To the San Diego Padres,

First, thank you for a rousing end to the 2026 season. Finishing the regular season 18-6 in September was special. You made it easy to keep the faith as the bats, defense, and pitching all supported each other. But now, being down two games in the NLDS puts that faith to the test. I'm no stranger to holding out hope during tough situations. After all, I've lived in South San Diego my whole life, for more than 40 years.

I don't have any consolation for those two games of utter bewilderment in Milwaukee. The opportunities were there, and then they weren't. What I do have, as a lifelong Padres fan, is simply the reminder that believing is a requirement. This year is our year up until they turn the lights off on you. "Keep the faith" is not just a clever phrase for the Swinging Friars.

Some years, there is unbridled talent on the field. In other years, it's the fight that shines brightest. However, this year, in 2026, those first two NLDS games on Saturday and Sunday showed that this team has both. This team is talented and deep, but it also seems unified in pursuit of the ultimate baseball goal like few years before. No one gave up and quit before each loss set in.

I'm only a father hoping that his 15-year-old son sees a miracle on the field. But the way I see it, watching nearly every game this year, is that this is a team with chips on its shoulder. This is a team playing to prove they're more than average, more than bloated contracts, more than youth, more than lingering injuries, and more than past accomplishments. Individually and collectively, this is a Padres team that still has more to prove to themselves and all the unbelievers out there.

No matter what anyone will say, San Diego has always been a baseball town, a city with a resounding love for the sport. Some outsiders will say that losing the Chargers caused a resurgence at Petco Park and around the Padres. That's not true. It was Peter Seidler who reinvigorated a weary city. It was him and those surrounding him who helped people see the vision for a championship more clearly. It was him and A.J. Preller, in some form, that has given the city all of you players.

You are our team, and San Diego will keep the faith, for as long as it takes—and then the next season after that. Don't forget to keep the faith too. There's still more baseball to play.

Let's go Padres,
Tyler Hayes