May 18, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Yuki Matsui (1) leaves the game during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – The Padres won’t be hoisting the Vedder Cup in 2025, but they haven’t lost it yet. To avoid ceding the tongue-in-cheek trophy to Seattle, San Diego now faces a daunting challenge: sweep the Mariners in their backyard this August, just as Seattle did to them this past weekend in a stifling three-game set at Petco Park.
Sunday’s 6-1 loss sealed the sweep, with the Padres managing just three total runs across the series. The only bright spot came early—when Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first. From there, Seattle starter Bryan Woo silenced the Friars, scattering four singles over seven strong innings while striking out five.
Padres starter Michael King looked sharp early, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. But with two outs in the fourth, everything unraveled. Seattle strung together five straight hits—highlighted by a solo homer from Randy Arozarena and a ground-rule double from Leody Taveras—to plate three quick runs. From there, the Padres couldn’t recover.
It wasn’t for lack of opportunity. San Diego put together a threat in the eighth after Woo exited, with Jose Iglesias and Elias Díaz singling to open the inning. But once again, the big hit never came. Tatis grounded into a double play and Luis Arraez flied out to end the inning.
That sequence was all too familiar. Throughout the series, the Padres went a brutal 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position, wasting multiple chances to flip the script. Even in the ninth, trailing by four, there was a glimmer of hope after Yuki Matsui walked the bases loaded. But a bloop single and three fly outs off Alek Jacob allowed two more Mariners to score and slammed the door shut on any miracle comeback.
It was a frustrating way to end the homestand—especially in front of a packed house all weekend—and a reminder of how thin the margin for error is against playoff-caliber opponents.
“We had guys on, we just couldn’t get that hit,” manager Mike Shildt said postgame. “That’s baseball sometimes, but it’s a tough pill to swallow when it happens three days in a row at home.”
Now the Padres head north for a six-game road swing through Toronto and Atlanta, where they’ll look to get the bats back on track. But the sweep lingers, not just as a missed opportunity but as added motivation for the rematch. The Vedder Cup may be tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also a matter of pride—and payback.
The Padres will get their shot at redemption in Seattle in late August. To retain bragging rights in the quirky interleague rivalry, they must return the favor: a three-game sweep in the Pacific Northwest.
