| Year: | 1997 |
| Game: | Padres Paradise Series |
| Visitor: | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Home: | San Diego Padres |
| Venue: | Aloha Stadium |
| City: | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Manager Visitor: | Tony La Russa |
| Manager Home: | Bruce Bochy |
| Umpires: | Wally Bell Jerry Crawford Tom Hallion Ed Montague |
The Padres Paradise Series[1] [2] [3] was a three-game Major League Baseball regular season series between the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 19 and 20, 1997. These were the first regular-season major league games played in Hawaii. The Padres were the home team for all three games. The Cardinals won the opening two games (a twi-night doubleheader) on April 19, winning the first 1–0 and the second 2–1.[4] [5] The Padres won the third game on April 20 by a score of 8–2.[6] Reported attendances were 37,382 (games 1 & 2) and 40,050 (game 3).
The Padres front office saw the series as a test run for future exhibition games in Hawaii.[7] The Padres had played an exhibition series at Aloha Stadium in 1975 against Japan's Seibu Lions. The Padres arrived in Hawaii with an 8–5 record. The three-game series began a stretch in which they lost 10 of 11 and dropped below .500 for the rest of the season.[8]
The Padres first asked the Houston Astros to move a series from San Diego to Honolulu, but the Astros declined. The Padres then turned to the Cardinals.[9]
| 1997 St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | CatchersInfielders | Outfielders | ManagerCoaches (Pitching) (Bullpen) (Hitting) (Third Base) (Bench) (First Base) | ||||||
| 1997 San Diego Padres | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | CatchersInfielders | Outfielders | ManagerCoaches (bullpen) (third base) (first base) (bench) (hitting) (pitching) | ||||||
See main article: Aloha Stadium.
The Sunday game was nationally televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.[10]
The series was composed of three Padres regular season home games relocated from San Diego.
The first game was held on Saturday, April 19, 1997, at 4:09 p.m. HST.
The second game was held on Saturday, April 19, 1997, at 7:17 p.m. HST.
The third game was held on Sunday, April 20, 1997, at 2:05 p.m. HST.