SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Honoring the late Peter Seidler will be a theme for the San Diego Padres during the upcoming 2024 season, with big plans to celebrate the team's beloved chairman and owner.
A few days before the start of the season, on Mar. 23, the Padres will be hosting a celebration of life ceremony at Petco Park for fans to remember Seidler.
Current and former Padres players, team and league executives, local leaders and his family will be in attendance at the celebration of life ceremony, while Padres broadcaster Don Orsillo will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
The stadium gates will open at noon for the 1p.m. event. Admission is free and those who would like to attend can reserve a digital ticket starting Thursday, Feb. 29 on the Padres website. Seating will be available on a first-come, first serve basis.
No-charge parking will also be available at Padres-controlled lots for the event, like the Padres Parkade and Tailgate Lot.
Once the regular season begins, the team will continue to carry Seidler with them in the form of a "PS" jersey patch that players will don in every 2024 game. According to the team, the patch's design, Seidler's initials inside a heart, came from his children.
The team will be handing out the commemorative patch to the first 10,000 fans at the celebration of life. It will also be for sale throughout the season at the Padres Team Store in Petco Park.
Proceeds from the patch sales will go towards the newly-established Peter Seidler Legacy Projects through the Padres Foundation, providing philanthropic grants to projects in the San Diego and northern Baja communities.
Seidler passed away at the age of 63 in November of last year. It came few months after the team announced the two-time cancer survivor underwent an unidentified medical procedure.
After the news of his death was made public, thousands of people in the Padres organization — from fans to players and executives — and league officials took to social media to remember Seidler and his legacy, both in building up the team and his contributions to San Diego.
A mural and temporary memorial were also erected in downtown to honor Seidler.
“Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children, and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate," Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a news release at the time.
“His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations. His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres,” he continued. “Although he was our Chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”