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.[3][4] 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.[5][6] The Padres won the third game on April 20 by a score of 8–2.[7] Reported attendances were 37,382 (games 1 & 2) and 40,050 (game 3).[6][7]
The Padres front office saw the series as a test run for future exhibition games in Hawaii.[8] The Padres had played an exhibition series at Aloha Stadium in 1975 against Japan's Seibu Lions.[3][8] 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.[9]
Participating teams
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.[10]
WP: Andy Ashby (1-1) LP: Brady Raggio (1-1) Home runs: StL: Ron Gant (2, off Andy Ashby, 4th inn, 0 on, 2 outs to Deep LF-CF). SD: None Attendance: 40,050 Notes: Game duration 2:53 Boxscore
^ abSanchez, Jesse (August 19, 2017). "History made in first Little League Classic". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2021. In 1997, we played the San Diego Padres at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii in a three-game "Padres Paradise Series".