As more than 40,000 fans filled Petco Park for Monday's game against the Chicago Cubs, some might have wondered about safety during an earthquake in a region known for seismic activity.
While no building can be completely earthquake-proof, Petco Park was constructed to meet the highest standards for earthquake resistance and has already successfully weathered San Diego's largest quake of the 21st century.
During the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Baja California on Easter Sunday in 2010, cameras captured the right field foul pole swaying for several seconds as players watched in amazement. Despite the dramatic movement, no major damage was reported.
For many players, that event or recent tremors marked their first earthquake experiences.
"Today I was driving in my car, and I got the alert on my phone, and as I got the alert, I thought I could feel something moving; maybe I was just creating that because I was trying to feel it, but I didn't get too much of it," said San Diego native Joe Musgrove.
Padres outfielder Jason Heyward described his experience: "Like I think someone is knocking on the door. Maybe that's the dryer. No, that's getting louder. There are no trains nearby. I'm like alright, this is an earthquake."
Fernando Tatis Jr. had a more relaxed reaction.
"My mom is the house, and I know how crazy it gets, so, I was just laughing at them actually, and I just kept sleeping on my bed," he said.
According to engineering experts, a stadium like Petco Park might actually be safer than the average home during an earthquake. Anders Carlson, an engineer with the design firm HOK, explained that stadiums are specifically designed to handle vibrations.
"Compared to a typical building, we have to worry about vibrations even more. Taylor Swift had a concert where the fans created an earthquake that was measured on a seismometer," Carlson said.
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The engineer noted that the shaking is typically worse in residential structures than at the ballpark.
"Earthquake excitations are really faster, and that's why people in one- and two-story houses feel it more. So the fact they are taller and kind of more flexible, again, makes them more accommodating to the violent shaking of earthquakes," Carlson explained.
The Padres organization confirmed that following the 2010 earthquake, Petco Park underwent a complete inspection, and no structural issues were found.
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