SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Today's Opening Day victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks was everything San Diego Padres Super Fans dreamed of, after a year-long hiatus from watching the games from the stands.
Coronavirus rules meant only 8,500 fans were allowed inside Petco Park. But for those who had a seat, the day couldn't have ended any better.
Last night, the 36-year Padres season ticket holder Susie Butcher could barely sleep, knowing that she would be back in the stands for Opening Day.
"Oh, I got up early, of course!" Butcher said.
Her day started at the Morena Trolley Station.
"We're waiting for the trolley to get to Petco Park for Opening Day!" she said. "We're so excited to be going to the game!"
Since the pandemic shut everything down, Opening Day 2020 was the first one she had missed in 36 years.
"Everybody is just so excited. We just can't wait to get inside," Butcher said.
After running through the gate, Butcher said she was like a kid in a candy store, taking photos with the new team murals, taking in the views, and finding her seat.
With ticket limitations, Butcher was placed in Section 107, which is not her usual section. But she said she was still able to enjoy the game, even during the fifth inning.
"Oh man, they [the Diamondbacks] scored six runs, and it was like Panic City! But I knew we were going to come back. I just knew it!" she said.
She was right! The Padre Madre held her breath, said a little prayer, and the boys in brown gave the fans a big win, 8 to 7, on Opening Day.
Butcher said she has a feeling that this is not just an April Fools joke, but the first of a series of wins that will take the Padres all the way to the World Series.
"The big thing for me this year is we always had hope, but this year we have expectations because they did so good last year," Butcher said. "We are really expecting them to do good this year, and they started out on the right foot, so I am really excited."
She was right once. Let's hope she's right again.
Butcher hoped to get her usual seat back as more people get vaccinated, and the pandemic restrictions get loosened.
