Peter Seidler, owner and chairman of the San Diego Padres, passed away. He was sixty-three.
His passing was disclosed by the Padres in a press statement on Tuesday. The announcement follows in September when Seidler, a two-time non-Hodgkins lymphoma survivor, said in a statement that he had undergone “a medical procedure” the previous month and was “on the road to recovery.”
“Although I can’t be with you at the ballpark for our remaining games this season, I am watching them all, and I look forward to making some noise together again in 2024 and celebrating the 20th anniversary of our beautiful ballpark,” he stated.
Seidler “had been battling an illness for months,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and his family asked that the cause of his death be kept a secret.
Official statement from Padres Chairman Peter Seidler: pic.twitter.com/dKGTr9qVw9
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 18, 2023
2012 saw Seidler buy the Padres, and in November 2020, following the resignation of his business partner Ron Fowler, he was named chairman.
The co-founder of Seidler Equity Partners developed an early love for the game. He was the grandson of Walter O’Malley, an executive in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and a former longtime Dodgers owner.
In a statement made public with the news, Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that Seidler “grew up in a baseball family” and that his passion for the game was “evident throughout his life.”
“He had a strong desire to take over the Padres and provide San Diego fans with a team in which they could always be proud. Peter made sure the Padres were involved in San Diego community solutions, especially those pertaining to the homeless population. In the statement, it was stated that “he was an enthusiastic supporter of using the Padres and Major League Baseball to bring people together and help others.”
In a statement released alongside the news, Padres CEO Erik Greupner said, “Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children, and extended family.” He also always showed genuine sympathy for other people, particularly the less fortunate. His influence on baseball and the city of San Diego will last for many years.
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In order to find ways to “assist the most vulnerable segments of the homeless population” in San Diego, Seidler organized the “Tuesday Group,” which gathered once a week, according to his biography on the Padres website. He and his spouse Sheel contributed to numerous charitable organizations, such as the American Cancer Society and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Padres payroll increased to $250 million this season under Seidler’s ownership as he attempted to finally win the team a World Series championship.
In December, Seidler said to reporters, “We expect to be good year after year.” “As an owner who will be in this game as long as I’m allowed to, we look at a very long-term perspective.”
Seidler was also given the opportunity to hear memories from Padres players. Pitcher Yu Darvish posted on Instagram, saying, “the news of Peter Seidler’s passing hurts his heart.”
“Everyone who knew Peter would undoubtedly concur with me that he was an incredibly amazing person, and spending time with him was always a blessing. He was a life teacher, and I learned so much from all of our interactions,” the statement continued.
In addition to his mother Terry and nine siblings, Seidler is survived by his wife Sheel and their three children.
