San Diego Padres

History: Compared to their Southern California neighbors, the Padres are a relatively new franchise to

Major League Baseball, joining the National League as an expansion team in 1969. The Padres have had only minor postseason success - they reached the World Series for the first time in 1984 and most recently in 1998, but lost both times. They were a single game away from reaching the postseason last year, but lost a one-game playoff to eventual National League pennant-winners the Colorado Rockies.

Names and faces: The Padres have one of the most feared pitching staffs in all of baseball, but none of their award-winning starters made the trip to Beijing. The biggest Padres star appearing this weekend is ace closer Trevor Hoffman, who holds the major league record for most career saves with 524. Other Padres to pay attention to are fan-favorite third basemen Kevin Kouzmanoff and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Asian connection: The only Asian player on the Padres' roster is second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, but he will not be playing in Beijing.

(China Daily 03/14/2008 page22)