Former Dodgers All-Star Compliments Padres Despite Being Booed By Fans

Apr 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago Cubs first base Michael Busch (29) reacts after hitting a home run with first base Justin Turner (3) against the Los Angeles Dodgers during he first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are known to have a passionate fan base, and it has only propelled a 12-1 home record so far this season.

While the Chicago Cubs were in town, it also meant that former Los Angeles Dodgers fan favorite Justin Turner was back at Petco Park. After nine seasons with L.A., it shouldn't be a shock that the most home runs Turner has hit against one team in his career are against the Padres with 26.

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Some of Turner's teammates seemed to have been a little confused as to why the veteran was the target of so many boos from Friar Faithful earlier this week.

“A lot of guys were like, ‘Man, they love you here, huh?”  Turner said. “Honestly, I’m glad they’re booing me. It means I did some good things here in the past. If they weren’t booing me, I probably didn’t do too much to help them lose games.”

Back when Turner was playing with the Dodgers, his team won eight of nine divisional titles during his tenure. The lone 2021 season was won by the San Francisco Giants.

Turner also noted that this is not the same Padres team that he was used to playing against, as a lot has changed since he was last at Petco Park in a Dodgers uniform.

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“I think last night was Padre Hawaiian shirt giveaway, which apparently is a pretty big night in the stadium,” Turner said. “No, I think obviously over the last four or five years they’ve been putting a good product on the field and the fans are loving it and showing up and they are excited. It’s a good environment.”

Showing up is an understatement for San Diego. The Padres' 47,078 fans in attendance Tuesday was the third-largest in Petco Park history per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Jeff Sanders.

Turner's final game in a Dodgers uniform was ironically an NLDS loss at Petco Park in 2022. Perhaps it was a way for the franchise to let Turner know that despite his past success against them, a new era was upon the baseball world.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.