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Moores, who made a fortune in computer software, bought a majority stake in the Padres for approximately $80 million in December 1994 from a 15-member group headed by TV producer Tom Werner, who eight years later became chairman of the Boston Red Sox.
Under Moores' ownership, the Padres won four NL West titles and reached the 1998 World Series before being swept by the New York Yankees.
While the Padres enjoyed success under Moores in the 1990s and for a stretch in the mid-2000s, the franchise also has struggled.
In November 1998, voters overwhelmingly approved the construction of Petco Park. The downtown ballpark didn't open until 2004, however, due to lawsuits and a federal investigation into Moores' dealings with a city councilwoman.
The Padres had five straight losing seasons from 1999-2003 before going 87-75 in their first season in Petco Park.
Some fans still believe the Padres failed to live up to their promise of using increased revenue from Petco Park to add free agents. In recent seasons, citing financial reasons, the Padres have dealt star players such as Jake Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner, and All-Star slugger Adrian Gonzalez, choosing to stockpile prospects at the expense of a lack of star power.
The Padres have won only one postseason game since their 1998 World Series appearance.
The Padres won the NL West in 2005 and 2006 before losing an epic 13-inning, wild-card tiebreaker game at Colorado in 2007.
Since then, they've been mostly dismal. They lost 99 games in 2008, 87 games in 2009 and 91 games last year. The Padres were surprise contenders in 2010 before collapsing down the stretch.
Another stain on Moores' legacy was his urging the front office to take local high school shortstop Matt Bush with the top pick of the 2004 amateur draft because he came much cheaper than star players in that draft class such as Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver.
Bush was a bust after off-field trouble and elbow surgery derailed his career. He's jailed in Florida in a DUI hit-and-run case.
Verlander, last year's AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, has thrown two no-hitters for the Detroit Tigers and came within two outs of a third earlier this year. Weaver threw his first career no-hitter earlier this season for the Los Angeles Angels.
The Padres are on their third general manager since 2009. Moorad fired Kevin Towers at the end of the 2009 season and replaced him with Jed Hoyer. Hoyer left after the 2011 season to take the same job with the Cubs. He was replaced by Josh Byrnes, who was GM with the Diamondbacks when Moorad was part of the ownership group in Arizona.
[Associated
Press;
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