SAN DIEGO — With Major League Baseball Opening Day on the horizon, the San Diego Padres are getting some love for their home stadium.

Petco Park, located in the heart of downtown San Diego, was named as the best MLB ballpark by USA Today in the 2023 version of their rankings.

The ballparks were ranked on the factors of general atmosphere, design, location, amenities, food and character.

Petco Park came in at the top spot for 2016, 2020 and 2022 editions of the USA Today rankings.

With a beautiful ballpark centered right in the downtown skyline, plenty of local food and beer options, the great San Diego weather and an exciting team creating a buzz throughout the city, its no surprise that Petco Park ranked highly given the criteria.

“It’s really difficult to imagine any stadium topping Petco Park — it’s simply the best,” said USA Today writer Andrew Joseph.

Petco Park opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the Padres’ home ballpark following approval by a public vote in 1998.

In addition to the Padres games, Petco Park has also played host to several major sporting events and musical acts.

Yellowcard, Weezer, Hozier, Darius Rucker, Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome are among some of the big performances scheduled at Petco Park in 2023.

The Padres home opener at Petco Park is scheduled for Thursday, March 30 at 1:10 p.m. against the Colorado Rockies. Blake Snell has been named the Opening Day starter for San Diego in this NL West matchup.

As the 2023 seasons gets into full swing, it should be an electric atmosphere from the Friar Faithful at MLB’s best ballpark.