SAN DIEGO (AP) — Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bring a long-elusive World Series championship to San Diego, died on Tuesday, the team announced. He was 63.

A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Seidler, a third-generation member of the O’Malley family that used to own the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, was a two-time cancer survivor. The team announced in mid-September that Seidler had an unspecified medical procedure in August and wouldn’t be back at the ballpark the rest of the year.

The Padres planned to open Petco Park on Tuesday afternoon for fans who wished to gather to pay respects.

“Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. “Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate.

“His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations,” Greupner said. “His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres. Although he was our Chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”

Seidler was part of a group that purchased the Padres in 2012, and he bought out Ron Fowler’s majority stake in November 2020. Seidler also bought Rawlings Sporting Goods Company Inc. in conjunction with MLB in 2018.

It was with Seidler’s blessing that the Padres boosted their payroll to about $258 million on opening day, third-highest in the majors, after making a stirring run to the NL Championship Series the previous fall. The Padres underwhelmed most of the season despite having a star-studded lineup and missed the playoffs.

Seidler shrugged off questions about whether the Padres’ big spending on players like Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts was sustainable and mentioned how badly he wanted a championship parade for a city that has never had one.

“Do I believe our parade is going to be on land or on water or on both?” he said. “Putting a great and winning team on the field in San Diego year after year is sustainable.”

Seidler scoffed at the notion that San Diego was a small market. He viewed it as a unique city where the Padres were the only major pro sports franchise after the Chargers left for Los Angeles in 2017. Fans packed Petco Park last year, where the Padres set a franchise attendance record of 3,232,310 in 79 games, including 59 sellouts. The Padres were the home team in two games against San Francisco in Mexico City.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of Peter’s passing,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement from Arlington, Texas, where Major League Baseball owners are holding league meetings this week. “Peter grew up in a baseball family, and his love of the game was evident throughout his life. He was passionate about owning the Padres and bringing the fans of San Diego a team in which they could always take pride.”

Machado was a personal favorite of Seidler, and the slugger received a new $350 million, 11-year deal last spring training despite saying he would opt out of the original $300 million deal he signed in 2019.

The Padres gave Bogaerts a $280 million, 11-year deal last December. In 2021, the Padres signed Fernando Tatis Jr. to a $340 million, 14-year deal. They traded for young star Juan Soto at the deadline in 2022.

Seidler’s death comes at a critical time for the franchise. The Padres are closing in on hiring a manager to replace Bob Melvin, who left for San Francisco last month after clashing with general manager A.J. Preller. The Padres also are debating whether to keep or trade Soto, who is under control for just one more season.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A man has been arrested for allegedly knocking a parishioner unconscious inside a San Francisco Catholic church and throwing pipe bombs at a patrol car during a car chase, authorities said Monday.

The 42-year-old Concord man was arrested Sunday by California Highway Patrol officers in Martinez, east of San Francisco, following a 30-minute pursuit, San Francisco Assistant Police Chief David Lazar said.

The suspect was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, unlawful possession of an explosive device and other crimes.

Police were called after the man punched a parishioner in the head during mass at the Saints Peter and Paul Church in the city’s North Beach neighborhood, temporarily knocking him out, Lazar said.

Peter Marlow, spokesperson for the San Francisco Archdiocese, told KTVU-TV, that the man assaulted the parishioner Sunday evening after being reprimanded for failing to eat the consecrated host at Communion.

The man pulled a knife as he left the church and led officers who had responded to 911 calls on a car chase through city streets, Lazar alleged.

A few blocks from the church, the fleeing driver threw a pipe bomb at officers who “saw the flames and could feel when the bomb detonated,” and he threw a second, larger bomb before crossing the Bay Bridge, Lazar alleged.

The officers weren’t injured.

CHP officers who took over the pursuit from San Francisco police arrested the man after he crashed his car, authorities said.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A female suspect slammed into several cars including a California Highway Patrol vehicle while at the wheel of a stolen Toyota Camry before being arrested after a foot pursuit, authorities said.

The CHP said the incident began early Friday morning when officers were ending a pursuit of a DUI suspect on southbound Highway 101 near Cesar Chavez St.

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As CHP officers were conducting a traffic break, the Camry speeded past both the slow moving traffic and the patrol vehicles on the right shoulder.

The officers immediately initiated a pursuit after the driver failed to pull over and stop. The Camry continued south and exited at Silver Ave., where it collided with the rear of a Nissan Maxima which was stopped at the top of the off-ramp for a red light.

The driver of the Camry then threw the vehicle in reverse and struck the front of the CHP vehicle before taking off again.

The pursuit continued down Silver Ave. towards Mission St. After circling around several blocks, the Camry collided with a Jaguar near Silver Ave. and Mission St., causing the Camry to be disabled in the road.

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The female driver of the Camry attempted to flee on foot but was quickly detained without incident.

Once she was in custody, the officers learned soon that she recently had been released from custody for similar offenses and was out on supervised probation with an ankle monitor.

Investigators also determined the Camry was an unreported stolen vehicle.

The driver of the Nissan involved in the initial collision on the Silver Ave. off-ramp was determined to be under the influence and subsequently arrested for DUI.

The driver of the Jaguar was uninjured and there were no injuries to the CHP officers.

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The female suspect was arrested for multiple charges, including DUI, felony evading, driving a stolen vehicle, and a probation hold was also initiated to retain her in custody.

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