Why the San Diego's Petco Park holds special significance for Cubs right-hander Javier Assad

SAN DIEGO – Cubs right-hander Javier Assad grew up going to games at Petco Park. It was the closest MLB stadium to his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. His dad, Javier Sr., was a Padres fan, but the rest of the family had rallied around the Dodgers because of Fernando Valenzuela. The younger Javier followed suit. He remembers his dad making a nonnegotiable stipulation before taking him to a game between the Padres and Dodgers in San Diego as a kid. “He told me, the only way I'm taking you to the game is if you wear the Padres jersey,” Assad said Tuesday through team interpreter Fredy Quevedo. Young Assad agreed. He put on the Padres jersey, but he kept rooting for the Dodgers. “Everyone would be