Editing Gene Tenace (section)

===San Diego Padres (1977–80)===
[[File:Gene Tenace - San Diego Padres.jpg|thumb|194x194px|Tenace with San Diego, {{c.|1977}}]]
Tenace was one of several Athletics who became [[Free agent|free agents]] after the [[1976 Oakland Athletics season|1976]] season and participated in a newly created re-entry draft, in which teams acquired the rights to negotiate with veteran free agents. Tenace and teammate [[Rollie Fingers]] were the first players from that draft to sign, with both joining the [[San Diego Padres]] in December of that year.<ref name="Gene Tenace Trades and Transactions2">{{cite web|title=Gene Tenace Trades and Transactions|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=tenacge01|access-date=October 4, 2010|website=[[Baseball Almanac]]|publisher=}}</ref> In four years as a starter with the Padres, his power numbers dropped in part due to the cavernous dimensions of San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, only reaching 20 home runs once; but his batting eye remained, recording three more seasons of 100 walks, with a career best of 125 in [[1977 San Diego Padres season|1977]]. In [[1979 San Diego Padres season|1979]], Tenace led [[National League (baseball)|National League]] catchers with a .998 [[fielding percentage]], committing only one [[Error (baseball)|error]] in 94 games.<ref>{{cite web|title=1979 National League Fielding Leaders|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1979-fielding-leaders.shtml|access-date=October 4, 2010|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref> He recorded an [[on-base percentage]] of over .390 in each of his years in San Diego, and finished third in the National League in that department in three consecutive years.<ref name="Gene Tenace at Baseball Reference2" />

On August 1, 1979, Tenace was part of a [[bench-clearing brawl]] against the [[Atlanta Braves]]. After hitting a home run off of pitcher [[Eddie Solomon]], he charged the mound when Solomon apparently said something to him, and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown, and the Braves won 5–4.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brown|first=Frank|date=August 2, 1979|title=Foster sidelined, but his bat still assisting Reds|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1913&dat=19790802&id=T14gAAAAIBAJ&pg=1565,262830&hl=en|access-date=January 9, 2020|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=The Lewiston Evening Journal}}</ref>