KPBS to premiere “The First Padres” documentary

Original Lane Field — The original Lane Field entrance on Pacific Highway at Broadway, Downtown. (Photo courtesy Bill Swank)

First Padres filmmaker — Filmmaker Chris Boyd (left) with historian Bill Swank (right) and a friend at a Padres game. (Photo courtesy Chris Boyd)

The story of San Diego’s first professional baseball team, the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), will soon be told in an upcoming documentary by local filmmaker Chris Boyd.

The film chronicles the team’s first season in 1936 and many years at Lane Field – the magnificent wooden ballpark previously located at Broadway and Pacific Highway – a decade at Westgate Park in Mission Valley, and their last days, all shown through vintage and previously unseen footage, interviews with fans and players, and photos of legendary players through the years.

Boyd, a San Diego native, called the documentary “a passion project.”

After attending film school at USC he spent the next five years working in feature films.

The early history of his hometown team marks his first feature documentary.

The First Padres features original music by composer Adam Keller, original songs by singer/songwriter Lindsay Harris, and Boyd tapped MLB Padres’ broadcaster, Bob Chandler to narrate.

The film premieres on KPBS at 9 p.m. (PST) on Oct. 8 and repeats Oct 14. at 5 p.m. For more information or to see the trailer, visit the firstpadres.com.