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Every MLB division series is tied through two games, but none have included the bitterness of the NL West matchup between the Dodgers and Padres.
The two rivals played about the most entertaining 10-2 game you will ever see in Game 2, with San Diego’s win defined by everything from a war of words between stars to beef between fans and Padres players.
Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is getting in on it ahead of Game 3. Roberts called out Manny Machado a day after the Padres evened up the series, calling the Padres star “disrespectful” for an incident that is being investigated by the league.
Here’s what you need to know about the beef between Roberts and Machado.
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Dave Roberts-Manny Machado beef, explained
Machado exchanged words with Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty multiple times during Game 2, but it was something else the Padres star did that caught Roberts’ attention.
Roberts accused Machado of throwing a ball at the Dodgers’ dugout with “intent behind it,” calling the decision “unsettling.”
“There was intent behind it. It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome,” Roberts told reporters Monday. “If it was intended at me, I would be — it’s pretty disrespectful.”
Dave Roberts said there was intent on Machado’s throw at their dugout
“It was unsettling… Didn’t hit me because there was a net. If it was intended at me it’s disrespectful. I don’t know his intent… The ball was directed at me with something behind it” pic.twitter.com/V2HzLTuIwC
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 8, 2024
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Roberts contradicted himself seconds later, saying, “I don’t know his intent,” though he insisted the ball was directed at him.
The World Series-winning manager said he had seen video of the incident, and video became public later Monday.
Two clips show Machado tossing the ball in the direction of the Dodgers’ dugout, but the throw appears to bounce well before it reaches the dugout. Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernandez is seen reacting angrily to the toss.
Here is video of Manny Machado throwing the ball toward the #Dodgers dugout. The ball had just been used by Yu Darvish to warm up. Kyle Higashioka’s throw to second bounced in the dirt, so Darvish received a new ball to begin the inning. #Padres pic.twitter.com/Wkf1L4Pff5
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) October 8, 2024
MLB is reviewing the video, but punishment for Machado is “unlikely,” ESPN reported.
An interesting layer to the dispute is the fact Machado actually played under Roberts for a few months in 2018. The Dodgers’ acquisition of Machado was the biggest splash made by any team at the 2018 trade deadline, and he helped get Los Angeles to the World Series before ultimately recording the final out against the Red Sox.
The Dodgers didn’t heavily pursue Machado in free agency the following offseason due to his price tag, and he instead signed with a Padres team still in the throes of a rebuild.
With the rebuild long behind them, the Padres believe this is the series where they can prove they are the team to beat in the NL West. It won’t end without some ruffled feathers on both sides.
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What did Manny Machado do?
Machado tossed a baseball in the direction of the Dodgers’ dugout before the start of an inning in Game 2 of the NLDS, bouncing the ball before it reached the dugout. Video of the throw doesn’t appear to show anything overly malicious, but Roberts called it “unsettling.”
It wasn’t the only controversial moment for Machado on Sunday, as he exchanged words with Flaherty at multiple points. During one exchange, the two appeared to challenge each other to a fight “outside” after the game.
Jack Flaherty and Manny Machado are still chirping at each other 😳 pic.twitter.com/CsCa3wqVe4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 7, 2024
After the Padres’ win, Machado accused Flaherty of intentionally hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch.
“He tried to hit our best hitter,” Machado told reporters. The exchange was just one layer of controversy in a game with many, as Padres players also got into it with Dodgers fans.
Machado and his teammates will get a much warmer reception in Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS at Petco Park, but Roberts — who played and coached in San Diego — can’t expect to receive the same reaction from what should be a raucous crowd.