Tag: Manny Machado

Manny Machado used the savviest base running to legally block Freddie Freeman’s throw in Game 3

Yes, Machado was allowed to do that.

The San Diego Padres head into Wednesday’s Game 4 needing just one more win to eliminate their NL West rival Dodgers, and if they pull it off, it’ll be difficult to overlook that six-run second inning in Game 3.

One move, in particular, from Manny Machado started it all and left Dodgers fans crying foul.

After Machado led off that second inning with a single, Jackson Merrill’s grounder to Freddie Freeman at first base very well could have led to a fielder’s choice out at second. But some savvy base running from Machado sent the inning into a spiral for the Dodgers.

Machado knew where Freeman fielded the ball, so in a veteran move, he took a dramatically inside path to second base. At one point, Machado was even running in the infield grass. Now, it reasonably looked like an illegal play, but what Machado did there was within his right as a base runner.

According to MLB rules, an established base path exists between home and first base. Other than that, the base runner establishes his base path while advancing to the other bases. If he’s not deviating from that path to avoid a tag or intentionally blocking a throw, then the runner can take an inside route if he chooses. Machado didn’t intentionally block a throw either since his path was established before Freeman even threw the ball.

Dodgers fans weren’t happy about it, but Machado’s play was within the rules — and may have flipped the series.

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Video of Manny Machado’s throw to Dodgers dugout that Dave Roberts called ‘unsettling’ had MLB fans so confused

Someone should check on the Dodgers.

The Dodgers and Padres didn’t need Sunday night’s Game 2 to add to an already-heated NL West rivalry, but it’s certainly playing out that way.

We already saw as tempers flared when Dodgers fans threw baseballs and other items in the direction of Padres players on Sunday. Yet, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took exception with one throw in particular from Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

Speaking to reporters, Roberts called out Machado for throwing a baseball at the Dodgers dugout, calling the toss “unsettling” and wondering if Machado intended to hit him specifically with the throw. But by how Roberts described the incident, you would have expected a blatant throw on the line.

That wasn’t what the footage showed, though.

Machado did direct a baseball toward the Dodgers dugout, but the throw was on multiple bounces and seemed intended for the ball boy. And sure, it’s common courtesy to throw the warm-up baseballs towards your own dugout, but Machado clearly just bounced the throw. It wasn’t going to hurt anyone, and Roberts didn’t even notice it until Teoscar Hernández started shouting at the Padres third baseman.

The entire controversy had fans so confused after seeing the footage.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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A Padres fan shocked Manny Machado by trying to celebrate his walk-off with him on the field

YIKES.

This is a little wild, to say the least.

Manny Machado had just hit a game-winning home run to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, a walk-off dinger off Paul Sewald that sent the crowd at Petco Park into a frenzy.

It was an awesome moment (see below), but as Machado was celebrating with his teammates, a fan jumped into the group and it took a second for the Padres star to react with surprise. The fan was immediately taken down, and everyone was safe, but WOW.

Here it is, along with the game-winning dinger that left Machado smiling even after all that:

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The 20 top selling MLB jerseys in 2023

Which player topped the list of MLB jersey sales in 2023?

When the calendar flips to October, it means one thing for many sports fans: playoff baseball.

Major League Baseball’s postseason is in full swing. It’s once again time for history to be written on the diamond and showcase the game’s biggest stars shining their brightest.

At the end of every regular season, the MLB releases the top-selling jerseys from that season.

Unsurprisingly, the list contains plenty of playoff contenders, a multitude of MVP candidates and simply some of the best baseball players on the planet

Check out the full list below, and grab a jersey to support your favorite player as the remaining lucky few march on towards the 2023 World Series.

Manny Machado’s tag that wasn’t in extra innings sums up the Padres’ disappointing season

The Padres might really be cursed.

The San Diego Padres were supposed to be a powerhouse. They were supposed to be a team everyone in the National League feared. Instead, with just about two months left in the regular season, the Padres are three games under .500 and five games out of a Wild Card berth.

As San Diego battled the Colorado Rockies on Monday, a third-base non-tag by Manny Machado summed up the Padres’ woes all year.

When Colorado’s Elehuris Montero tried to take third base in extra innings, Machado laid down a seemingly perfect tag for the out. Except Montero knocked the ball out of Machado’s glove, putting him in scoring position and the Rockies on the verge of an eventual 4-3 upset win.

To be fair to Machado, Montero would eventually be thrown out at home. But not getting the out earlier only extended the proceedings, leading to a game-winning sac-fly from Ryan McMahon.

It’s hard to blame Machado for an unpredictable turn of events. That is a routine play he has made countless times. But such bad luck sums up how the Padres have played all year and why they continue to be a disappointment.

Lip readers guessed what Manny Machado yelled at an MLB ump to get himself ejected

Some NSFW language will almost always get you ejected!

It was a rough afternoon for the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

Not only did their bullpen surrender seven runs to the rival Arizona Diamondbacks in an 8-6 loss, one of the team’s faces, Manny Machado, had a rough-and-tumble exchange with an umpire. He didn’t appreciate a pitch clock violation and got himself ejected over it.

Machado’s ejection made him the first player in MLB history to get thrown out of a game for disputing an issue with the pitch clock. Naturally, with something like that on the line, fans wanted to know what Machado could’ve possibly said in a heated exchange.

Some already had their guesses, and not all are for the faint of the heart.

(Warning: NSFW language in the tweet and video caption below.)

With it being impossible to confirm precisely what Machado told this ump, MLB fans had their guesses about his words.

(Warning: NSFW guesses also in the tweets below.)

A frustrated Manny Machado became the first MLB player to get ejected over a clock violation

The MLB rules are going just great.

With the new MLB rules, players knew they were going to need to make adjustments — particularly when it comes to a hitter’s at-bat routine. The days of adjusting batting gloves for 20 seconds are over, and Manny Machado learned that the hard way on Tuesday.

The Padres star was ejected during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks after he was initially called for a clock violation and automatic third strike. The new MLB rules require hitters to be in the box and alert to the pitch by the eight-second mark. Replays showed that Machado was adjusting his batting gloves before attempting to call time right at eight seconds.

As home plate umpire Ron Kulpa tried to explain to Machado that the timeout wasn’t signaled in time (clock already showed eight seconds when the hand raised), manager Bob Melvin came out from the dugout in an attempt to cool down Machado.

By then, it was too late. Machado had choice words for Kulpa who quickly signaled the ejection.

But hey, if you’re going to get ejected, at least make it meaningful. Machado made history as the first player to get ejected over the pitch clock in the regular season.

Manny Machado made a little MLB spring training history with a pitch clock violation and he had the best reaction to it

Going to have to speed things up a bit, Manny.

Rules are rules, y’all. But sometimes, rules kind of suck.

That’s probably what Manny Machado is thinking right now. He became the first player to fall victim to one of baseball’s newest rules.

The pitch clock got him, folks.

Baseball has added a pitch clock — along with 5 other new rules — to its game this season. The clock was added in hopes of speeding the game up. Pitchers only have a set amount of time to actually make their pitch now.

Obviously, batters are a huge part of that. They have to be prepared and ready to take the pitch. As part of the new rules, so they don’t slow the pitcher down, the batter has to be ready and engaged with the pitcher in the first 8 seconds of the clock or else they’ll be handed a strike.

Guess who wasn’t ready within the first 8 seconds? Manny. Machado. 

The umpire pointed down to his watch to signal that Machado took too long and then he handed him a strike. He found himself down 0-1 in the at-bat. He made up for it by hitting a single, but this was just kind of bizarre to watch. Not because it’s a bad rule, but because it’s so new.

Machado’s reaction to his violation was priceless, too. He was asked about being the first to be called for the violation and he let us know this absolutely will not be the last time.

“I’m going to have to make a big adjustment. I might be 0-1 down a lot this year, man. It’s super fast. It’s definitely adjustment period there’s going to be. But I went down in the history books.” 

Great answer, Manny. Probably not the history anyone wants to be known for, but he certainly won’t be the only one for very long.

It’s going to be a weird season, y’all. Buckle in.

Manny Machado had the cheekiest reaction after Joe Musgrove’s ear was checked for illegal substances

Just Manny Machado things!

Joe Musgrove’s ears were the center of attention on Sunday during Game 3 of the NL Wild Card between the New York Mets and San Diego Padres.

Amidst Musgrove’s stunning Game 3 performance, MLB fans and Mets manager Buck Showalter were becoming increasingly paranoid about the pitcher’s unusually shiny ears. So much so that Showalter had the umpires check Musgrove’s ears for illegal substances in the sixth inning with the Padres up 4-0.

Musgrove — and his brilliantly shiny (and likely sweaty) ears — were eventually cleared by the umpires as the pitcher was allowed to continue on the mound. After the hilariously strange affair, Manny Machado had the most cheeky, on point reaction to seeing Musgrove’s ears caressed by the umpires.

Just Machado doing Machado things!

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Manny Machado was so mad after an Angel Hernandez call overturned a hit by pitch

Angel Hernandez might have gotten this call right, actually!

On the long, long list of bad Angel Hernandez calls that we’ve seen over the years, this one was far from the worst. Heck, it might have even been … the right one?

But it still made Manny Machado mad, and that’s noteworthy.

Here’s the situation from Sunday’s eventual New York Mets win over the San Diego Padres: In the sixth inning,  Drew Smith threw a pitch that came inside on Machado. As he took what might have been a check swing — the ball hit him in the elbow. The home plate umpire sent him to first … but the call from the first-base ump was that he swung. And that meant it was strike three.

That first base ump? You guessed it. Angel Hernandez. But I actually think he might have gotten the call right?

Machado was then seen in the dugout smashing something, pretty heated at the call: