Manny Machado and the Boston Red Sox have a contentious history, and relief pitcher Matt Barnes says that will not be forgotten with the two teams squaring off in the World Series this week.
When Machado was with the Baltimore Orioles last season, he injured Dustin Pedroia on a slide into second base that many felt was dirty and deliberate. Pedroia hasn’t really been right since, and Barnes said Monday that he and his teammates have kept it in mind.
“You’re talking about a play in which Pedey still hasn’t played since then, really,” the pitcher said, per Chris Mason of The Eagle Tribune. “When you take out a captain, a leader of a team, that’s not going to sit well with anybody. It kind of is what it is. You move on. I don’t see anything happening, I really don’t, but it doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten about it.”
Machado was brushed back on a pitch from Chris Sale a few weeks after the incident with Pedroia, and he went on a profanity-laced rant ripping the Red Sox organization. However, there are plenty of people outside of Boston who feel he’s a dirty player.
In the NLCS, Machado nearly injured a Milwaukee Brewers player when he intentionally dragged his leg across the bag while running through first base. Brewers star Christian Yelich later called the play a “dirty play from a dirty player,” and Barnes seemed to agree.
“It just kind of seems like it’s a trend,” he said. “But our job is to go win a World Series. Everything aside, that’s it. I think the sweetest revenge would be to win a World Series and celebrate with them watching.”
It would be a surprise if a Red Sox pitcher threw at Machado intentionally with so much on the line in the World Series, but the storyline will certainly be worth watching.
