San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made it quite clear that he was not pleased with some things Ken Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic ahead of Tuesday’s NLDS Game 3. However, the whole team took things a step further during the game.
The Padres refused to conduct any in-game interviews with Rosenthal during Tuesday’s game, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The boycott, according to Acee, was for one game only, and the players are expected to do interviews as normal during Wednesday’s Game 4.
The team’s actions were solely directed at Rosenthal, not FOX as a whole. Tatis did a postgame interview on the field, but he did it with the in-game broadcast booth of Joe Davis and John Smoltz via headset, not with Rosenthal.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but one step at a time." 👏
Fernando Tatis Jr. caught up with Joe Davis and John Smoltz after the Padres took Game 3 of the NLDS over the Dodgers pic.twitter.com/caTTBJf8cM
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 9, 2024
The Padres’ irritation stemmed from a column Rosenthal wrote for The Athletic in which he labeled Manny Machado “punkish” for throwing a ball toward the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout during the 6th inning of Game 2. Rosenthal also referred to Tatis as a “smiling, dancing peacock,” which prompted Tatis to respond on social media.
The Padres won Wednesday’s game 6-5, leaving them one win away from eliminating the Dodgers and advancing to the NLCS. Rosenthal will be covering that series for FOX as well.
