A video has surfaced that shows San Diego Padres star Manny Machado throwing a ball toward the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout on Sunday night, and it appears to show that some of the narrative surrounding the drama was a bit exaggerated.
The Dodgers and Padres had a very heated contest Sunday in Game 2 of their NLDS matchup at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Tension seemed to bubble up early when Jurickson Profar taunted Dodgers fans after robbing Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning. Later in the game, some fans began throwing things at Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Then came reports that Machado pulled a disrespectful move during the 6th inning by throwing a ball toward the Dodgers’ dugout. We now have video of that throw, which was more of a ground ball and did not have much behind it. The ball rolled into the dugout so weakly that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not even notice or look up from what he was doing.
Manny Machado’s throw toward the Dodgers dugout that Dave Roberts described as “unsettling” and “disrespectful” pic.twitter.com/djkGAPNh8p
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 8, 2024
The stunt from Machado sparked a heated exchange between him and Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. Machado told reporters he was chirping at Flaherty because the pitcher hit Tatis in the top of the 6th inning. Tatis had gone 2-for-2 with a home run and a double off of Flaherty prior to that.
After his team’s 10-2 loss to the Padres, Roberts was asked about Machado throwing a ball toward the Dodgers’ dugout. The manager was convinced the ball was directed at him and called the situation “unsettling.” You can listen to Roberts’ full remarks here.
At most, Machado was trying to get someone’s attention in L.A.’s dugout. It might be fair to call the stunt disrespectful, but the video shows that Machado did not endanger anyone or fire a ball at Roberts.
The Padres will host the Dodgers on Tuesday night with the NLDS series tied 1-1.
