San Diego Padres star Manny Machado is no stranger to making headlines. He is brash, aggressive and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
That is precisely what happened during Game 2 of the NLDS on Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, it earned him call outs from two different stars: Mookie Betts and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Following an impressive sequence of events where Cody Bellinger robbed Fernando Tatis Jr. of a go-ahead two-run homer, pitcher Brusdar Graterol got really excited. He tossed his glove towards the Dodgers dugout and displayed visible joy.
Here was Brusdar Graterol’s reaction to Cody Bellinger robbing Tatis Jr. of a home run. . pic.twitter.com/1RpWrGZcQo
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 8, 2020
That irked Machado – so much so that he exchanged words with the 22-year-old right hander.
Manny Machado didn’t appreciate Brusdar Graterol throwing his glove after the Cody catch.
Graterol waved and blew him a kiss 😂 pic.twitter.com/d2kytue5Xz
— SB Nation (@SBNation) October 8, 2020
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained what transpired after the game.
“Obviously it’s a big play,” he said.
“We all know Brusdar is very emotional, and he just kind of was caught up in the moment and was really celebrating Cody’s play. Manny took exception to it, and that was it.”
What makes the entire the situation all the more odd is that Machado loves to over-celebrate things. So much so that he actually did it in that very game.
Following a home run, he tossed his bat in dramatic, emphatic fashion. It was no less a celebration than what Graterol did.
This Manny Machado bat flip 😤
(via @Padres)pic.twitter.com/pSJiGqZ6lm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 8, 2020
After the outing, Betts observed this much.
“When he hit his home run he threw the bat,” he said.
“Then we take one away, we can celebrate too. So there’s gotta be two sides to it.”
What a disaster. https://t.co/tphwAW3zww
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 7, 2020
Rodriguez, currently a Boston Red Sox pitcher, also pointed out the hypocrisy.
“So you can hit balls in to the moon and almost dance at play why the pitcher can do wherever they want after they get you out if you call it lets the kids play is about everybody not just let the hitters play right ‘you do it I do it” I think,’” he tweeted.
Yikes Tyler Herro. https://t.co/LX84mxEocZ
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 7, 2020
All in all, Machado is unlikely to take the criticism to heart. He isn’t built that way. Plus, his frustration is somewhat understandable – the Padres are in a 0-2 hole to the Dodgers and his season is about to end abruptly.
Game 3 between LA and San Diego is scheduled for 6:08 pm PT Thursday, and will air on MLB Network.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
