A lot went wrong during the Boston Red Sox's series loss to the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Boston made three errors in the series, struck out 26 times and on April 5 blew a four-run lead. In doing so, Red Sox fans gained another reason to despise Manny Machado (as if anyone needed more).
In the fourth inning with Ranger Suárez on the mound, Machado on first base and another runner on second, Carlos Narváez attempted a pickoff. His throw to first base is low and probably wouldn't have been successful, but Machado made sure it wasn't.
As he made his way back to first base to avoid being picked off, Machado kicked Narváez's low throw into foul territory, which allowed the runners on base to advance to second and third base. But Machado should've been ruled out the moment he touched the ball, as any unfielded ball that hits a baserunner is supposed to be ruled dead and the batter sent back to the dugout.
After the play, Contreras spoke to the first base umpire to make his case that Machado kicked the ball on purpose, but nothing came of it. Alex Cora didn't argue, and nobody made a scene over the clearly illegal action, which would've crushed the Padres' rally in its tracks.
Red Sox make no argument after Manny Machado's clear dirty play helps Padres beat Boston at home
Willson Contreras tried telling the umpire that Manny Machado intentionally kicked this ball into foul territory pic.twitter.com/2vOfKBYdqq
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 5, 2026
Boston's inaction on a play like this is inexcusable, and it's not the first time the Red Sox have been caught asleep at the wheel this season. During Brayan Bello's first start against the Houston Astros, the home plate umpire lost track of the count and despite the batter taking three clear swing and misses, he ended up walking because no one on the Red Sox's side was paying attention.
After the game, Machado attested that he didn't kick the ball on purpose, despite very clearly positioning his spikes to knock it away from Contreras. He even paused in the middle of a stride to ensure that he'd get his foot on the ball in just the right spot. MLB might believe Machado's excuses, but Red Sox fans are familiar with Machado's baserunning antics, and he'll never be forgiven for starting the premature end of Dustin Pedroia's career in 2017.
Machado should've been out and the Red Sox should've made a scene about it. Their 2-7 record is the worst in MLB after a disastrous start to the 2026 season and they showed absolutely no fight against a clear display of dishonest baseball.
Machado's dirty kick wasn't the sole reason Boston lost its third series of the season, but it's complete lack of awareness and fight are a larger symptom of many of the Red Sox's other issues. Boston could've beaten San Diego and left its first home series of the season on a high note, but it got in its own way at every turn.