The San Diego Padres have commanded baseball headlines during their NLDS series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego has posted outstanding individual performances and comeback victories and has done an excellent job getting under its interstate rivals' skin.
Manny Machado has been at the forefront of much of the drama. From investigations into his conduct and questionable baserunning, he's been up to his usual playing style in the postseason.
When Boston Red Sox fans hear the name "Manny Machado," one incident comes to mind. The third baseman began his career with the Orioles, and the Sox saw him quite often in divisional matchups from 2012-17.
On April 21, 2017, Baltimore and Boston faced off at Camden Yards. In the eighth inning, Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop. Xander Bogaerts fielded the ball and tossed it to Dustin Pedroia at second base as Machado charged toward the bag.
Padres Manny Machado's villainy is not new to Red Sox fans
Machado dropped into a slide while Pedroia's foot was on the corner of the base. He lifted his top leg and jammed his spikes into Pedroia's calf. Boston's second baseman was removed from the game, but played through the rest of the season and batted .293/.369/.392. The injury changed the course of his career, though — Pedroia only played nine more games between the 2018-19 seasons and underwent multiple surgeries, including a partial knee replacement, that will affect him for the rest of his life.
Just this postseason, Machado has claimed headlines for an unexpectedly hard throw into the Dodgers' dugout and for questionable baserunning ethics. MLB determined that LA manager Dave Roberts wasn't in any real danger after Machado's toss into its dugout, but there was more zip on the throw than needed. The Dodgers haven't helped — if anything, they've fueled the Padres' and Machado's antics with their complaints.
The Dodgers seem en route to yet another playoff choke job. If the Padres advance, Red Sox fans can only hope Machado and Co. are humbled by the Mets or Phillies in the NLCS.