In a revealing statement on Monday, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his belief that San Diego Padres third baseman, Manny Machado, threw a baseball at him between innings of Game 2 of the NLDS. This incident added yet another layer to the emotion-filled debacle in San Diego’s victory, which evened the series at 1-1. 

Roberts’ comments highlighted the intensity of the rivalry, underscoring how charged the atmosphere has become. In a postgame chat after Game 2 of the NLDS, Dave Roberts opened up about his feelings regarding a moment that clearly got under his skin. He revealed that he felt unsettled after catching a video of Manny Machado hurling a ball toward the Dodgers’ dugout. 

Dave Roberts calls out the disrespectful throw 

In the postgame interview, Dave Roberts discussed the unsettling moment involving Manny Machado throwing a ball in his direction. He admitted he didn’t notice it during the game, saying, “Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net.”

While the net spared him, Roberts acknowledged that if the action was intentional, it was disrespectful. “I really didn’t. I didn’t notice it. I did see the video. And it was unsettling…If it was intended at me, I would be very—it’s pretty disrespectful.” Roberts added. His past relationship with Machado added complexity, but he chose not to speculate on the Padres’ captain’s intent.  

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Jack Flaherty and Machado both addressed reporters after the game, shedding light on their heated exchange. Machado was clear about his feelings, stating it stemmed from Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch. “When you try to hit our best hitter, get him out. You can’t get him out, don’t hit him, right?” Machado said. “They got the best player in the game, right? (Shohei) Ohtani. We don’t go out there and try to hit Ohtani. We try to get him, right? Don’t go out there and try to hit my guy.”

Flaherty responded by insisting the hit was unintentional, explaining that he was frustrated over the earlier incident. “He did some s–t between innings where he throws the ball at our dugout, and everybody kind of catches the tail end of it, which is me and him going at it,” he said. Looks like the Sunday game brought quite some show with it.

Sunday’s Game 2 saw its share of drama

The series opened off with a heated atmosphere. Before the whole Roberts debacle, Dodgers supporters started hurling things onto the field toward outfielders Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr., which caused the game to be delayed. This demonstrated that the rivalry is still very much alive and strong and just intensified the already tense atmosphere.

The series’ first few games have been thrilling. Shohei Ohtani‘s three-run home run helped Los Angeles win the first game. But the Padres recovered with a commanding 10-2 victory on Sunday. Six home runs were launched by San Diego in an offensive frenzy. David Peralta, Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, and Kyle Higashioka each scored one, with Tatis hitting two of them.

Manny Machado has been in the thick of things in this rivalry, with no shortage of storylines. When the series moves to San Diego for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, tensions are sure to be high. This intense rivalry in the National League West is looking like it will continue to be an intriguing contest!