Manny Machado had one of those nights at Dodger Stadium that manages to be both charming and irritating, depending on where you were sitting.
The Padres and Dodgers split the first two games of this week’s series, and with the possibility of a playoff rematch hanging over everything, Wednesday felt like a small preview of what October could bring. But the biggest storyline wasn’t just the game itself. It was Machado, who spent part of the night winning over Dodgers fans before turning around and beating them on the field.
Before the game, Machado was signing autographs for young Dodgers fans at Dodger Stadium. It fit the image he can project so well in public: smiling, shaking hands, laughing, looking every bit the polished face of the Padres. At the same time, anyone who has followed Machado and the Padres knows there’s another side to the story, and that’s part of why he can be such an easy player to root against.
Then came the baseball.
Machado opened the scoring for San Diego with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and the Padres never looked back. He added a sacrifice fly in the next inning, turning in the kind of night that leaves him squarely at the center of the conversation. After the game, Machado said he ended up giving his batting gloves to a fan after making a promise during the game.
According to a post from David Vassegh, a young fan behind home plate asked Machado for his batting gloves, and Machado told him he would hand them over if he hit a home run. He did, and the kid got the gloves.
It was a cool moment, even if it came from a player whose reputation makes every gesture feel a little more complicated than it should. And if the Dodgers and Padres do meet again in the playoffs, the tone figures to change fast. The friendly exchanges probably won’t last long once October starts.
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