The atmosphere was already charged up at the NLDS Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Dodgers had won the previous game, and San Diego wanted to ace it this time. But the game was anything but easy, and no it’s not Shohei Ohtani who poised as the major thorn, but the Dodgers fans who created a ruckus. The tension started building up when Jurickson Profar took a great catch, robbing Mookie Betts of a home run, which led to heated reactions from Dodgers fans. 

There were heated arguments between Profar and the fans. Then, in the sixth inning, the drama between Fernando Tatis Jr and Jack Flaherty took center stage. And a shouting action between Machado and Flaherty also added more charge to the atmosphere. If you thought things were done here, the seventh inning took things in a more chaotic turn. Fans threw baseball and even trash on the field, and this is when Manny Machado had to step up and take a leadership role. 

Manny Machado takes charge of the San Diego Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers fans were riled up, but they revolted in what many called an ‘uncool’ fashion. The game had to be paused after the fans started throwing trash and balls in Profar’s direction. Profar reacted later, saying, “I was upset — you can hurt someone.” And then, the fans even reacted the same way towards Fernando Tatis Jr. So, Manny Machado stepped into a leadership role and called a team meeting to refocus his players. “Just stay focused on what we need to do and accomplish,” was the message shared by Machado later, and Derek Jeter lauded Machado for his role.

Derek Jeter, during his FOX show, said, “He’s in a leadership position with this team; he’s one of the veterans. It’s not just about calling a team meeting; it’s about when you call it. I think he called the meeting because, at that particular moment, emotions could have elevated, and you need to make sure everyone stays calm and thinks about the big picture.” The larger picture which Jeter said is not only winning this game but also moving on and winning some games when they get back home in San Diego.

Well, the players listened to Machado and channeled their emotions into playing their best on the field. The meeting was crucial as it helped calm the nerves of the members and finish strong. After they returned from the short meeting, the Padres took charge and cruised to a 10-2 win, making the series even with the Dodgers at 1-1. 

Manny Machado’s true feelings for in-game drama with Jack Flaherty

While fans throwing things was surely a notable incident. There was another incident in the sixth innings when things got more heated up between the two teams. Jack Flaherty beaned Tatis Jr. right after his run-in with Machado, which got him even more fired up. After Flaherty retired Manny Machado, he sent some F-bombs as a parting gift for his opponent. But Machado, being the veteran, chose to not answer then but later talked about his feelings about the ordeal.

After the game, Manny Machado, talking about the NSFW words hurled at him, said, “He won the battle… It’s a lot of emotions going through the game… The emotions run through the postseason and that’s what the beauty of this is. I don’t think this is the end of it.” Sadly, though Machado hit a two-run homer in the first game, he struggled in this game and went hitless. 

But the Padres still made history that day, scoring six home runs, the most runs a team achieved in a road playoff game. Tatis was a standout player and so were Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, David Peralta, and Kyle Higashioka each added to the scoreboard. Of course pitcher, Yu Darvish silenced Shohei Ohtani and allowed one run over seven innings – and they won the game.

Now, it remains to see if the Dodgers will come back for the next game, with added zeal. We can imagine that situations are charged in both houses; what do you think? Let us know.