This wasn’t a rivalry. Not for years. Not for many years, in truth.
It seems to lastly be all the way in which there now, although.
Although shut in geographic proximity, it will’ve been laughable to name the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres rivals not so way back. In an effort to be a real rivalry, the groups do not essentially should be on even footing, but it surely’s gotta be inside the ballpark. The Padres have been little brother to the Dodgers’ large brother and it wasn’t significantly shut. The divide was simply too huge to name it a legit rivalry for thus lengthy.
The 2024 NLDS — which the Padres lead 2-1 after Tuesday evening’s Sport 3 win — is a continuation of the footing getting nearer and nearer these final a number of years, to the purpose that it is truthful to name this a rivalry from the place I sit. The Padres are actually one win away from eliminating the NL West-champion Dodgers within the NLDS spherical for the second time in three seasons.
It is extra than simply the outcomes. Watch all of the reactions from the gamers. They’re deeply concerned on this rivalry. Either side.
Watch Fernando Tatis Jr. stylin’ and profilin’ …
After which watch Teoscar Hernández match him:
Sure, gamers today come near dwelling run celebrations like that, however there was further juice behind these.
Any good playoff rivalry accommodates beef (as a basic rule of thumb: Beef makes issues higher nearly on a regular basis). It has been apparent for these first three video games that now we have some right here on this Padres-Dodgers bout.
Take Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts getting near saying they’re the nice guys and the Padres are the heels.
“Clearly that workforce over there, they just like the villain-type form of function they usually feed off of that,” he stated earlier than Sport 3.
I discovered that one fascinating as a result of often the highest workforce is the villain whereas the underdog is form of solid within the “hero” function. Many high groups embrace the function of villain. I can not assist however assume again a number of a long time to the Purple Sox facet suggestion that the Yankees have been the “Evil Empire” and the Yankees’ complete fan base embracing such a moniker. Roberts’ stance is innocent and doubtless irrelevant, however I discovered it fascinating in wanting on the large image right here. The principle occasion was clearly the now-infamous throw by Manny Machado in Sport 2.
Roberts and a number of other of his Dodgers gamers thought Machado threw a ball at Roberts on objective.
“It was unsettling,” Roberts stated. “Clearly I’ve a relationship with Manny from years previous. There was intent behind it. It did not nearly hit me as a result of there was a web. And that was very bothersome. If it was supposed at me, I might be very — it is fairly disrespectful. So I do not know his intent. I do not wish to communicate for him. However I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with one thing behind it.”
Padres supervisor Mike Shildt responded to a query relating to whether or not or not Machado threw the ball at Roberts on objective.
“I do not wish to solid stones,” he stated. “I am simply not. The reply to your query is not any. I do not assume there was any intent in any respect with that.
“Manny has distinctive arm expertise. I believe he proved that on the triple play.”
The slight dig on the finish there was good, proper? If Manny needed to hit you, he’d have hit you.
There may be, after all, the likelihood that Machado meant to throw a one hopper off the online shut sufficient to Roberts to piss the Dodgers off whereas concurrently making it sufficient of a non-threat to provide himself deniability. However did he actually assume via all that or simply toss the ball to the facet, because it was a discarded baseball?
I’ve a straightforward reply: Who cares?
It is good to see just a little contentiousness right here in a playoff collection. You aren’t getting a ton of pure hatred in professional sports activities today — excluding fan bases, clearly — as a result of so many gamers have been teammates sooner or later. So a lot of them are pleasant with each other, so natural disdain between groups is hard to return by.
There’s at the very least the looks of contempt between the 2 sides on this collection and that is excellent theater for sports activities followers.
The roots right here began in 2019, I believe. Machado had spent the second half of 2018 with the Dodgers they usually made a run to the World Sequence that yr, dropping to the Purple Sox. He did not hit nicely within the World Sequence, made the ultimate out after which departed through free company. He signed a monster contract with the Padres. The Padres additionally debuted uber-talented Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2019.
After all, the Dodgers have been in the midst of a run the place they’ve received 11 of the final 12 NL West titles. The one time they did not win the division, they received 106 video games. The Padres in 2019 went 70-92 and that was their ninth straight dropping season.
Once more, that is no rivalry. The Padres have been a punchline to Dodgers’ followers and doubtless even to the Dodgers themselves, although they would not probably say as a lot publicly.
Within the 2020 season, “Slam Diego” caught hearth through the 60-game season, and the Padres regarded like a drive to be reckoned with. The Dodgers swept them within the NLDS after which the Padres fell aside in 2021, going 79-83.
In 2022, the Padres traded for Juan Soto and made the playoffs. However additionally they went 5-14 towards the mighty, 111-win Dodgers. The Dodgers received Sport 1 of the NLDS and it was simply extra of the identical. However then, the Padres received three straight video games, together with a clinching Sport 4 the place they have been down 3-0 within the backside of the seventh however scored 5 runs to steal the sport and collection.
After all, the Padres took an enormous step again in 2023. Then they have been solely 50-50 via 100 video games this season. Large Brother was nonetheless in management and we could not actually name it a rivalry.
Issues have modified since.
The Padres have been one of the best workforce in baseball within the second half this yr. The Dodgers have been second. The Dodgers received the NL West, after all, however the Padres received the season collection, eight video games to 5.
The Padres are nonetheless “little brother” right here, to be clear, however they’ve been slowly closing the hole and it is getting beneath the pores and skin of the Dodgers.
It is not simply Roberts. Right here is veteran Dodgers slugger Max Muncy discussing San Diego.
“The ambiance right here performs off their emotion,” Muncy stated. “And we have seen that for the final a number of years, even in common season video games. Simply one thing so simple as a single and also you see the man throwing the bat 30 ft within the air, that actually will get the group going right here.
“That’s form of a part of their sport is making an attempt to get beneath your pores and skin and making an attempt to have the emotion come out and get you to do one thing that you just’re not usually doing.”
Jack Flaherty is new to this rivalry, however did you see him screaming at Machado in Sport 2?
There was extra between the 2 of them.
Take notice that Machado is giving it again. It most definitely isn’t just the Dodgers chirping right here. The Padres don’t remotely seem intimidated by the massive, unhealthy Dodgers. Why would there be? They bounced them in 2022 and received the season collection in 2024. Now they lead the NLDS, two video games to at least one.
There was additionally Jurickson Profar trolling Dodgers followers — and, nicely, everybody watching — together with his theft of a would-be Mookie Betts dwelling run within the first inning of Sport 2.
How surreal was it when Mookie Betts hit a house run in Sport 3 to mainly the identical spot, in Petco Park this time, solely to have it look of Profar’s glove?
Once more, that is all such wonderful theater.
It is too unhealthy that is solely the NLDS and never the NLCS or, in an alternate universe, the World Sequence.
One thing we are able to begin calling it, although, is a rivalry. I believe we’re secure there. The vitriol we have seen this collection along with the rising menace the Padres are to the Dodgers makes it one.
