The San Diego Padres won their first series of the season yesterday, and Manny Machado was busy on the basepaths.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado played soccer star on the bases yesterday, and the errant pickoff throw that kicked off his foot proved to be a key moment in the Padres’ 8-6 win against the Boston Red Sox as the Pads posted their first series win of the young season.
Machado’s kick save occurred during the fourth inning as the Padres rallied from a 4-0 deficit with a three-run rally of their own. Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez threw behind Machado to try and pick him off, but throw kicked off Machado’s foot and allowed him to move up to second, and he eventually scored on a two-run single by Nick Castellanos.
"I think I picked the wrong sport," Machado said in an ESPN report via AP. "FC should probably sign me up."
Machado is well known for some of his edgy tactics, and he’s considered public enemy #1 in Boston for his takeout slide that curtailed the career of former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that he was asked if he made the move deliberately.
"Nah, I mean, I'm trying to get out of the way," he told reporters. "It was perfect timing. ... I couldn't be better than that."
Machado wasn’t lying, exactly, but he was being at least slightly disingenuous. He did stay stationary for an extra second or two, but he managed to stay within the rules as he partially blocked first baseman Willson Contreras from trying to make a play.
Machado also owns part of a soccer team, which also fed into his entertaining back-and-forth with reporters. He used some of the cash from his big contract become a founding partner of San Diego FC, which joined MLS as an expansion team last year, according to the report.
The pickoff throw surprised him, and Machado also provided a more detailed explanation of his actions.
"Kind of got me by surprise, saw the ball coming in, trying to jump out of the way and as it came down I had perfect timing," said Machado, who also contributed a three-run homer to the cause. "You're trying to bounce up and get out of that way of that ball, you know?
"I started low, obviously. So, I'm trying to decide if I'm going to slide or not, going back into the base. And then obviously, I saw the ball coming kind of down low so I kind of jumped up in the air. As I'm coming down and kind of my foot just came in, and I obviously hit it."
Contreras was shadowing Machado on the play, which also played in the error, and that produced a comment from Padres manager Craig Stammen, whose team is now 4-5.
"He doesn't have to beat the throw, he only has to beat the first baseman," the rookie manager said. "It was just a bad throw that hit his ankle."