San Diego Padres Banned Veteran Baseball Reporter From Dugout During Game 3 of NLDS

The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday night, and they did so as they refused to speak to Fox Sports Broadcaster Ken Rosenthal.

Fox sports reporter Ken Rosenthal looks on before game one of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2023. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres reportedly banned Fox Sports Baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal from their dugout for Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday.

Kevin Acee of San Diego Union Tribune confirmed that the Padres were unhappy with something Rosenthal had written as part of his work for 'The Athletic:' They did not participate in in-game interviews with Rosenthal, which is a normal part of a broadcast.

Per Acee:

That would be a column written by Ken Rosenthal for The Athletic, which is one of his employers. (The other employer is Fox, for which he does sideline reporting in the regular season and during the postseason.) In the column, he used the word “punkish” to describe Machado’s actions and referred to Tatis as a “smiling, dancing peacock.”

The Padres, suffice it to say, were not pleased with Rosenthal’s brand of journalism. The team did not conduct the usual in-game interviews with him on Fox last night. It was a one-game boycott, and those interviews are expected to resume tonight.

The Padres appeared to have been motivated by Rosenthal's words, coming out and scoring six runs in the second inning en route to a 6-5 win at Petco Park. Tatis Jr. hit another home run himself as he continues his historic postseason.

highest OPS in first 5 games of a single postseason, min 20 PA:

2015 Colby Rasmus: 2.095
2024 Fernando Tatis Jr.: 1.970
2007 David Ortiz: 1.936
2020 Randy Arozarena: 1.886

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 9, 2024

The Padres now have a 2-1 series lead against the Dodgers and are one win away from a trip to the NLCS. The Padres haven't been to the NLCS since 2022. They are looking to eliminate the Dodgers for the second time in three years. Los Angeles is looking to force a Game 5, which would be Friday night in LA.

Game 4 is Wednesday with first pitch coming at 9:08 p.m. ET. Dylan Cease will pitch for San Diego while the Dodgers use a bullpen game.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.