Manny Machado Reveals How Incident With Dodgers Fans Fired Up Padres to Win Game 2

Ricardo Sandoval | Oct 8, 2024

Oct 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) attempts to throw to first against Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman (25) in the eighth inning during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres tied the National League Division Series on Sunday in a significant way. The Padres are now tied 1-1 with their division rival in the series, the Los Angeles Dodgers, after their massive win, 10-2. 

The Padres led the entire way, and the offense got especially hot in the later innings. In the eighth and ninth innings, the Padres scored six runs on four home runs thanks to Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Kyle Higashioka, and Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit his second home run of the game in the ninth inning. 

The Padres offense exploded to capture the victory, and it could all be traced back to the delay in the seventh inning after fans threw objects on the field. Machado said that incident fired up his team in Game 2. 

"I mean, we scored, what, six runs after that? Five? Four? I don't know," Padres third baseman Manny Machado said with a grin. "It was six? Yeah, maybe it fired us up."

Padres manager Mike Shildt and Tatis shared that sentiment to the media after the win. 

“We don’t need 50,000 people yelling and throwing stuff at us to prove anything,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “But it does prove this group is going to be together and is not going to back down.”

“It’s definitely wild out here,” Tatis said. “But at the same time, it’s a good environment for baseball.”

The Padres battled through adversity and 50,000-plus against them all night long. Still, they delivered when it mattered most. They will now look to win their next two home games to move on and defeat their rivals like they did two years ago. As for the Dodgers, they have a ton of soul-searching to do. 

They looked flat as a drum and will look to take advantage of batting first, something the Padres did in the first two games. The Padres will have right-handed ace Michael King on the mound for Game 3 and will look to continue his dominance over Los Angeles. 

He has recorded a 2-0 record in five appearances with a 2.82 ERA, 26 strikeouts, seven earned runs, and five home runs in 22.1 innings. 

King will go up against Walker Buehler, who has struggled all season long with a 1-6 record, 5.38 ERA, 645 strikeouts, and a 1.55 WHIP in 16 starts in his first year back from his second Tommy John surgery. 

More Padres: Dylan Cease Hoping to Get Another Chance to Redeem Himself in NLDS