The lasting impression of game 2 in the national league division series between the rival Dodgers and Padres was not the final score. Not the beating administered by San Diego, but the ill feeling turned in by fans and players alike at Dodger Stadium.
There’s a negative familiarity that comes with facing an opponent so many times season after season. The two teams met thirteen times in 2024 but have played one another as many as nineteen times each year. That does not include the Padres knocking the Dodgers out of the 2022 post season.
Dodger Stadium and Petko Park are separated by 122 miles. Many teams simply bus between the two ballparks when they visit Southern California, a busy traffic clogged ride up Interstate 5, that carries them past Anaheim where the Angels play.
The truth of the matter is the gap between the two is much larger than the distance mentioned. The Dodgers have an endless supply of money, enjoying both the second richest and populated home in American sports. The Padres must punch above their weight to stay in sight.
At their worst the Padres trailed the Dodgers in the NL West by 10 games and as late as July 23rd, they sat 8 1/2 games back.
The Padres got as close as two games back before settling for 2nd and a wild card spot but they look like a favourite in this series over a depleted Dodger pitching staff.
Game one of the NLDS was a tense back and forth affair. The Padres blowing 3-0 and 5-3 leads before bowing out 7-5 but bad blood was the story of game 2, on the field and in the stands.
Fernando Tatis Jr. jump started the Padres offense with a first inning homer, already his 2nd longball of the series and he would hit another.
He doubled off Dodger starter Jack Flaherty next time up and when they faced in the 5th Flaherty hit him with a pitch which did not go over well in the Padre dugout.
When Flaherty struck out Manny Machado to end the inning he shouted at the Padre third baseman to sit the f**k down, and the series was now at a fever pitch.
“He did some shit in between innings where he tries to throw a ball at our dugout, and everybody kinda catches the tail end of it, which is me and him going at it” said Flaherty.
Now there is video of the incident and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts feels it was no accident:
“There was intent behind it,” Roberts said. “It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very —it’s pretty disrespectful.
Machado had issues of his own:
“I mean, when you try to hit our best hitter, right?” “Get him out; you can’t get him out. Don’t hit him, right? I mean, we don’t go out there and we’re not—you know, they’ve got the best player in the game, right? “
We don’t go out there and try to hit Ohtani; we try to get him out, right? Don’t go out there and try to hit my guy [Fernando Tatis].”
And as the Padres piled up the runs en route to an easy 10-2 win, things got ugly in the stands as fans started to throw things at San Diego outfielders. Security was called in and the game was delayed several minutes.
Now the series moves to San Diego. The players are riled up. Dodger Stadium was unfriendly and now we see how Petko Park responds with the series tied at one game apiece.
