Rosenthal: The ‘Sinister Sling’ and the masses of Manny Machado

Yes, I said it, right there on national television.

During Fox Sports’ Sunday night broadcast of Game 2 of the Division Series, I talked about an emotional meeting Manny Machado led in the dugout of the San Diego Padres. The party followed a tumultuous seventh inning in which Dodger Stadium fans threw baseballs and beer cans onto the field.

“Manny Machado has taken a lot of criticism in his career,” I said. ‘Because you’re too relaxed. For occasional dirty play. Because you’re the kind of player you don’t want to build around. What we saw in that dugout tonight, in that meeting, was the most visible and powerful act of leadership of his career. He is now 32. Clearly a different man.”

Ah, if I only knew then what we learned after the game and during Monday’s practice at Petco Park. That Machado threw a ball into the Dodgers dugout. That it hit the net in front of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. That the throw was powerful enough to make the carom towards home plate.

Two things can be true. Indeed, Machado showed leadership in the dugout, putting his arm around catcher Kyle Higashioka and imploring his teammates to keep their focus. But his punkish response to Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty hitting Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a sinker at 90 miles per hour, well, that was Manny being Manny. Again.

Manny Machado talks to the umpires during the sixth inning of Sunday’s controversial Game 2 of the NLDS between the Padres and Dodgers. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Flaherty almost certainly didn’t hit Tatis intentionally to open the sixth inning, not with the Dodgers trailing 3-1. Yet after the match, Machado almost willingly indicated that his action was retaliation. When he heard the Dodgers thought he threw the ball hard, he said The Athletics“Did Flaherty throw the ball hard to our man?”

Perhaps only Machado could explain how the two actions are related. But as furious as the Dodgers were — and are — they don’t even believe Machado actually tried to hit Roberts. Although Roberts called the third baseman’s act “disturbing and disrespectful,” several Dodgers people said they believed Machado wanted to send a message to their team and not cause injuries.

Still, Machado’s stunt was inappropriate and not particularly clever. The Athletics viewed video of the incident that is clearer and separate from what is currently in the public domain. Third base umpire Tripp Gibson approached Machado shortly after his Sinister Sling. If Gibson had sent Machado packing, it would have been an overreaction. But if the benches had been vacant, Machado would almost certainly have been thrown out for being an instigator. Kicked out of a postseason game where his team had a three-point lead but was trailing in the series.

The Dodgers have submitted a video for review by Major League Baseball, but no one should hold their breath waiting for disciplinary action. Machado’s throw didn’t hit anyone, giving him plausible deniability. The bigger question may be whether the Dodgers will get revenge on Machado on Tuesday night in Game 3. At the Padres’ home park. Fans annoyed by the indefensible behavior of some of their Dodgers counterparts are sure to panic Sunday night. Good luck with that.

At this point, one thing seems clear: the Padres aren’t just a great team. They’re also on the Dodgers’ minds. Teams often adopt the personalities of their leaders. As leader of the Padres, Machado is perfectly willing to engage in behavior that some may consider unseemly, and he makes no apologies for it. The best way for the Dodgers to deal with him is to beat him. And that will be easier said than done.

Machado is far from the Padres’ only irritation. Fernando Tatis Jr. is a laughing, dancing peacock. Jurickson Profar is the little boy who pulls the fire alarm at school and then asks: “Who, me?”

Still, this is a much tighter group than last season, a fully functional unit rather than just a collection of stars. And Machado, as hard as this may be for some to believe, has shown growth from the player he once was.

This is a player who caused a bench-clear incident in 2014 when he objected to a hard tap from Josh Donaldson. This is a player who took the mound in 2016 and threw punches at the Royals’ Yordano Ventura. This is a player who caused the injury that ended Dustin Pedroia’s career in 2017, with a hard slide that some were perceived as dirty.

And let’s not forget Machado’s heel turn with the Dodgers in the 2018 National League Championship Series, when he twice slipped to Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia in questionable fashion in Game 3 and struck off first baseman Jesús Aguilar when he grounded out in Game 4 He also courted controversy during that series as he explained his failure to score a grounder, telling me in an interview on FS1, “Obviously I’m not going to change, I’m not the type of player that does that.” ‘Johnny Hustle’ will be running down the line and sliding to first base… that’s just not my personality, that’s not my thing, that’s not who I am.”

I wrote a column for it The Athletics the night before the interview, including Machado’s full comments, in which he took responsibility for his inconsistent efforts and promised to improve. None of his pranks hurt him when he became a free agent this offseason. The Padres signed him to a ten-year contract worth $300 million. In February 2023, they awarded him an eleven-year, $350 million extension, replacing the final six seasons of his previous deal.

In my column about the “Johnny Hustle” interview, I concluded by saying of Machado, “If he wants the noise to stop, he needs to give people less reason to question him. If he wants true appreciation for his greatness, he must attract attention with his achievements alone.”

Six years later, these words still ring true. Machado is more mature in some ways. Padres right-hander Yu Darvish credits Machado and Joe Musgrove for being particularly supportive while he missed nearly two months this season attending to a personal matter. Even Sunday night, Machado barely reacted when Flaherty cursed him after striking him out with two strikeouts in the sixth, and later praised Flaherty for winning the battle. Old Machado might have stormed the hill.

All that means progress, even if the initial bar was low. The team meeting in the dugout was further evidence that Machado is the emotional center of the team. But the Sinister Sling once again demonstrated that Machado is more than happy to play the bad guy.

It was Manny being Manny. Again.

(Top photo from Manny Machado gives his dugout speech on Sunday: Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)