The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have had their share of intense games over the past few seasons, but the recent tension during their matchups this season didn’t stop Padres third baseman Manny Machado from praising Clayton Kershaw.
After spending seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Machado was traded to the Dodgers at the 2018 trade deadline and was briefly a teammate of the southpaw as they clinched the National League pennant together that season.
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Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain spoke to Machado about his time in LA, and the All-Star third baseman called Kershaw “the best.”
“He was the best,” Machado said. “It was an honor to play behind him, watch him throw. … What a competitor. He’s a Hall of Famer for sure. So it was an honor to play behind him.”
Machado started the 2018 campaign hitting .315 with an OPS of .963 on the Orioles. After making his way to LA, Machado hit .273 with a .825 OPS during the regular season.
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As October rolled around, the third baseman’s production worsened yet again, with a slash line of .227/.278/.394 and an OPS of .672. He was hitting just .182 in the World Series with five strikeouts in as many games.
Machado’s departure from the Dodgers to the divisional foes in San Diego helped contribute to the brewing feud between the two teams during the past five seasons.
The 2020 NLDS is when the two franchises first met in the postseason, with the Dodgers taking the series three games to zero. Two seasons later, the Friars took down the 111-win Dodgers, and in 2024, the Dodgers came back from a 2-1 series deficit on their way to eventually winning the Fall Classic.
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Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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