The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have played an emotionally-charged four games in the National League Division Series, which has included drama on and off the field.
The tense matchup culminates Friday with winner-take-all Game 5. It’s the Padres’ first visit to Dodger Stadium since Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. had items hurled at them from the pavilions during Game 2.
“It’ll be more of the same,” answered Clayton Kershaw when asked for his expectations from Dodgers fans. “Obviously I hope we don’t have any delays like we did, but we still want the energy and atmosphere.
“Any time you get a winner-take-all game, regardless of it’s Division Series or World Series, it’s exciting. As a teammate and spectator for this one, it will be a lot of fun to watch.”
While Profar and Tatis drew the ire of fans in Game 2, Manny Machado has been a recipient of vitriol since leaving the Dodgers and signing with the Padres as a free agent after the 2018 season.
Whether Machado or the Padres as whole, Kershaw believes they will embrace the harsh treatment.
“I think he’ll get booed and they’ll probably enjoy it,” he said.
Machado figures to be on the receiving end of more jeers in Game 5 due to throwing a baseball toward the Dodgers’ dugout. It crashed into the netting where manager Dave Roberts was sitting, and was perceived as being deliberate.
“That was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful,” Roberts said. “So I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it. But I don’t know what led to that. I didn’t see it in real time but I did see the video.”
Padres like being villains?
In addition to being critical of Machado’s purported attempt, Roberts speculated the Padres generally embrace being something of an agitator.
“Clearly that team over there, they like the villain-type kind of role and they feed off of that,” Roberts said before Game 3.
“So whatever gets us going, the motivation is individually, collectively, to win a baseball game, to win a series. It’s going to be hostile. It’s going to be noisy and rowdy. And it’s up to us to still stay focused and compete and fight, like I’ve said time and time again.”
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