Dodgers and Padres maintain hostilities, even on NLDS-free days

SAN DIEGO — They were the scrawny weaklings from Southern California who were bullied in school, had sand kicked in their faces at the beach and were told they'd never live up to those big, bad bullies up north on the I-5 Freeway .

Well, something funny happened.

The San Diego Padres don't have a $700 million player, they don't have a $325 million pitcher, and they don't have a single World Series banner flying from their stadium, but look who has all that swagger and intimidation now ?

The Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers may be tied at one game each in the National League Division Series, but the way the Padres feel right now, they have every intention of sending the Dodgers home for the winter this week while they have a World Cup have series parade in November.

The Padres, whose Game 3 of their series is scheduled for Tuesday night (9:08 p.m. ET on FS1) at Petco Park, say they do not plan to return to Los Angeles until June 2025, when they are scheduled to play a four-game series. Game series at Dodger Stadium.

In fact, they don't think they should be forced to play at Dodger Stadium again, even if that series is tied two games apiece, after Sunday's game was stopped for 10 minutes because fans threw objects onto the field threw.

“If I were the commissioner of baseball, I wouldn't even allow them to have a Game 5,” said Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who spoke for 20 minutes and described the beer cans, bottles and baseballs thrown onto and into the field Bullpen. “I mean, why? Why should you test to see if that happens again?

“It’s hard to control people. “Something is going to happen.”

Growing up in the Inland Empire of California, Estrada was a huge Dodgers fan who vividly remembered all the great moments. He hated seeing this great tradition sullied by unruly fan behavior.

“It’s sad, it’s just a baseball game,” Estrada said. “I grew up the same way as probably 90% of the fans there, but of course there are also those who don't know how to grow up. Part of me, as part of the immaturity, also kicked in and yelled at her.

“I understand all the rivalry stuff, but there is no rivalry that should be taken that seriously. When it comes to the health hazards of throwing objects, that's not a good thing. At the end of the day, it’s just fucking baseball. You're ruining the legacy of Dodger Stadium by throwing beer cans at us. You don't want us to throw anything at you. We wouldn't miss it.

“We knew there was nothing we could do, but we retaliated by leaving them out on the field. That's how we handled it. “Okay, you want to show us, we’ll show you.”

The Dodgers hardly condone their fans' behavior, as a bottle narrowly missed Padres pitcher Martin Perez in the bullpen, but they insist the Padres fueled the hostilities. Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. teased the Dodgers crowd by dancing in the outfield and later taunted them by pretending to wipe away tears. Third baseman Manny Machado fired a baseball into the Dodgers dugout that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believed was intended for him after an exchange of obscenities with Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty.

“I didn’t realize it at the time,” Roberts said. “I saw the video. And it was disturbing. …There was intention behind it. …It didn't almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very annoying. If it was directed at me I would be very… it's pretty disrespectful.

“So I don’t know his intention. I don't want to speak for him. But I saw the video. “And the ball was pointed at me with something behind it.”

Machado said he merely threw the ball into the dugout for the batboy to give to the fans, saying, “I already turned the side over.” “I’m just looking forward to playing in front of our fans.”

Still, Roberts found the explanation hard to believe and wondered if Machado should have been ejected.

“I don’t think they should have had a little mutual conversation,” Roberts said of the refereeing team. “When players can throw balls at opposing managers, you know…”

Well, it's better than ducking bottles thrown from the stands, the Padres will tell you.

“I was really pleased with how our guys responded,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “There was a feeling of satisfaction. I like the way we competed, the way we stayed together, the way we played baseball and performed…

“We don’t need 50,000 people screaming at us and throwing things at us to prove a point, but it does prove that this group will stick together and not back down.”

Do you think you'll intimidate the Padres?

Sorry, the Padres will tell you it's not happening.

“The San Diego Padres (are) not the same team they are now,” said Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, who starts Tuesday. “We have seen how this has developed. …It was definitely significant not for rivalry reasons, but just in terms of the talent that they were starting to acquire.”

But while the Dodgers lost $1.3 billion on the free agent market last winter, the Padres actually shed around $90 million in talented players over the winter. They traded Juan Soto. They let go of Cy Young winner Blake Snell and All-Star closer Josh Hader. Free agent pitchers Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez also left.

But this year's version of the Padres has more swagger, more confidence and more swagger.

The more you boo them in the street, the more you mock them, the more you insult them, the more the Padres take pleasure in silencing everyone.

“I think that's something you have to take advantage of as a player,” said pitcher Michael King, who starts Tuesday for the Padres. You need to add it to your game and make the pressure an extra privilege.

“You know you're out there playing a cakewalk, but when you have thousands of fans cheering you on and heckling you, it's a lot more fun.”

The Padres, who played to a sellout crowd of 56 at Petco Park this year and drew a franchise-record 3.3 million fans, are expecting a pretty boisterous crowd. They don't expect any retaliation from their own fans. Beach balls can land on the field, but not beer bottles.

It will be a loud atmosphere, only this time the Dodgers will be feeling the heat.

“The team over there,” Roberts said, “obviously likes the villainous role and feeds off of it.” So whatever drives us…

“It will be hostile. It gets loud and loud. And it’s up to us to stay focused and compete and fight.”

If not, it could be the third straight year the Dodgers tie in the postseason, and another long winter in Los Angeles trying to figure out why they're a beast in the regular season regular season but can't win October.

“I think there’s pressure on both teams,” Roberts said. “It's a very important game. It's a very crucial game. …

“I know the players just want to play baseball and the fans want to cheer on their team.”

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Dodgers and Padres maintain hostilities, even on NLDS-free days

ByVanessa

By Vanessa

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