The game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, United States, on September 22 unfolded amid intense tension from the opening moments.
With the Dodgers having clinched the National League West title and the Padres on the verge of securing a postseason berth, the atmosphere at the stadium grew even more sensitive.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers’ starting rotation is scheduled to make his final regular-season start against the Padres on September 23.
3-Line Summary
1. Dodger Stadium heated up with boos on the 22nd.
2. A 151.6㎞ sinker headed toward Machado.
3. Yamamoto’s 21st QS stood out.
Boos Intensify During Machado’s At-Bat and Pages’ Hit-by-Pitch
The Dodgers and Padres are teams in the same National League West division that have recently battled for the division lead. Their home stadiums are relatively close to each other, and scenes of home fans directing loud boos at the opposing team during their matchups have continued. At Dodger Stadium on the 22nd, boos began as soon as the Padres’ starting lineup was introduced, and the noise grew louder when the name of key hitter Manny Machado was called.
When Machado stepped into the batter’s box with one out and a runner on first in the 1st inning, Dodgers right-handed starter Brock Stewart’s first-pitch sinker, traveling at 94.2 miles per hour, or approximately 151.6㎞, headed toward Machado’s chest. Machado leaned back sharply and fell, sending a stir through the stadium. The scene, reported by Yahoo! News and d메뉴뉴스, offered a stark glimpse of the tension in the rivalry.
With two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd in the 2nd inning, Andy Pages was hit by a pitch on his left arm. It was the day Pages returned from a fracture in his left hand, and the crowd’s boos grew loud again. Rather than simply being a regular-season game decided by the standings, this matchup brought together the emotions and competition of two teams that could meet again in the postseason.
The Padres Game Remaining After the Dodgers’ 5th Straight Division Title
The Dodgers had already clinched their 5th consecutive National League West title. The Padres were on the verge of securing a postseason berth, and the possibility of the two teams meeting in the fall playoffs was also being discussed. In 2024, the Dodgers defeated the Padres in the Division Series and went on to win the World Series.
For that reason, the collision on the 22nd is difficult to interpret solely through the result of this matchup. For the Dodgers, it was part of maintaining their strength after winning the division; for the Padres, it was an important stretch leading up to their entry into the postseason. The boos that intensified before the game and the pitches directed inside showed that the atmosphere could become even more intense if the two teams meet again.
Yamamoto Scheduled for His Final Regular-Season Start on the 23rd
According to NittereNEWS NNN, Yamamoto is scheduled to take the mound against the Padres on the 23rd local time for his 28th start of the season and his final start of the regular season. He was described as the only Dodgers starter to have continued through the season without an absence, and he made a team-high 27 starts.
His record is 21 quality starts (QS), 14 wins, and a 2.51 earned-run average. NittereNEWS NNN reported that his QS rate was 77.8%, ranking 1st in all of MLB, while his WHIP was 0.87, ranking 2nd in the league. In his most recent two starts against the Reds, he recorded 7 innings and 1 earned run, followed by 7 innings and no earned runs.
The matchup between the Dodgers and Padres has already revealed a tense atmosphere. Yamamoto’s scheduled start in the next game could offer a measure of how much starting-pitching stability the Dodgers can maintain ahead of the fall playoffs.
References
Tags #Dodgers #Padres #DodgersPadres #MLB #MajorLeagueBaseball #DodgerStadium #MannyMachado #AndyPages #YoshinobuYamamoto #Yamamoto #NationalLeagueWest #Postseason