An old rivalry continues in MLB, as was demonstrated on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium during the game between the Padres and the Dodgers. It was a game full of tension, rivalry and one or two shoves that ended with a Padres victory by 5-3, but it gave more to talk about for the off-field issues, full of brawls and confrontation on and off the field.
The tension, which had been building since last October, reached its peak in the final game of this divisional series. During the ninth inning, with the Padres winning by a comfortable 5-0 score, Dodgers pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. on the left hand with a pitch. The Dominican showed visible signs of pain, and San Diego manager Mike Shildt came out of the dugout visibly upset, yelling at his counterpart Dave RobertsJack Litte, who was also making his Major League Baseball debut, ended up involved in a brawl among a sea of people.
What happened in the Padres vs Dodgers game?
Roberts responded by slightly shoving Shildt, which prompted both coaching staffs and players from both teams to enter the field to contain the situation. Although it did not come to blows, the atmosphere was extremely tense and the intervention of the umpires was required to calm things down. Shildt had to be restrained as he argued heatedly with the Dodgers manager.
But the conflict did not end there. In the bottom of the inning, with the game practically decided, Padres closer Robert Suarez hit Shohei Ohtani with a 3-0 pitch. The situation was interpreted as a clear act of retaliation. Ohtani, however, kept his cool, asked his teammates not to leave the dugout and went to first base without seeking confrontation. The home plate umpire did not hesitate to immediately eject Suarez
Despite the chaos, the game ended without further incident. Rookie catcher Dalton Rushing had a chance to tie the game for the Dodgers, but Japanese pitcher Yuki Matsui struck him out to seal San Diego’s victory
What happened to Fernando Tatis Jr.?
This new chapter in the rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres left several players with visible bruises. Both Ohtani and Tatis Jr. and Andy Pages suffered blows during the series. In the case of Tatis, although the initial X-rays on his hand did not show evidence of a fracture or any major injury, further studies will be carried out due to the sensitivity of the affected area.
Read the full article here
