LOS ANGELES -- The Padres and Dodgers just played seven games in the span of 11 days. And guess what? They’ve got beef. With these two teams, did you honestly expect anything else?
Sparks flew again on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, where the Padres salvaged the series finale with a 5-3 victory. But not before a ninth inning in which both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Shohei Ohtani were plunked in the same frame for the second time this week.
Benches cleared, and both managers were ejected, along with Padres closer Robert Suarez, who hit Ohtani in the bottom of the ninth -- the eighth hit batter in four games this week. It was merely the latest in a long line of fiery encounters between these two fierce National League West rivals. Here’s how it unfolded:
When did the benches clear, and why?
The Padres carried a 5-0 lead into the ninth, and Dodgers reliever Jack Little had been handed his Major League debut. Little’s 1-1 fastball came high and tight on Tatis, catching him in the right hand.
Immediately, Padres manager Mike Shildt raced to check on Tatis. But Shildt quickly turned his ire toward Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Eventually, Shildt’s shouts in Roberts’ direction prompted Roberts to race toward home plate and confront Shildt.
“I’m taking starters out of the game, trying to get this game over with and get this kid a couple innings," Roberts said. "And so that’s why, I felt, I took that personal. Because I understand the game, and I understand that it doesn’t feel good to get hit.”
As the two managers converged, Roberts bumped Shildt -- and the benches and bullpens emptied immediately. More pushing and shoving ensued, but there would be no further fireworks. (That’s in large part due to Ohtani. After he was hit in the bottom of the inning, he waved toward his own dugout, essentially telling his teammates -- who seemed poised to hop the railing -- to remain where they were.)
Afterward, Shildt cited the number of times Tatis has been hit by the Dodgers -- six times, including five in the past two seasons and three in the past nine days. No other team has plunked Tatis more than four times in his career.
“After a while, enough’s enough,” Shildt said. “Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is I took exception with it.”
What’s the status of Tatis?
Tatis would exit the game alongside a team trainer, flexing his right hand. He was immediately taken for X-rays, which were negative, according to a Padres spokesperson. But because of the swelling in Tatis’ hand, follow-up imaging -- a CT scan and an MRI -- was scheduled for Friday to confirm those results.
All of which prompted Manny Machado to deliver the line of the night:
“They need to set a little candle up for Tatis tomorrow, and hope that everything comes back negative,” he said. (Asked to clarify, Machado confirmed that, yes, “they” meant the Dodgers.)
Meanwhile, Roberts insisted that Little hadn’t thrown at Tatis on purpose.
"I think anyone would understand there’s no intent there," Roberts said. "And even by my reaction, I didn’t feel good about Tatis -- great player, good guy -- getting hit."
For the most part, the Padres agreed (though they were privately less convinced that Tatis’ previous plunkings were accidental). Even Tatis acknowledged Little had likely missed a spot.
“For me it wasn’t [intentional], in the moment,” Tatis said. “But how many times have they hit me already?”
Added Shildt: “Whether it was or it wasn’t, enough is enough. We’ve got a guy that’s getting X-rays right now that’s one of the best players in the game and, of course, on our team.”
What about Ohtani and Suarez?
Tensions settled, both sides returned to their dugout, and the Padres led by five runs in a game in which the Dodgers had pulled several of their starters. But if you thought the drama was done, well, you don’t know this rivalry very well.
Padres reliever Sean Reynolds walked the first two hitters he faced, prompting acting manager Brian Esposito to call for Suarez. The Dodgers’ rally continued, and with the tying run on deck, Suarez ran the count on Ohtani to 3-0. That’s when he came high and tight with a 100 mph fastball, getting Ohtani in the upper back.
Suarez was immediately ejected. With warnings having been issued after Tatis was plunked, that meant Esposito was mandatorily tossed as well. After the game, Suarez declined comment through a team spokesperson.
The Dodgers didn’t seem to have any doubts about the intent behind the pitch.
“Absolutely -- I mean, it’s 3-and-0," Roberts said. "This is a right-handed pitcher going cross-court to hit Shohei up and in. That’s a hard throw. And I don’t know how many left-handed hitters Suarez has hit with the fastball. But clearly there was intent behind it.”
(Suarez has hit two left-handed hitters with a fastball in his career, with both instances coming in 2022.)
Suarez’s ejection certainly made the game itself interesting. The Padres were running out of relievers and called on lefty Yuki Matsui for his first career save. Matsui walked Miguel Rojas, then threw a wild pitch that bounced and got lodged under catcher Martin Maldonado's chest protector, by rule advancing all baserunners. That brought in a run and put the tying runs in scoring position -- before Matsui struck out backup catcher Dalton Rushing to end it.
What’s the history, and what’s next?
There's quite a history between these two teams, but the first incident this series came on Monday night, when outfielder Andy Pages was hit on the elbow pad by a Dylan Cease fastball. Pages stared down Cease, and while things simmered, there was no fracas to be had.
Tuesday brought additional drama, when Tatis and Ohtani were plunked in the span of an inning. Roberts was ejected after he took the field to ask the umpires why both sides were issued warnings, rather than just the Padres. Matt Sauer also hit Jose Iglesias later in the game, which both sides agreed was unintentional.
Pages was hit again on Wednesday night, this time by starter Stephen Kolek, but there was no incident.
Then came Thursday, when the tensions that had been bubbling up all series finally boiled over. After seeing a lot of each other in the past week and a half, these teams won't meet again until Aug. 15-17 at Dodger Stadium.
Two months may be enough time for any lingering emotions to dissipate. Or perhaps the Padres and Dodgers will pick up right where they left off.
"I can't speak to that," Roberts said. "I do know that we don't see these guys for a long time, but we're just going to try to win as many games as we can before we see them again."