Manny Machado called for interference after hitting popup

Tom Gatto

Manny Machado called for interference after hitting popup image

It took Manny Machado exactly six games to be involved in an on-field incident as a Padre.

Machado was called out Tuesday night for batter's interference after hitting a foul popup to the first-base side of home plate in the sixth inning. Machado dropped his bat near Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy and may also have brushed Murphy while jogging down the line.

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Murphy did not appear to be bothered by either development, but he did drop the ball for what would normally be an error. After the drop, home plate umpire Bill Welke called out Machado.

Both Machado and Padres manager Andy Green argued the call. Green was ejected.

Machado's reputation as a player took a beating last postseason while he was a member of the Dodgers. He kicked Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar during the NLCS and was accused of trying to steal signs. He acknowledged in an interview with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and The Athletic that he doesn't always hustle.

BERNSTEIN: Machado's Padres out to own San Diego's sports identity

He told the New York Post in March, not long after signing a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, that he isn't worried about fans' perceptions of him.

“I always will be the villain, no matter what,” Machado told reporter Joel Sherman. "I don’t know why. That is just stuff I have to deal with and I have been okay dealing with that situation. That doesn’t bother me."

 

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.