“Ready for a Fight”: Manny Machado Fires Back at MLB Legend Over His Blunt Take on Padres

Manny Machado is not ready to accept David Ortiz’s latest verdict on the San Diego Padres without a fight. After the Friars fell two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series on Sunday, MLB Hall of Famer David Ortiz claimed that the Padres will not be able to overcome the deficit and win three straight games in the best-of-five series. When asked about Ortiz’s take, Machado showed confidence in his squad.

“I just know that we’re ready for a fight to get to where we want to get to; to win the biggest trophy in our game. It’s not an easy job; it’s a tough road. You got a deal with a lot of adversity,” Manny Machado told the reporters, per Foul Territory on X.

“I will say, those aren’t the first comments that we’ve heard about us this year. It’s been all year from everyone. Here we are once again with our backs against the wall. We overcame it once, and we’re going to do it again.”

After losing Game 1 of the NLDS, the Padres almost won against the Brewers on Sunday with a 2-0 lead early in the game.

They once again held a lead after Ty France hit a single, scoring Machado in the first inning. The Padres extended it to 2-0 following an error by Brewers’ shortstop Cooper Pratt, which helped Luis Campusano score.

But then, everything went downhill.

With two outs at the bottom of the fifth, Michael King gave up a double to Cristian Yelich, handing the Brewers the opening they were seeking. In the next at-bat, Sal Frelick singled, scoring Yelich. The game was down to one run.

Ty France retaliated with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1. But the Brewers capitalized on Jake Cronenworth’s error to make the score 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh. Then, it was Mason Miller’s job to record six outs in two innings and help the Padres level the series.

One of the best closers out there, Miller failed to execute the save.

He breezed through the eighth but surrendered back-to-back walks to Yelich and Frelick in the ninth. With two outs, he issued another walk to load the bases, paving the way for Jackson Chourio. With the Brewers down to their final out, Chourio hit a 101.3 mph single right up the middle, scoring Frelick and Yelich to take the game 4-3.

Following the loss, Ortiz slammed the Padres.

“I’m sorry, guys; I have to break it to you. I have so much love for San Diego and everything, but golly, you were supposed to win this game. Now you’re out against the ropes. It’s over. I’m sorry,” said David Ortiz while sharing the panel with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on FOX Sports.

“Tatis, Machado, so much love for you guys. I want to stay in LA, but that game tonight say so many things.”

It’s do-or-die for the Padres now, as they will head back to San Diego for Games 3 and 4.

This season, the Friars went 51-30 at home and 40-41 in away games. They would hope to have the same dominance in the upcoming games at Petco Park.

Moreover, the Padres have overcome dire situations this season before.

In late July, San Diego fell to three games below .500 and held 11th place in the National League. From there, they dramatically turned the season around, going 41–18 over their final 59 games and earning home-field advantage against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card Series.

Machado believes that since they have done it once, they can do it again. The Padres play the Brewers at Petco Park on Tuesday.

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