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Boston Red Sox Attempt to Hit Manny Machado–Again

By Jason Burke

Apr 22, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) in action in the sixth inning during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) in action in the sixth inning during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports /
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The headlines keep coming out of Boston. Monday, it was Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones enduring racially-motivated taunts from the Fenway faithful. Last night it was Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale attempting to hit Manny Machado, this time taking aim at his legs.

Let me be clear: I am not a fan of the Baltimore Orioles by any stretch, and a large part of that feeling is because of their biggest star, Manny Machado. However, this whole ordeal with the Boston Red Sox is getting out of hand.

To get you up to speed from the beginning: Machado took a hard slide into second base back on April 21, causing Dustin Pedroia to leave the game after getting spiked. Because of my preconceived notions of the Baltimore ball club, I felt that that slide was a bit dirty, but seeing as how the two are good friends, it’s hard to reason why their would be malicious intent.

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Two days after the incident, reliever Matt Barnes, most famous for not being the basketball player of the same name, threw behind Machado, but the pitch was clearly above the shoulders, which is a definite no-no. There is also a video from this game where you can clearly see Pedoria mouthing the words “That isn’t me. That’s them (the Red Sox).” So if Pedroia wasn’t seeking retribution in the first place, and Barnes decided to take the situation into his own hands, fine. It’s over now. He has served his suspension and we can continue playing baseball.

Until Tuesday night’s meeting between the two teams. For some reason this most recent incident occurred not at the first opportunity, but in the second game of the series.

This time the pitcher was Chris Sale. In the top of the first inning with two away, Sale threw behind Machado at knee level, causing the benches to immediately be warned. Postgame, Machado went on what ESPN labeled “an epic rant.” In said rant he uses many expletives and says that he has lost all respect for the Red Sox, the coaching staff and everyone over there, adding “if you’re gonna hit me, hit me.” With Sale’s 1.43 BB/9 rate there is no question what the intent behind his 98 mile per hour heater was.

Machado also went on to say that he could take somebody out with a bat, so I’m not going to sit here and defend everything he does.

Next: Sox Apologize to Jones

On the Red Sox side of things, this could be two incidents that show some divisiveness in the clubhouse. Under the pretext that both Barnes and Sale are operating on their own, which isn’t hard to argue due to the timing of each incident, it could be a sign that the BoSox are a collection of individuals rather than a team. It could also be a misguided attempt to stick up for a teammate. Either way, Tuesday’s action should be the last we hear from this story, but for some reason it just doesn’t feel like it will be.

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