MLB
Manny Machado’s Dodger Debut Doesn’t Disappoint
The long awaited and much anticipated Manny Machado trade was finally made official on Wednesday. Tonight, was Machado’s Dodger debut and he didn’t disappoint. The Dodgers played the Brewers in the first game after the All-star break, which is a little awkward as Milwaukee was highly interested in acquiring Machado themselves. When asked if it was awkward that he would be making his debut against a team that was so highly interested in him, Machado just said how he was highly flattered that so many teams were interested in him, but that he just, “wants to play baseball”. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Machado got traded to the team that happened to be playing against them immediately after the trade.
How He Did
Machado batted third in a stacked Dodger lineup. Manny reached base four out of five times. He had two singles and two walks. Machado is the first Dodger to have reached base at least four times in his debut since Rafael Furcal. Further, Machado only saw action on the field once but he made the routine play at shortstop. This was enough to earn him player of the game in his debut as a Dodger.
Other Contributors
First off, Rich Hill pitched his best game in a while. The veteran hurled 6 innings giving up only 1 earned run and striking out 9. Next, the offensive contributors included Christ Taylor, Max Muncy and Chase Utley who all had doubles. (Muncy and Taylor having RBIs as well). Then in the 9th inning, fan favorite Kiké Hernandez really sealed the deal with a three-run homer, giving the Dodgers the insurance runs they needed. Hernandez’s homer put the Dodger’s up 6-2. The Brewers tried rallying back in the bottom of the 9th scoring 2 runs but came up short as Kenley Jansen was able to get the save, with the score ending at 6-4.
Up Next
The Dodgers have two more games in Milwaukee and then head to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies. Ironically, who were also interested in the newly acquired Dodger Manny Machado.
Photo credit to ESPN via Twitter
