The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers eventually lost patience with one another in the late innings of their seventh game in 11 days. The two National League West Division rivals, who have never been very fond of one another, came dangerously close to fighting during San Diego’s 5-3 victory on Thursday, June 19.
Sparks flew at Dodger Stadium as tensions reached a boiling point. There was ninth-inning drama when the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. were both hit by pitches in a sequence that cleared both benches.
The escalation represents the latest chapter in one of baseball’s most heated modern rivalries. These teams have built animosity through playoff battles, roster moves, and countless on-field incidents. The Padres’ aggressive style clashes with the Dodgers’ championship culture, creating a rivalry that extends far beyond divisional standings.
Machado’s Ominous Warning to Los Angeles
Tatis Jr. was struck on the right hand by a fastball from Dodgers rookie Jack Little in the Padres’ half of the ninth. After leaving the game, Tatis was sent for X-rays, which came back inconclusive.
Padres teammate Manny Machado, a close friend of Tatis Jr.’s, hopes the CT scan on Tatis’ hand returns negative, as per Dennis Lin, MLB writer for The Athletic. But Machado also made it clear that the Dodgers should hope for the same outcome.
“Let’s just hope the CT scan (on Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s hand) comes back negative,” Manny Machado said. “They gotta pray it comes back negative tomorrow.” By “they,” he meant the Dodgers.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) June 20, 2025
The warning carries weight considering the history between these clubs. When the same opponent hits their star player multiple times, regardless of intent, any team will react. The Dodgers have hit Tatis six times in his career, more than any of the other 29 MLB teams, creating a troubling pattern that’s impossible to ignore.
Retaliation happened immediately in the Dodgers’ half of the ninth. Ohtani was struck in the shoulder by a Robert Suarez pitch, prompting both benches to empty once again.
Padres manager Mike Shildt, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Padres bench coach Brian Esposito, and Suarez were all ejected from the contest.
Rivalry Reaches Dangerous New Heights
The Dodgers fell to 46-30 but remain in first place in the NL West. In the National League, they’re just one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the league’s best record. The Padres, currently third in the NL West, improved to 40-34 but sit five games behind the Dodgers.
Since they don’t play again until August 15-17 in Los Angeles and August 22-24 in San Diego, these two teams will have plenty of time to let tensions simmer. That extended break might make their next meeting even more explosive.
Baseball’s most prominent rivalry gained more drama during a series that featured four tense games, eight hit batters, and a final-game argument that cleared benches. The animosity stems from deeper issues than just competitive baseball, including the Padres’ rise as a legitimate threat to the Dodgers’ NL West dominance.
According to The Athletic, a Reddit user brought attention to the removal of a plaque honoring Tatis’ home run that completely cleared Dodger Stadium’s left-field pavilion in 2021 on Wednesday.
The plaque commemorated one of only five home runs in stadium history to completely clear the ballpark, joining legendary blasts by Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, and Willie Stargell. Meanwhile, nearby plaques celebrating similar homers by McGwire and Piazza remained in place.
A team representative said Tatis’ plaque, which the Dodgers had installed near the spot where his massive shot flew out of the ballpark, was broken. An untouched copy was going in its place by Los Angeles’ upcoming homestand, though the representative couldn’t explain what caused the damage.
The timing of the plaque’s mysterious disappearance, coming just before this heated series, adds another layer to a rivalry that’s become personal. Whether coincidence or not, it symbolizes how deeply this feud has penetrated both organizations.
