Baltimore Orioles: Manny Machado has become an easily disliked figure outside of Birdland
By Brian Pinter
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles third baseman, is a fan favorite in Baltimore. Venture outside the state of Maryland though, and feelings may be different.
The Baltimore Orioles have an absolute stud on their hands in Manny Machado. Three All-Star Game appearances, two Gold Glove awards, and one number that stands out to everyone, 24.
Machado is just 24-years-old, and he’s in his seventh season in the majors. He’s a career .283 hitter, with a career .332 on-base percentage.
Also, Machado led the league in 2013, and 2015 in range factor per nine innings at third base, and range factor per game at third base.
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Ironically, as popular as Machado is in Baltimore, there seems to be an intense dislike of him outside of Birdland.
Oakland, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and now Boston are a few cities Machado probably wouldn’t win a Mayorial race.
But, why?
5. Friday, June 6, 2014: Donaldson’s Tag
Adam Jones was at the plate with a 0-2 count. Oakland Athletics starter Tommy Milone delivered a pitch out of the strike zone that Jones made contact with and grounded to third baseman Josh Donaldson. Machado was on second at the time and had broke on contact. Here’s what happened next:
As Machado was coming down the line, he stopped and tried to avoid the tag by jumping out of the way. As a result, Donaldson put the tag on Machado, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward.
Maybe it was the tag, or maybe it was just Manny’s acrobatics that caused him to fall, but Machado took offense to it.
Machado immediately hopped into Donaldson’s face and starting showing his disgust with that kind of tag. Machado’s post game comments let us know why he felt the need to confront Donaldson,
"“He made the right play, but just didn’t agree on the tag that he made on me. I just had to get up and confront him.”"