Padres third baseman Manny Machado lit up the home plate with some serious heat after a missed strike call that might as well have been called from the parking lot.
Monday night, bottom of the 10th inning. Padres vs. Dodgers. We’re deep in extras, and the Dodgers are up 8-6. Luis Arraez is chilling on second; Manny Machado steps up with ice in his veins, works the count full against closer Tanner Scott, and then—boom. Slider. Way outside. Like “you might need binoculars to call that a strike” outside. Machado starts his casual stroll to first, you know, as anyone would after clearly watching ball four and bam, Mike Estabrook punches him out like he’s auditioning for a fight scene in Rocky.
Padres’ Machado Caught on Camera
Here’s where it gets spicy: Estabrook is wearing a camera. That’s right, a front-row seat to pure baseball drama. Machado turns around, livid, and let me tell you, this wasn’t your average “what was that?” glance. No, this was a full-on “you’ve gotta be kidding me” staredown with a side of fury.
And to Estabrook’s credit—or maybe his guilt—he didn’t toss Machado. That’s unusual because arguing balls and strikes is usually a one-way ticket to the showers. But not this time. Which kind of tells you something.
A Moment That Changed the Game
Machado had every reason to be mad. That walk would’ve set the table: runners on first and second, nobody out. And what happens next? Jackson Merrill doubles, Arraez scores, and you know Machado would’ve at least reached third if he was on base. Maybe even scored. That one call changed the entire vibe of the inning. It turned a possible game-tying or winning rally into a tighter squeeze—and that’s not something you shrug off in a playoff-level intensity game like this.
Estabrook’s Non-Ejection Speaks Volumes
Usually, when you bark at an umpire like that, you’re heading to the locker room before your next blink. But Estabrook let Machado vent. Maybe that missed call was echoing in his headset louder than Machado’s voice. It wasn’t just a mistake—it was a momentum breaker, and everybody in that stadium felt it. The video shows not just the call but the tension, the disbelief, and the raw emotion of a guy who knows the game and knows when justice wasn’t served.
And now we all know it, too—because the camera didn’t blink.
