Category: San Diego Padres

Padres Manager's Risky Decision to Take Run Off the Scoreboard Actually Worked
1 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Padres Manager’s Risky Decision to Take Run Off the Scoreboard Actually Worked

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt made a huge gamble Tuesday night.

In the fifth inning of the Padres' 6–4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth brought home a run while grounding out to second base. But Cronenworth claimed there was catcher's interference on the play, and umpire Cory Blaser agreed and made the call, wiping out the RBI but giving Cronenworth the base.

Shildt was faced with a tough decision in the Padres' dugout. Should he decline the catcher's interference and keep the run on the scoreboard for a 2–0 lead with two outs? Or should he accept the interference, saving the Padres an out but causing Tyler Wade to go back to third base and erasing a run?

Shildt chose the latter, and San Diego's lead shrunk back to 1–0. Wade trotted back out to third base, loading the bases for Padres slugger Manny Machado with just one out.

The manager's decision could've backfired, but Machado mashed a Nick Martinez pitch to left-center field for a three-run double. Never a doubt.

Machado made his manager look like a genius.

“You can have the bases loaded and one out for Manny Machado?” Shildt said to reporters after the game. “I’m going to bet on Manny Machado.”

Through 33 games this season, the Padres are 15–18 and in third place in the NL West. They will wrap up their series against the Reds on Wednesday at Petco Park.

Cincinnati Reds, Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
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Elly De La Cruz Uncorked the Fastest Throw in MLB History
30 Apr 24 Jimm Sallivan

Elly De La Cruz Uncorked the Fastest Throw in MLB History

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is absolutely electric. He's on pace for a historic season at the plate and added a leadoff home run during the Cincinnati Reds' 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday. He also may have thrown a baseball harder than anyone has ever thrown a baseball in a Major League Baseball game.

As noted by Reds announcer John Sadak, Statcast clocked a ninth inning De La Cruz throw at 106.9 miles per hour. Here's video of that throw, which was literally too hot to handle as first baseman Jeimer Candelario couldn't even get his glove up in time to catch the ball. It was even noted on the broadcast that he might have been trying to see how hard he could throw the ball and that's what caused the error.

Sure, the throw resulted in an error and kept the Padres' hopes alive, but it was undeniably awesome. The previous record belonged to Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle. Last fall he was clocked at 105.7 miles per hour on a throw home.

The stat has only been tracked since 2015, which means there is a little more than a century's worth of data unaccounted for. On the other hand we've got about a decade of tracking the biggest and strongest athletes to ever play the game and no one has ever done that before, so it's still pretty impressive.

To continue with the mythologizing of one of MLB's youngest stars, De La Cruz's April is officially in "Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle" territory as he's the first player since 1901 to have at least eight home runs and 17 stolen bases in the month of April.

The numbers continue to tell the story of a player with limitless potential. And the eye test confirms that he's fun as hell to watch no matter what he's doing.

Cincinnati Reds, Elly De La Cruz, MLB, San Diego Padres
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