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Padres’ Manny Machado fires back at Will Smith’s Jurickson Profar ‘irrelevant’ claim
Image credit: ClutchPoints

Padres’ Manny Machado fires back at Will Smith’s Jurickson Profar ‘irrelevant’ claim

Originally posted on ClutchPoints  |  By Matt Wadleigh  |  Last updated 4/15/24

The San Diego Padres rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers can officially add a new chapter to the book. The Padres took two of three in Los Angeles in a drama-filled weekend. On Saturday, the two sides got into it with Dodgers catcher Will Smith firing back at Jurickson Profar and calling him “irrelevant.”

However, on Sunday, Profar made headlines himself in a good way. He smacked a go-ahead three-run double in the seventh inning that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. After the victory, Padres star Manny Machado was asked about the situation with Profar and Smith, and Machado fired back at the Dodgers catcher (h/t Aiden Gonzalez of ESPN).

“Irrelevant? I don’t know. You’ll have to check the dictionary on that. He’s been leading this team big-time. The numbers speak for themselves. Every time he comes out here, steps on that field, he makes a big impact on the game. At the end of the day, boy got 10 years in the league. There’s only a handful of baseball players, in all of baseball, who accomplish that goal, so, got to put a little bit of respect on his name.”

Profar has been off to a hot start since coming back to San Diego in the offseason. He has a .321 batting average with a pair of home runs and 13 RBI as he has been a consistent option for Mike Shildt in the lineup.

But, Machado made sure to stand up for Profar despite the “irrelevant” comments from Will Smith.

Padres manager Mike Shildt joins Manny Machado in support of Jurickson Profar

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Machado wasn’t the only one to back up Profar after the huge win on Sunday, Shildt, who is in his first year as the Padres manager, gave Profar major support, per Aiden Gonzalez:

“I can tell you this: Profar is very relevant to us. He’s a glue guy for us. Guy’s got 10 years in the big leagues. There’s relevancy there. Did a nice job tonight with the three-run double. But beyond that, Pro’s a pro. He’s a very big part of the San Diego Padres. He’s very relevant to me. I believe completely he’s very relevant to his teammates. So, we respect and appreciate him highly.”

Profar himself didn’t get too involved in the drama and sidestepped the question in the best way possible.

Profar went 3-of-11 with a double and three RBI in the series against the Dodgers and he has hits in four straight games following the weekend series. He has at least one hit in nine of the last 10 games as well, so Profar has gotten off to a monster start for the Padres this season.

The next time the Padres face the Dodgers won’t be until May 10 when they kick off a three-game series in San Diego, so expect some more fireworks to take place after the way everything went down.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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