After Mookie Betts’ high praise for Padres over Yankees, Manny Machado weighs in on heated rivalry against Dodgers

San Diego Padres star Manny Machado recently reacted to claims by Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers that their rivalry last year was the actual World Series. Both teams went back and forth all season until the Dodgers finally got the upper hand in the NLDS, winning the series 3-2 to eliminate the Padres from the playoffs.

After their triumph in the World Series last year, many Dodgers players claimed that their series against the Padres was the toughest test of their season. Over the offseason, Dodgers star Mookie Betts once again reiterated that their series against the Padres was the actual World Series.

Speaking in a recent episode of Ben & Woods, Manny Machado gave his take on their rivalry against the Dodgers last year.

(from 12:54)

"I think it was a World Series all year. We were going back and forth the whole year. Then obviously that series was awesome. It was two big teams going right back at each other you know. We clapped, and then they clapped back, and then we clapped again, they clapped back and then they had the last clap. That's the beauty of sports, that's how it happens"

"It was definitely a different vibe, I would say. It wasn't the vibe like we had a couple of years before. Even the championship series when we played against Philly wasn't the same. For us, for sure it was a World Series, we were playing it like it was a World Series and we ended up falling short."

Manny Machado and the Padres have already kicked off their Spring Training and are looking good ahead of the upcoming season. As they look to make a deep playoff run this year, they will once again face their familiar foes in the Dodgers, which promises to be an exciting affair.

Padres star Manny Machado confident they can make a World Series run in 2025

San Diego Padres and Manny Machado both firmly believe that they should have won the World Series last year. They were just one game away from beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and are confident that they can do it this year. In a recent interview, Machado spoke about his motivation to challenge for the World Series this year, saying (via Bob Nightengale):

“The Dodgers are [bleeping] good, man. But we’re excited to take them down. There’s nothing better than having a championship team in your division that you can knock off.’’

The NL West is no doubt one of the toughest divisions in the MLB. With at least four teams capable of making the playoffs, it makes for an exciting season ahead. While the Dodgers have reinforced their title-winning roster, it remains to be seen if the Padres can knock them off their throne.