"You could see the momentum shift" - Dave Roberts claims Manny Machado's dugout throw transformed Dodgers from 'methodical boxers' to street fighters

If there was one team that the LA Dodgers seemingly struggled against last postseason on their way to the Fall Classic title, it was the Manny Machado-led San Diego Padres. They almost knocked off the champions by leading 2-1 in the NLDS series going into Game 4, with Dave Roberts' unit's season on the line.

However, the Dodgers rallied back with two consecutive shutout victories in Game 4 and Game 5 in shutout fashion. The Dodgers manager pointed out one incident that changed the whole mentality of the Dodgers dugout.

In Game 2, Padres third baseman Machado threw a ball to the Dodgers dugout which landed near Roberts. This led to heated back and forth with Jack Flaherty. Roberts said this is when the team went from being conventional boxers to street fighters.

"Jake, you’re right, and I think you guys who have followed the postseason and my tone or theme of a ‘street fight’—the Padres are a gritty, tough, talented group, and they like dog mentality. Everyone knows it, and it’s not an insult; it’s something they feed off of," Roberts said (2:43 onwards) Sunday on MLB Network.

"For us, it was almost like we were methodical boxers. We were boxing conventionally throughout the 162-game season. But when you get to the postseason, you’ve got to take those gloves off and street fight. At that point, you could see the momentum shift."

Dave Roberts founds Manny Machado's throw "unsettling" and "disrespectful"

Manager Dave Roberts had pretty strong words for Manny Machado, questioning the intent behind his action.

Here's the video of that throw:

"It was unsettling," Roberts said after the game. "Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn't almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very -- it's pretty disrespectful.

"So, I don't know his intent. I don't want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it. But I don't know what led to that."

MLB did ask for Dodger Stadium security staff for footage of the incident in order to check if there was any intention behind the throw. However, it was all inconclusive and Manny Machado didn't face any punishments from the league office.