Machado ignites Padres’ offense in win over Mariners..
San Diego pitchers combi..
Much of the talk this offseason surrounding the San Diego Padres, outside of player acquisition, revolved around how last season ended. An unexplained and unimaginable 24-inning scoreless streak that saw them eliminated in the National League Division Series.
That streak came to an end for San Diego in the first Cactus League game of 2025. Manny Machado hit the first pitch he saw 428 feet to centerfield off Seattle Mariners pitcher Jhonathan Diaz to give the Padres a 2-0 lead in the first inning. San Diego went on to win the game 5-2.
Manny’s first pitch, Manny’s first home run pic.twitter.com/8iwwUS5egC
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 21, 2025
Two appeared to be a theme for Machado and the Padres. In his second at-bat Machado again hit the first pitch he saw. The ball was struck well, but landed in the glove of Mariners right fielder Dominic Canzone. Machado ended his day with two swings on two pitches finishing 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored.
Gavin Sheets made his debut and continued the theme of two, finishing with two doubles. Sheets was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Oscar Gonzalez also contributed a double and finished his day 2-for-3 with an RBI. Sheets and Gonzalez were joined by Eguy Rosario and Mike Brosseau, who each had a double.
Gavin Sheets after hitting two doubles in his first Spring Training game:
“I feel good about the adjustments I made this offseason. I’ve loved the work that I’ve put in here with the new coaching staff…coming out today and seeing it flourish in the game is always nice.” pic.twitter.com/MscwTqT3fM
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 21, 2025
As impressive as the home run by Machado and the rest of the San Diego offense was, the pitching performance by the Padres was equally impressive. Nine pitchers combined to allow two runs on two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Bradgley Rodriguez and Francis Peña combined for four of the eight strikeouts with two each.
The first inning home run by Machado was something the Padres and their fans were happy to see, but Mike Shildt was pleased to see contributions from so many players.
⚾️ POSTGAME REACTION ⚾️
Mike Shildt discussed Manny Machado’s homer, Gavin Sheets’ two-hit day, Bradgley Rodriguez’s performance, and more following the Padres’ 5-2 win against the Mariners. pic.twitter.com/mm2vVRQ3ws
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 21, 2025
San Diego will look to continue the scoring and the total team effort against the Athletics, Saturday.
