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You could feel it was being built all week. Like a storm cloud gathering over the Chavez valley, the tension between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was thick and heavy, waiting for it to explode.
I finally did it on Thursday night.
In the ninth inning of the volatile series finale between these bitter NL West Rivals, the Dodgers’ reliever Jack Little Hit Fernando Tatis Jr. hit on the pitch. The 26-year-old superstar didn’t charge for the mound, but the message was clear. San Diego was looking good enough.
Padres manager Mike Schilt leapt out of the dugout like a man barking across the diamond before the bench and bullpen were empty in a mixed pack of blue and brown. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also hadn’t retreated. Both clubs converged near the home plate, which coincided with a gradual stage of Silt’s rage.
The brawl did not escalate to punches, but the heat between these teams could not be denied. Both managers were kicked out in the aftermath.
And maybe it was late.
This four-game war at Dodger Stadium was not a baseball game, but a brewing street battle surrounded by ball and strike. By the time the final pitch was thrown, seven different players were wearing fastballs, cutters and badge-like sliders. No statistical sheets were needed to know that the series had crossed the line from competitive to flammable.
Shohei Ohtani has a welt on his back just below his right arm after hitting Robert Suarez of Padres Close at the ninth bottom. He probably has something that matches his right foot as well.
– Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) June 20, 2025
Tatis, who had a significant share of the Dodgers and the drama for many years, was quickly unlocked for a pinch runner after being a hit. But the real spark wasn’t HBP, it was history. Postseason meeting. Highlight reel butt flip. Chirp from the dugout. The stolen base has been blown away. It all was summed up.
And on Thursday night it spilled.
That was inevitable.
After Fernando Tatis Jr. is attacked by the pitch, the bench is eventually cleared, and the bad blood between these two teams spills onto the field. Dodgers and Padres. Must-see TV pic.twitter.com/gn0iekkw1v
– Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) June 20, 2025
At the bottom of the nine innings, the Padres responded by hitting a two-way superstar, reigning NL MVP Shohei ohtani. Robert Suarez, closer to San Diego, was quickly kicked out. He was the eighth batter in the series. Overall, in seven games, these two teams met this season. Over the past two weeks, there have been 11 hits on the pitch.
What appears to be a midsummer measurement stick between two playoff candidates has become a reminder. That’s personal.
Now, more than half of the season remains, so it doesn’t matter if you can see fireworks again between these two. When is that?
stay tuned.
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