Former teammates Sean Manaea and Nick Martinez participated in a good, old-fashioned standoff, following the playing of the national anthem before Sunday's game between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres in Mexico City.
Once the playing of the national anthem concluded, neither Manaea or Martinez left the field, standing off against each other in a contest to see who would move first. To add to the fun, Martinez wore a sombrero, while Manaea had a Mexican wrestling mask on his head. Martinez would emerge victorious.
Last summer, former teammates Luke Weaver and Robbie Ray engaged in a similar, playful stand-off. The stand-off lasted so long, that eventually Weaver and Ray were ejected for stalling the start of the game. Thankfully, no players were ejected in the making of Sunday's stand-off.
Manaea and Martinez were teammates for one season with the Padres, in 2022. The Padres acquired Manaea and Aaron Holiday in exchange for Adrian Martinez and Euribiel Angeles, just days before Opening Day last season. Manaea became a free agent upon the conclusion of the season, and in December, he signed a two-year, $25 million contract to pitch for the Giants.
Manaea started against his former team Saturday, as the Padres tagged five runs off him on five hits, four walks and a home run. The Padres would go on to win in a slugfest, 16-11.
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