San Diego Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado had plenty of praise for his former teammate, Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, ahead of the 2025 All-Star Game, where they will share the field once more.
"He was the best," said Machado. "It was an honor to play behind him. What a competitor. He's a Hall of Famer for sure. At his age, what he's still doing. That's impressive."
Manny Machado says his former teammate Clayton Kershaw was "the best.":
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) July 14, 2025
"He was the best. It was an honor to play behind him. What a competitor. He's a Hall of Famer for sure. At his age, what he's still doing. That's impressive." pic.twitter.com/Tan2eoWvHi
Machado joined the Dodgers from the Baltimore Orioles in 2018, where he got to see Kershaw's stuff first-hand. While Kershaw didn't make the All-Star game for the first time in seven years that season, he still posted impressive numbers, showing Machado what he could do first-hand. He had a 2.73 ERA and 155 strikeouts through 161.1 innings pitched.
Kershaw became the third active pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts this season, joining an exclusive club along with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. He has three NL Cy Young Awards and an MVP under his belt in an illustrious 18-season career.
Machado posted an .825 OPS in Dodger blue, hitting 13 homers and driving in 42 runs in just 66 games with the Padres' division rivals. Machado elected free agency after the 2018 season and joined the Padres, where he has routinely faced off against the southpaw.
In his career, Machado has faced Kershaw 37 times, recording 10 hits and a walk. He has two homers against the veteran, and has drawn one walk. The Padres and Dodgers' battles this season have been fierce, and the third baseman will hope he can continue to see Kershaw well if they end up matching up again.
The Padres are 0.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card race, and will rely on Machado to continue his All-Star level production for the remainder of the season. The Padres return from the All-Star break with a 10-game road trip, during which they face the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.
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