Why Max Muncy Says Padres Aren’t True Rivals for Dodgers

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are division rivals; that much we know. However, the question that has recently caused a flurry is, does their rivalry run deeper? 

Both teams had some prior history that included a bench-clearing brawl, but there didn’t seem to be anything that made one the arch-nemesis of the other. 

Nonetheless, this Southern California tiff didn’t come into focus until last season. It started with a bench-clearing in April, and by mere fate, the two titans of the NL West would collide again in the NLDS.

In between innings during Game 2, Manny Machado, who got in a spat with Jack Flaherty after he hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch, threw a ball at his former manager, Dave Roberts. The Padres vehemently denied it was intentional, even barring Ken Rosenthal from their dugout because of his reporting on the matter. Still, the Dodgers were quick to note that the ball had some mustard on it.

That same game, Jurickson Profar robbed Mookie Betts of a home run, then made some new enemies by seemingly taunting Dodgers’ fans. Those same fans welcomed him back into the outfield by throwing stuff at him. The NLDS wound up falling in favor the Dodgers, something that wasn’t lost on San Diego.

Now, both teams have picked up where they left off. But if you ask any of the Dodgers, they don’t see it as an extension of their victorious NLDS; they just see it as a regular-season series. Dodgers’ third baseman, Max Muncy, doesn’t even see the Padres as rivals.