LOS ANGELES — San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar hit the series-winning hit Sunday at Dodger Stadium. One day after Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith called him “irrelevant,” his three-run double in the seventh inning went unnoticed by one of Profar's most prominent teammates.
“Irrelevant? I don't know. I'd have to look it up in the dictionary for that,” Padres third baseman Manny Machado said after San Diego's 6-3 win. “He's led this team in a big way. The numbers speak for themselves. Every time he comes here and steps on the field, he has a big impact on the game. At the end of the day, the kid is a 10-10 on this team. There are only a handful of baseball players in all of baseball who can accomplish this goal, so you have to give his name a little respect. ”
Profar was bounced off an up-and-in cutter by Dodgers starting pitcher Gavin Stone in the fifth inning on Saturday, causing an incident that vacated the bench, but with no exception. This was a surprising response since the Dodgers were leading by one run and Stone noted that he was pitching a complete game.
After Saturday's contest, Smith said of Profile on AM570: “I don't know why we threw it at him. He's kind of irrelevant.”
The next day, with the score tied at three in the seventh inning, Profar responded in the best way possible, with the bases loaded and one out, JP Feyereisen hit a shot over the center field wall. .
Profar, a beloved clubhouse presence who was brought back during spring training on a $1 million contract, has posted a .960 OPS thus far.
“I can tell you this: Profile is very relevant for us,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “He's the glue for us. He's been in the big leagues for 10 years. There's a relevance there. He did a great job with the three-run double tonight. But beyond that, a pro is a pro. He's a professional. is a very important person for San Diego.''The Padres are a very important person to me and I believe they are a very important person to my teammates.
Profar, who was behind the microphone on ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball,” mostly laughed off the incident, admitting that Stone didn't mean to throw it at him. After the game, Profar refused to bark back at Smith's remarks.
“I'm not going to comment on that,” Profar said with a laugh when asked if he felt “relevant.” “I'm just going to play, the same way I've always played.”
Asked if he had heard about Mr. Smith's abuse, Mr. Profar replied, “Yeah, I have, but I'm not a media person. I show up.”
Although Profar tried to diffuse it, the minor injury marks yet another incident, however minor, in a budding rivalry that has had many tense moments over the past few years. Ta.
Machado, a former Dodger, was booed every time he returned to play in Los Angeles, but he said he didn't really care. However, he made it clear that he is open to exceptions.
He also invented a new nickname for Profar: “Mr. Relevant.”
“You have a guy who has been in the league for 10 years, and I think he means a little more than being irrelevant. [Smith] ” Machado said. “You have to respect some of the names. And I think that's what this game is losing: They're losing respect for some of the players who have been here for a very long time. ”