Manny Machado apparently isn’t a big fan of the MLB Network.
The Padres star took to Instagram Live on Tuesday night to lay into MLB Network commentators Eric Byrnes and Dan Plesac. Machado was listening to the pair’s commentary on the Astros’ Jake Marisnick, who was plunked by the Angels on Tuesday night, a little over a week after he slammed into catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The collision forced Lucroy to be hospitalized with a fractured nose and concussion and earned Marisnick a two-game suspension.
“F–king Plesac,” Machado said. “Oh my God. This guy. Plesac and Byrnes – biggest tools out there. I don’t know what they’re talking about over there. They gotta talk about something at least. They gotta protect their people.”
Byrnes and Plesac defended Marisnick, who took his drilling in stride and helped calm down his teammates when benches briefly cleared. Had it been himself, however, Machado thinks the coverage would have sounded very differently.
“They’re protecting that guy,” Machado said. “Was it dirty or not? I don’t know. Did he have to make a decision real quick? Yeah, he did. But if it was me? I would’ve got probably 20 games. 20 games, 100 percent.
“But you know Byrnes, he knows everything about the game… talking about they threw at his head. What about when I got thrown at my head? Nobody was backing me up. They were saying that I deserved it. I deserved to get thrown at my head. God forbid somebody else gets thrown [at]. They back it up. That’s what this game is coming to now, guys like that.”
Machado’s lack of hustle and reputation for dirty plays have drawn him ample scorn throughout his career, particularly during last year’s postseason run with the Dodgers. He has a history with Byrnes and Plesac, who have been vocal critics of the 27-year-old.
Byrnes highlighted Machado’s ill-behaved track record in his email newsletter last October on the heels of Machado stepping on the Brewers’ Jesus Aguilar during last season’s NLCS.
“We all make stupid mistakes and let our emotions get the best of us,” Byrnes wrote. “As the years have gone on, I have done everything in my power to give Machado the benefit of the doubt. Yet, he obviously has not grown up and continues to be a complete and total disgrace to the game of baseball.
“Machado is an incredibly talented player and is set to hit the free agent market this winter. If I was the owner of any of the 30 MLB clubs, there is ZERO chance I would give this dude one f–king dollar… In all my years, I have never seen a dude disrespect the baseball fraternity as much as Machado.”
In 2014, Byrnes tweeted “Dear Manny Machado, game will chew u up & spit u out as it has every one of us. All left at end r relationships u build. Respect your peers [sic].”
Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres this offseason, and has recorded a .269 average with 23 home runs and 62 RBIs in 91 games this season.
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