Actions

Christian Yelich calls Manny Machado a 'dirty player' after controversial play in Game 4

Christian Yelich calls Manny Machado a 'dirty player' after controversial play in Game 4
Posted at 5:40 AM, Oct 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-17 18:43:02-04

Christian Yelich was just one of a few Brewers team members that did not appreciate Manny Machado's attempt to get on base in Game 4 of the NLCS. 

"He's a player that has a history of those types of incidents," Yelich said. "One time is an accident. Repeated over and over and over again, you're just a dirty player. It's a dirty play by a dirty player. That's what it is. I have a lot of respect for him as a player, but you can't respect someone who plays the game like that.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Machado grounded to Orldando Arcia who promptly threw it to Jesus Aguilar at first base for the out. Machado was out by a mile, but as he was running through the base, he appeared to have dragged his foot in an attempt to kick Aguilar's leg.

This led to the benches clearing, but nothing more. Fortunately for the Brewers, Aguilar was not injured on the play. And he and Machado even hugged after Machado got on base in the 13th inning. He would eventually score the winning run for the Dodgers.

Machado defended himself after the game by saying, "I play baseball. I try to go out there and win for my team. If that's their comments, that's their comments; I can't do nothing about that."

Yelich, however, did not think this was just a baseball play. 

"It was a tough-fought baseball game. It has no place in our game. We've all grounded out. Run through the bag like you've been doing your whole life, like everybody else does," he said. "If it's an accident, it's an accident; but on the replay to us, it clearly looks like you clearly go out of your way to step on someone. It has no place in our game. It really doesn't."

Machado was also criticized for his attempts to break up double plays in Game 3 with hard slides into the legs of Arcia.

After the Dodgers' extra-inning win, the series is now tied at two games apiece with Game 5 today.