SAN DIEGO — Manny Machado was called out on batter’s interference after dropping his bat near Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy as Murphy tried to catch a popup, a disputed decision that led to Padres manager Andy Green’s ejection.
Machado appeared to brush Murphy as he broke out of the box while Murphy moved to catch a popup about 10 feet down the first-base line in the sixth inning Tuesday. As he ran by, Machado tossed his bat toward Murphy’s feet, though the bat did not touch Murphy. The catcher dropped the pop foul, but plate umpire Bill Welke signaled for interference and called Machado out.
Green came out to argue with Welke and was ejected. Green slammed his cap to the ground.
Machado has been criticized in the past for his baseball ethics. He was called a “dirty player” by NL MVP Christian Yelich during last year’s postseason after he stepped on Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar‘s leg while running out a groundout.