Sports
'Doing it for Peter.' Padres see divine help from late owner in game-ending triple play
The Dodgers scored once in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull to within two runs of the San Diego Padres, they had runners on first and second with no outs and Miguel Rojas up, and in the on-deck circle was Shohei Ohtani, who had hit .778 (14 for 18) with five home runs, two doubles and 13 RBIs in his previous four games.
The Padres, it seemed, would need an act of divine intervention to prevent baseball’s hottest hitter and presumptive National League most valuable player from imposing his will on Tuesday night’s game, and third baseman Manny Machado is convinced they got one from Peter Seidler, the beloved former Padres owner who died last November.
One pitch after squaring to bunt and taking a strike, Rojas ripped a hard ground ball right at Machado, who took two steps to the bag and touched third and fired to second baseman Jake Cronenworth, who threw to first base to complete a stunning game-ending triple play to complete the Padres’ 4-2 victory over the Dodgers.
“I think he’s been with us all year, he’s shining upon us right now, smiling down, enjoying this moment, enjoying this victory with us, enjoying the celebration,” Machado said after the Padres clinched a playoff berth and trimmed the Dodgers’ NL West lead to two games with five games remaining.
“In a tough spot, with Ohtani in the on-deck circle, we turn a triple play against one of the best teams in baseball? He’s looking upon us.”
San Diego took a 4-1 lead into the ninth thanks to Cronenworth’s two-run homer in the second inning and RBI hits from Xander Bogaerts (single) and Cronenworth (double) in the fourth off Dodgers starter Landon Knack.
Padres right-hander Michael King gave up one unearned run and three hits in five innings to improve to 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA, and relievers Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Tanner Scott and Jason Adam combined for three scoreless innings.
Closer Robert Suarez, who blew a save by giving up two runs in the ninth inning against the lowly Chicago White Sox last Friday, came on to pitch the ninth and gave up singles to Will Smith, Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández, the latter a shattered-bat bloop into center field that cut the lead to 4-2.
Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla came to the mound, and the entire infield huddled around Suarez.
“We’ve been picking each other up all year, and we told Robert on that mound visit, ‘Hey, we got you, man, go out there and keep doing your thing,’ ” Machado said. “We did that a few days ago, when he gave it up–we’ve got your back. That’s what this team is all about.”
What transpired next–a game-ending triple play–is so rare that it has happened only 28 times in major league history and only three times in the wild-card era, according to Major League Baseball researcher Sarah Langs. It was the 10th triple play in Padres’ history and first to end a game.
“That was the perfect play,” Machado said. “We were thinking he was going to bunt, and he showed bunt the first pitch. I was thinking he was going to bunt [again] and he hit a ground ball right at me. Instantly, you know, hey, let’s try to turn this and get us out of it.”
Asked if a triple play even crossed his mind as he strategized for the Rojas at-bat, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “No, not at all.”
Even after Machado fielded the grounder, “I thought he was going to go from third to first,” Roberts said.
“We couldn’t have scripted it any better,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “What a play by Manny.”
After a wild beer-and-champagne celebration in the visiting clubhouse of Dodger Stadium, and long after the home team had departed, the Padres gathered in front of the first-base dugout for a team picture, but there was one key member of the club who was missing.
“Manny! Manny! Manny!” they chanted, and up the dugout steps came a shirtless Machado, dressed in tan pants and nothing else. Machado plopped down in the front row, leaned back into the arms of his teammates for a few pictures, and the Padres returned to the clubhouse for a little more revelry.
“We are celebrating tonight, but we are coming tomorrow with the same energy,” right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said after the Padres improved to a major league-best 41-17 since the All-Star break. “I want more of this. We are going to make it happen. We are just going to keep coming as a group.This group is special.
“And we are definitely doing it for Peter.”
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational
William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts2 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Oklahoma1 week agoWildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology6 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology6 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making