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Manny Machado was nearly perfect in Dodgers debut

Mark Townsend
Yahoo Sports Contributor

Hours after Manny Machado closed the chapter on his Baltimore Orioles career with an emotional goodbye message, a new chapter began as he debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Some are calling it Mannywood 2.0, which calls back to Manny Ramirez’s time with the Dodgers from 2008-10. Others are calling it the biggest in-season trade Major League Baseball has seen in several years. The Dodgers simply hope it leads to the franchise’s first World Series Championship in 30 years.

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Regardless of what Manny Machado’s time with the Dodgers proves to be, it got off to a near perfect start Friday night in Milwaukee.

Machado, who was playing his preferred shortstop position and batting second, reached base in each of his first four plate appearances in the Dodgers 6-4 win against the Milwaukee Brewers. His night started with a first-inning single against Milwaukee starter Wade Miley. After drawing a pair of walks, he singled again his fourth time up.

Manny Machado made a big impact in his Dodgers debut, reaching base four times in a 6-4 win against the Brewers. (Getty Images)
Manny Machado made a big impact in his Dodgers debut, reaching base four times in a 6-4 win against the Brewers. (Getty Images)

Machado had a chance to make it five straight times on base in the ninth inning, but ended up flying out to right field. Though Machado was not involved in any of the Dodgers runs, he made his impact felt at the plate.

As a team, the Dodgers cranked out 11 hits. The biggest being Kiké Hernández’s three-run home run the ninth inning. The Dodgers improved to 54-43 with the win.

How did Manny Machado say goodbye to Baltimore?

Early Friday, Machado posted a heartfelt message on Instagram.

To my Baltimore family, I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out how I would say goodbye but there wasn’t an easy way to do it. I first joined this organization at the age of 17 and these past eight years have far exceeded anything I ever could’ve imagined. Throughout the ups and downs, you embraced me unconditionally and you took a kid from Miami and brought me up as one of your own. I’ve enjoyed my time here and you all have played a big part in that!! Thank you Birdland! You are forever in my heart! To the Baltimore Orioles, it has truly been a blessing to put on that uniform every day. To the Angelos Family & Dan Duquette, thank you for making my dreams come true!!! To Buck and the coaching staff, thank you for your commitment and dedication to making me the best player and teammate I can possibly be…I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of you. To my teammates, we’ve shared some amazing times with lots of memories & friendships that I’ll cherish forever. Schoopy, I love you bro and I know you will carry the torch!!! ! Much love always, Manny #13

A post shared by @ machados13 on Jul 20, 2018 at 12:22pm PDT

How did the Orioles fare without Manny Machado?

It’s a lost season for the Orioles, which is one reason they were motivated to trade Machado. His upcoming free agency is obviously the biggest reason.

Baltimore entered its first game without Machado at 41 games under .500, but showed a lot of resilience by rallying from a five-run deficit in the eighth inning. Unfortunately for the Orioles, Toronto prevailed in the 10th-inning on an Aledmys Diaz single that somehow squeaked past third baseman Renato Nunez and shortstop Tim Beckham. Fitting, considering those are Machado’s positions.

The Orioles are now 28-70 on the season, and are expected to continue unloading veteran players ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

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