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The San Diego Padres (40-34) and Los Angeles Dodgers (46-30) got everyone's blood pumping after a lively end to an antagonistic four-game series in Chavez Ravine. They also brought to light a longstanding debate that revolves around the “unspoken baseball code.”
LA rookie Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in the hand with a pitch on Thursday night, immediately drawing the ire of manager Mike Shildt, who engaged in a heated altercation with Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts before both men were ejected. Padres closer Robert Suarez then drilled Shohei Ohtani in the back after falling behind in the count 3-0. The Japanese juggernaut waved off his teammates and took his base, but the message was sent loud and clear.
And many people do not like it. On multiple occasions this week, San Diego blatantly stood up for one of its star players by going after the face of the Dodgers, and maybe the sport. There are fans who deem the “obligatory response” as antiquated and juvenile, but the Friars obviously want to protect their guy.
Tatis got plunked multiple times during the series. Although Roberts vehemently claims there was no malice involved, intent is probably not relevant to the opposing clubhouse. Teams will only tolerate so many mishaps before snapping back. San Diego is likely not viewing the Tatis HBPs in isolation, which admittedly do leave room for ambiguity. The club sees a teammate and game-changing bat getting bruised by a divisional rival.
A former MLB catcher believes the Padres are justified in their firm response. Moreover, he is highlighting a broader dilemma that is causing these conversations to transpire in the first place.
Sorting out the fiery Padres-Dodgers situation
“You know the whole organization, all they want is dudes who throw million-dollar speed balls up there,” Erik Kratz said on the “Foul Territory” podcast. “If you can't put a guy in that can control where it's going, understand that your golden ticket, Shohei Ohtani, is going to get hit.
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“If you don't like it, I need you to either take Ohtani out of the game or put pitchers in who know where it's going. So to me, I get it….. but you have to {throw at him}. And for the Dodgers, you got to throw inside to Tatis.”
"If you can't put a guy in that can't control where it's going, understand that your golden ticket, Ohtani, is going to get hit."@ErikKratz31 says the Padres had no other choice but to retaliate. pic.twitter.com/gl32dYyTyb
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 20, 2025
Kratz is touching on an interesting point that will only gain more traction as pitching injuries pile up and young hurlers continue to struggle with control. However, Thursday's incident is a unique case for two reasons: Jack Little was pitching in his big-league debut and Los Angeles does not have many viable options right now due to an overstuffed injured list. That does not absolve the team of any responsibility, though.
Making these type of mistakes can directly impact a player's career. Pitchers cannot be afraid to get aggressive, but they must also expect some hard feelings in return when they connect with a sensitive area like the hand.
The Padres, who avoided a sweep with a 5-3 win in the series finale, will likely move forward with a big chip on their shoulder. But they also gave the Dodgers extra motivation as well. Ohtani and budding center fielder Andy Pages also got hit twice this week. The bad blood that exists between these in-state rivals might only fester.
Everyone has until Aug. 15 to cool off. The discourse surrounding this topic will probably persist, however.
