Even Dodgers fans can't help but respect Manny Machado's hat tip to Clayton Kershaw

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who is more of a public enemy No. 1 for Dodgers fans than Manny Machado. 

From his ill-fated (and stomp-filled) time with the Dodgers to his throw heard ‘round the world last postseason, there’s no love lost between Machado and the residents of Chavez Ravine. 

But just because he’s not well-liked around the Dodgers doesn’t mean that he doesn’t recognize history. We got an example of that earlier this week when Machado spoke about Kershaw retiring after the season. 

“He's one of the best competitors that this game has ever seen, we’re losing a legend,” Machado told reporters when asked about Kershaw (H/T to The Sporting Tribune’s Marty Caswell). “It was awesome to play behind him… those don’t come by too often. It was pretty special. To hit a couple homers off the legend is pretty cool.”

“Like I told him, wishing him nothing but the best, and hopefully our paths cross once again.” 

Even Manny Machado can appreciate Clayton Kershaw's Dodgers career

There are few modern pitchers who understand Kershaw better than Machado. Machado’s gone 10-for-38 against Kershaw in the regular season in his career (the fifth-most at-bats a current player has against Kershaw). Machado’s also gone 3-for-6 against Kershaw in the postseason with two home runs. 

Both of Machado's regular season home runs off the legend came in 2019 (he homered off Kershaw in his first at-bat against him), and he added postseason home runs against him in 2020 and ‘22. 

While every baseball season features legends retiring from the game, Kershaw’s retirement hits a little differently since he’s the last of a dying breed. He’s the active leader in ERA and ERA+, and also is a workhouse in a way that very few pitchers are these days (or are allowed to be). 

For the longest time, the biggest knock on him was his inability to perform in the postseason, but he got past that in 2020 when the Dodgers won the World Series (and defeated the Padres on the way to doing so). 

Even if Kershaw hasn’t been as involved in the Dodgers’ recent matchups against the Padres due to his injury history, he’s had a career’s worth of success against them that any Padres fan should respect. 

The ultimate irony of this is that there could still be another chapter written in this story, depending on how things go this postseason. 

The Dodgers are currently trying to fend off the Padres in the race for the National League West. And while that race means that the Padres and Dodgers would be on different sides of the National League bracket, there’s a good chance that the two teams could end up facing off against each other in the National League Championship Series.

And, if that’s the case, we may get to see one more duel between two legends. Hopefully, the Padres are as gracious as Machado on the whole and don't unfurl any more disrespectful memes in the process.