Manny Machado is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad public relations week. It all started during Game Two of the NLCS, when Machado struck a groundball towards Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia. The Dodgers superstar didn’t run the ball out at top speed, and drew criticism for lacking hustle.
To make matters worse, the 26-year-old doubled down on the decision. Consider what he told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) after the game:
“Obviously I’m not going to change, I’m not the type of player that’s going to be ‘Johnny Hustle,’ and run down the line and slide to first base and … you know, whatever can happen.