By: Gabrielle DiPaula
BALTIMORE – Manny Machado returns to Camden Yards for the first time since the Orioles trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers last July. In return the Orioles received five prospects from the Dodgers including right-handed pitchers Dean Kremer and Zach Pop, outfielder Yusniel Diaz, infielder Breyvic Valera, and third baseman Rylan Bannon. Machado is not returning as a Dodger but as a San Diego Padre. Machado inked a 10-year $300 million with San Diego in February.
Manny just recently was in an altercation with home plate umpire Tim Welke after being called out on the third strike, that Machado clearly did not agree with. Manny received a one game suspension for contact with the umpire. Machado is appealing his suspension But today – Manny seemed to be feeling nostalgic on his previous home in Baltimore.
Machado mentioned some of the emotions coming back to Baltimore after almost a year. "This is the place I called home for a long time and coming in here, coming to the hotel, and not my home, coming to the opposite side of the clubhouse is a little different, but it feels good to feel like it's home."
The Padres are sitting right now two games below .500. A short two-series win in Baltimore would be ideal for the Machado and the Padres. Machado will be playing third base and also hitting third in the lineup Tuesday night.
"Putting on a different uniform today, stepping on that field on the other side, which will be a little different and weird but I got to try to win got to try to take my young team - young group to the playoffs like we did here in Baltimore. I feel like we have that same group like when we came up. Obviously Taltis [Fernando] was in my shoes at that point and I am in Adam [Jones] and [Nick] Markakis shoes on this side of it. But I feel like we have the same group and mentality of it to go out there and play baseball and try and win some games."
And what is Manny feeling towards his first time playing in Camden Yards since the trade in July?
"I'm never nervous I know, I guess it's like a weird nervous in a way. It's just different it's a different nervous. It's something that, it was always coming into that same clubhouse walking through that same door, parking in that same parking spot. Taking the same route to the same baseball field every day and it was just all different today. It's a good nervous, though."
Machado's ending did not go as planned, however, he did take away some things after the matter: "There's always the business side of things that you can't control and you just have to learn from them. Just go about your business. We have endless relationships with guys that I played with here…Adam, Schoop, Markakis, Davis. I mean there's so many relationships I built here that go above baseball, go above coming to the field every day. Those are the memories that you will never forget – those are relationships that you grow with."
Manny mentioned he saw the No. 13 on several people walking the streets of Baltimore. "The impact that we had here as a group and what we did…we left an impact here that is bigger than baseball. Seeing that jersey – there is more than just playing a game. It's awesome."
As the Orioles open up a two-game series with the Padres, Manny said he was very excited to take the field again, "it's going to bring back a lot of memories."
The Orioles will visit Manny and the Padres in late July for a two-game series in San Diego.
