Manny Machado's unusual superstition pays off in Padres' Wild Card push

A loud part of the story was told before the game between the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals even started on Monday. Manny Machado, Padres third baseman, showed up with a platinum fade, which is probably fair to say was not something anyone was expecting to see. But by the end of a 3-2 win over the Nationals to keep them a half-game back in the Wild Card chase, nobody was complaining.

Machado went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and his third-inning single drove in the run as the Padres built a small lead that we found out was insurmountable on this day. It’s a small line in a game the Padres had to have. But the timing of it, right in the postseason push, is what gets a clubhouse talking this time of year.

Why Machado went platinum for the Padres’ playoff push

It should come as no surprise that Machado wasn’t shy at all about expressing himself. He mentioned that he wanted something different because when he grew his hair out earlier in the year, the Padres went on a hot streak. That stretch has apparently been in (and on) his head ever since. So to spark something in the last three weeks of the season, he took to a platinum dye job and a haircut to bring that same energy again, just with a slightly different look.

It’s been an uneven year at best for Machado. He was okay in March/April, then slumping badly in May before rebounding in June and thriving in July. But he spent a good chunk of August scuffling at the plate, which had Padres fans ready for a late-season fade. But, hey, if a bleach job is all it takes to snap him out of it, everybody in San Diego is willing to wear sunglasses when he takes his hat off.

The jokes, though, were inevitable. Some fans compared Machado to Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armonstong’s own hair experiments. Others thought the alien from Space Jam was a more apt comparison. But a few called it what it was, a late-season reset button, the kind of dumb (but fun) storyline a playoff race sometimes needs to not get too tense. Whatever it is, it’s already become one of the more talked-about non-baseball storylines of the stretch run. Machado doesn’t seem to have a problem with any of the talk.

There was baseball beyond the haircut too. Nick Pivetta made his return from the injured list, and he was very good. He threw five shutout innings to give the Padres hope about a rotation spot that’s been a problem for months. Jackson Merrill added three hits and two RBI, and Fernando Tatis Jr. had three of his own, with a run scored, to give the Padres enough offense to stave off a two-run home run by Dylan Crews.

Mason Miller closed it out. The Padres improved to 76-68. The Wild Card race is going to be, well, wild.

None of it changes simply because of some hair dye, but superstition has long been a thing in baseball. Machado is far from the first to chase a feeling instead of overthinking a swing, and he is far from the last to do it. If growing his hair out worked once, why can’t a platinum fade work this time? The Padres need Machado to keep hitting as he did on Monday, and if his hair helps him do that for any reason, hey, why not. Maybe it’ll keep October bright all the way to the end. 

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