Fernando Tatis Jr. sends message to Ken Rosenthal after negative article

Feb 28, 2020; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fernando Tatis Jr. had a message for longtime MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal after the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers and Padres have had a spirited NLDS thus far. The drama between the two teams reached its peak during Game 2 on Sunday night, when Manny Machado seemed to deliberately toss a ball toward the L.A. dugout between innings . Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called the situation “very bothersome” and “disrespectful.” A video later surfaced that appeared to show that the stunt from Machado was hardly earth-shattering .

Rosenthal was clearly offended by Machado’s behavior. He used it as an opportunity to publish a piece in The Athletic in which he criticized Machado for having a “punkish response” to Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty hitting Tatis with a pitch in Game 2. Rosenthal had strong words for Tatis and Jurickson Profar, too.

“Machado is far from the Padres’ only irritant,” Rosenthal wrote. “Fernando Tatis Jr. is a smiling, dancing peacock. Jurickson Profar is the kid who pulls the fire alarm at school and then asks, ‘Who, me?'”

The Padres then beat the Dodgers 6-5 on Tuesday night in Game 3 at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. Tatis hit a two-run home run in the 2nd inning that ended up being the difference for the Padres.

After the game, Tatis shared a photo on Instagram that showed him celebrating the home run. He embedded an emoji of a peacock and a guy dancing, which was an obvious response to Rosenthal calling Tatis a “smiling, dancing peacock.”

The Padres are clearly embracing the villain role, and they have gotten help with that from both Dodgers fans and now Rosenthal.

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