SAN DIEGO (AP) — Padres third baseman Manny Machado tried a hidden-ball trick against the Boston Red Sox and it ended up costing San Diego at least one run Saturday night.
With Jarren Duran on third base and one out in the third inning, Machado still had the ball after Alex Bregman was caught in a rundown on the previous play. With reliever Wandy Peralta on the rubber, Machado tagged Duran, who pointed to the mound. Third base umpire Scott Barry called a balk, and Duran scored to give Boston a 2-1 lead. Trevor Story moved from second to third.
By rule, the pitcher cannot be on the rubber for a hidden-ball trick to be legal. If another player tags a runner while the pitcher is standing on or straddling the rubber, it’s a balk.
Masataka Yoshida then hit a grounder to bring in Story and make it 3-1. The Padres pulled to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning and went ahead 4-3 in the fifth.
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