Dodgers-Padres Rivalry Boils Over After Jack Little Hits Fernando Tatis Jr. Yet Again
You couldn’t script it any better if you were writing a Hollywood baseball movie. On June 20, 2025, the intense rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres exploded again—this time thanks to a 93-mph fastball that found the hand of Fernando Tatis Jr. For Tatis, this wasn’t just a bad-luck bruise or a one-off mistake. It was the third time in nine days that a Dodgers pitcher plunked him, and it sent tempers on both sides through the roof.
Here’s how it went down. Dodgers rookie Jack Little was on the mound in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium, his heart pounding as he faced one of the game’s brightest stars. One wild pitch later, Tatis was wincing in pain. You could feel the hostility in the stands—no one believed this was just baseball business as usual. Immediately after the pitch, both dugouts emptied. Players and coaches swarmed the diamond, ready for something ugly to unfold. The tension felt inevitable, not accidental.
The managers didn’t play peacemakers this time. Padres skipper Mike Shildt stormed towards his Dodgers counterpart Dave Roberts, clearly fed up with what looked like a pattern. Umpires didn’t hesitate to eject both managers, trying to cool tempers that weren’t interested in cooling at all. As they left, the volume of boos and jeers only increased. Some fans tossed jabs as much as the players did.
Tatis and Teammates Make Their Frustrations Known
After the game, Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t hold back. He stood in the clubhouse, his hand examined by trainers, and called out the Dodgers. "Just clean it up," he said bluntly—implying he’d had more than enough of being targeted. The phrase had a bite that everyone felt, inside and outside the locker rooms. There’s an unwritten rule about not repeatedly hitting the other team’s star, and Dodgers pitchers had stomped all over it.
Manny Machado, the Padres’ big bat and bigger personality, turned the heat up even more. He told reporters the Dodgers should "pray" that Tatis wasn’t seriously hurt—which, in rivalry language, is the baseball equivalent of a warning shot. The Padres, as a team, have been battered in this series: eight hit-by-pitches in just four games is not something anyone calls ordinary.
For Jack Little, it was a nightmare moment in what’s supposed to be the dream portion of his rookie season. Sources around the clubhouse say he insisted the pitch got away and that there was no intention, but few in San Diego are buying it. From the Padres’ side, the pattern speaks louder than rookie nerves. Dodgers fans, meanwhile, brace for a new level of animosity every time these teams meet.
Maybe umpire warnings will stick next time, or maybe the feud will just keep picking up steam. Either way, if you’ve tuned into a Dodgers-Padres game lately, you know to expect fireworks. The rivalry has reached a boiling point, and it doesn’t look like things are cooling off any time soon.
