They say all is fair in love and war, and Manny Machado seems like he’d include baseball in that adage. The Padres’ 32-year-old third baseman was the target of a tactic that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said was aimed at getting the focus off his team last fall in the NL Division Series.

There is a sense that a still-talented team must make the most of the upcoming season. The urgency is heightened by what unfolded last fall.

Manny Machado got straight to business during the San Diego Padres' spring training opener on Friday. Machado took the first pitch he saw deep over the center field wall for a two-run homer off Seattle Mariners left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Díaz.

The Padres beat the Mariners 5-2 on Friday at Peoria Stadium in both teams’ spring training opener. Batter’s box: Manny Machado hit the first pitch he saw halfway up the batter’s eye directly beyond the center field wall.

The San Diego Padres are hungry heading into the 2025 season after a disappointing NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, and that quest gets underway Friday against the Seattle Mariners in the spring training opener.