News has emerged that the San Diego Padres, who started the season strong, have fallen into internal conflict.
Ben Verlander, brother of Major League Baseball ace Justin Verlander (San Francisco) and analyst for U.S. media Fox Sports Major League Baseball, reported through his podcast that after the game between San Diego and Toronto at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the 22nd (Korea time), San Diego players had a verbal altercation in the clubhouse.
San Diego has a record of 27 wins and 21 losses this season, with a winning percentage of .563, currently sitting third in the National League West. In the National League wild card race, they are also ranked third, trailing in the postseason qualification.
The situation was different as of the 26th of last month. San Diego held the top spot in the division with a record of 17 wins and 9 losses, having a winning percentage of .654. However, they faced intense pursuit from the Dodgers and San Francisco, ultimately allowing a reversal. Currently, the Dodgers (31 wins and 19 losses, .620 winning percentage) are in first place, followed by San Francisco (29 wins and 21 losses, .580 winning percentage) in second.
San Diego has lost all games from the match against Seattle on the 17th to the match against Toronto on the 23rd, resulting in a six-game losing streak. During this losing streak, San Diego scored 9 runs and conceded 39, exposing their worst performance. Amid a series of demoralizing losses, the conflict within the team arose after the 0-14 loss against Toronto on the 22nd.
Verlander noted that after the heavy loss, a player in the clubhouse raised questions about the team's leadership, which sparked the conflict. The names of the players involved in the conflict were not disclosed, but it is reported that there was either a physical altercation or at least a heated argument. Verlander asserted that what is clear is that significant dissatisfaction had been building within the team, and someone vocalized what many players had been thinking: "Who is in charge of the ship?"
San Diego has recruited numerous superstars over time. Manny Machado (15 years, $470 million), Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million), Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million), and Yu Darvish (6 years, $108 million) are among the prominent high-salary star players. With so many superstars, it is a challenge for the coaching staff to gain complete control over the players.
While San Diego showcases a better atmosphere than any other team when on an upswing, cracks seem to have formed within the team as they have fallen into a long losing streak. All eyes are on whether San Diego can resolve the turmoil within the team and make a rebound.
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