Mike Shildt Reacts to First Win as Padres' Manager
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt has officially won his first game as Padres manager. While Shildt previously won 252 games as the St. Louis Cardinals manager from 2018-21, Thursday's win in Seoul, South Korea marked his first win with San Diego.
The win came in dominant fashion — particularly on offense, as the Padres earned a 15-11 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The game featured a home run by Manny Machado and a first-inning knockout of Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who in December signed the richest contract ($325 million over 12 years) ever given to a pitcher.
Shildt, who became the manager after Bob Melvin departed for the San Francisco Giants, reacted to the win after after the game.
"It means a lot for the group. I’m really proud of this group, the way we did it. Complete identity game. A lot of courage, a lot of toughness, a lot of fight. To have that kind of game, especially after coming back from a tough one yesterday, to come back and fight like we did tonight, and keep going when they kept coming back at us like a heavyweight fight. Winning feels good. It does.”
— Mike Shildt, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Overall, Shildt and the Padres looked good throughout the two-game Seoul Series against the Dodgers. Though they lost game one on Wednesday 5-2, the Padres did well until an eighth inning snafu from Jake Cronenworth let the Dodgers earn four runs and get the win.
Instead of a potential double-play groundout, a ball literally went through Cronenworth's glove to extend a four-run Dodger rally.
Thursday, the Padres outscored the Dodgers' stacked lineup. Though the defense and pitching weren't perfect, the game was a positive building block for their first-year manager.
Next, the Padres return home for a busy weekend. They will celebrate late owner Peter Seidler at Petco Park with a memorial on Saturday. On Sunday, the Padres will host FanFest.
