Padres' Manny Machado Joins Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber in Elite Company

Sep 13, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) hits a one run home run during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

In the middle of a disappointing September, Padres third baseman Manny Machado mashed his way to an exclusive career achievement in Saturday night's win over the Colorado Rockies.

In the bottom of the third, already out to a 4-1 lead over the Rockies, Machado crushed a ball from pitcher Bradley Blalock, sending it 408 feet into the stands in centerfield.

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The home run was Machado's 25th of the season, putting him in elite company. Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber and Machado are the only players to hit at least 25 home runs every full season since 2018 — excluding the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.

The achievement is a feather in the cap of a player who hit just one homer across 108 at-bats in August. As the Padres approach the postseason, hope prevails that Machado will build off recent momentum. After a four-game streak in which he went 0-for-16, Machado is 4-for-6 with two home runs in his last two games.

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The day after Machado hit his career milestone, he was out of the Padres' starting lineup, taking a much-deserved day off on Sunday.

Machado had not missed a game all season until Sunday's 9-6 win over the Rockies, and had also not had a designated hitter start since Aug. 18.

"Manny was off," Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters on Sunday. "Now, he probably would have, you know, 10th inning or a big moment, he might have tapped me on the shoulder, but, listen, this guy's carried the mail for 100-and-something games consecutively, and it's good just to say, 'Hey, man, just don't get hot. Don't get your body moving. Just take the day, take tomorrow, and be ready to dominate after that."

The entire team had Monday off as they prepare for a six-game road trip, making stops for series against the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox before closing out the regular season at home.

"All that matters is winning," Machado said Sunday. "So, for me to get a day off, had confidence in the team that they're going to go out there and perform and that they'll leave it all out there. And they did that. So yeah, to sit back and watch a game was pretty fun."

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