Kick-save and a beauty: Manny Machado’s well-timed kick helps Padres rally to win in Boston

BOSTON (AP) — Padres third baseman — and San Diego FC part-owner — Manny Machado is making his case to move from the baseball diamond to the soccer pitch.

Machado kicked aside a pickoff attempt to help the Padres score two runs as they rallied from a four-run deficit on their way to an 8-6 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday. The error charged to Boston catcher Carlos Narváez moved up two runners who eventually scored, and Machado’s three-run homer in the next inning gave San Diego a 6-4 lead.

“I think I picked the wrong sport,” Machado said. “FC should probably sign me up.”

So, did he do it on purpose?

“Nah, I mean, I’m trying to get out of the way,” he told reporters. “It was perfect timing. … I couldn’t be better than that.”

A seven-time All-Star in a 15-year major league career, Machado is also a founding partner of San Diego FC, which joined MLS as an expansion team last year. He has won two Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove and three Silver Slugger awards.

Might a Golden Boot be next?

“I’ve got to hit ’em up now,” Machado said. “Think I’ve got a slot now.”

With runners on first and second and one out in the fourth inning, Machado took his lead and Narváez threw behind him in an attempt to pick him off first base. Machado went back toward the bag and jumped, stutter-stepping with his right foot before bringing it right down as the throw arrived.

The ball ricocheted into foul territory, putting runners on second and third. One out later, Nick Castellanos singled them both home.

“Kind of got me by surprise, saw the ball coming in, trying to jump out of the way and as it came down I had perfect timing,” Machado said. “You’re trying to bounce up and get out of that way of that ball, you know?

“I started low, obviously. So I’m trying to decide if I’m going to slide or not, going back into the base. And then obviously I saw the ball coming kind of down low so I kind of jumped up in the air. As I’m coming down and kind of my foot just came in and I obviously hit it.”

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Machado was watching Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras to see if he was going to beat him to the bag.

“He doesn’t have to beat the throw, he only has to beat the first baseman,” the rookie manager said. “It was just a bad throw that hit his ankle.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb