"Manny Machado's wife was always a voice of reality to him" - Ex-Yankees manager expresses pride in Padres star's evolution from hot-headed teenager
Manny Machado is one of the best players in the MLB. His former manager Buck Showalter expressed his pride in the infielder's growth over the years. Showalter is the manager of the New York Mets and but is veteran manager of over three decades who has worked with hundreds of players over the years.
On "Off scRIPt with Rip" with Ryan Ripken, Showalter opened up about his approach towards a hot-headed, young Machado and his evolution through the years, crediting Machado's wife:
"The biggest mistake a lot of coaches and managers do is that they try put a thumb on a kid. Can you imagine if I tried to supress Manny Machado's personality?
"One of the things my wife tells me all the time is, good women don't hang around bad men ... and Manny's wife was always a voice of reality to him.
"I told Manny one time that the biggest challenge and the biggest reward you'll get is to be a good father and a good husband... That's the challenge in the whole scheme of life, and I try to keep a grip on reality with these players because ...you're not a good as they try to make you feel, and you're not as bad as they can make you feel."
Manny Machado started his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 and quickly earned a reputation as a hot head. However, his exceptional talent took him to the Dodgers for a year before he signed with the San Diego Padres in 2019.
Off the field, he's married to Yainee Alonso, the sister of former MLB player Yonder Alonso. The couple started dating in 2011 before tying the knot 2014. They welcomed their first child, a son, earlier this year.
Jack Falherty opens up on heated exchange with Manny Machado during the NLDS
While Manny Machado may have outgrown his reputaion as a hot-headed youngster since joining the San Diego Padres, he's still willing to scrap with opponents when needed.
That was evident during their NLDS matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he had a heated exchange with Jack Flaherty. Speaking as a free agent now, Flaherty opened up about the incident on FanDuel TV's Run It Back:
"It all just came out. ... I’m not surprised he didn’t take it too kindly, like, by all means, he should be upset that those words came out."
It was good to see Flaherty recalling the moment with fondness and also a reminder players don't carry what happens on the field into their personal lives.