The brotherly reunion of Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop

MILWAUKEE – Two hours before the first pitch of Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the Brewers’ final hitting group was finishing batting practice. Slowly the Dodgers emerged from the visitors’ dugout at Miller Park.

A few Brewers began mingling with the incoming Dodgers. Some of the players exchanged hugs and handshakes. Then there was a pause in the action when one Dodger superstar emerged and saw a longtime friend and former Orioles teammate next to the cage.

A brotherly embrace was quickly followed by some trash talk. For a moment, Jonathan Schoop of the Brewers and Manny Machado of the Dodgers shared some love. The relationship quickly dissolved into two players chasing the same dream.

“Enjoy him today and then tomorrow try to beat him,” Machado said on the eve of Game 1 at Miller Park.

Getting Loose

A collection of Dodgers was stretching between the dirt in front of the dugout and the cage. Kiké Hernández, Matt Kemp and others were getting loose while a few Brewers took their final swings.

Schoop, who was acquired by the Brewers before the July 31 deadline. He played the first five full seasons of his career with Baltimore. As the Orioles endured a dreadful 2018 season the selling began, sending a doubleplay combination to the eventual NL Central and NL West champions who are now fighting for a spot in the World Series.

Schoop wasn’t the first player dealt out of Baltimore. His double play partner over the first half of the season, Machado, left for the All-Star Game in nearby Washington D.C. in the middle of July as a member of the Orioles. After wearing a Baltimore logo on his All-Star jersey he never put the orange bird back on.

Machado was traded to Los Angeles during the All-Star Break, 13 days before Schoop was shipped out of town.

“We go way back,” Machado said of his relationship with Schoop. “I’ve known him for eight years. We came up together. We started playing together. We’ve done everything together for eight years in an organization. We grew our relationship. He’s one of my best friends. It’s just relationships that you build on through the years, and he’s one of my best friends.”

They Meet Again

As Schoop stood beside the cage between turns, he greeted Hernandez and Kemp. But there was a pause when Machado emerged from the dugout.

Machado hopped over the white fence keeping the throng of media off the well-kept infield grass and navigated his way between Dodgers teammates in various stages of stretching to meet his former Orioles teammate.

The two wrapped each other in a strong hug.

Machado said something to Schoop that only the two could hear. Both laughed heartily.

Once the two separated, however, the reality of their current situations became clear. Machado was wearing Pantone 294 (aka Dodgers Blue) while Schoop had on the blue and yellow of Milwaukee.

Machado began stretching with his teammates and the friendly rivalry took shape. The two talked some trash before Schoop’s final reps in the cage.

Then they went to opposite dugouts, four wins away from the World Series and miles away from their own Baltimore roots.

Featured Image: La Vida Baseball

Inset Images: La Vida Baseball