While the San Diego Padres and Manny Machado had a lot to celebrate on Opening Day 2024, one of the few lowlights was a hilarious bat break fail that would have disappointed sports legend Bo Jackson.
Thursday afternoon saw the Padres get off to a strong start when they were one of the biggest winners from MLB Opening Day 2024. Following an offseason where they lost their two best players and did not replace them with equal or better value, the team’s 6-4 win over the San Francisco Giants stole some of the baseball buzz in California.
- Manny Machado stats (2023): .258 AVG, .319 OBP, .462 SLG, 30 HR, 91 RBI, 65 R
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However, before securing their first win of the season, Padres star Manny Machado attempted a feat that few have achieved. After a popping out to second base during an at-bat in the sixth inning, a frustrated Machado attempted to do what former Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox star Bo Jackson did several times and break his bat over his knee.
Unfortunately for the six-time All-Star, he failed miserably, seemingly hurt his leg during the act, and likely earned a nasty bruise in the process. The funny moment can be viewed above. Many have tried and failed to break their bats over their legs, including former NL MVP Bryce Harper and one-time Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig.
It shows that Bo Jackson was very much a freak athlete. The man who simultaneously played for the Royals and Los Angeles Raiders was a beast who was able to achieve athletic feats that only Olympic-level athletes could do. It is part of why Nike started their legendary “Bo Knows” ad campaign where they showed various things Jackson could do — almost all of it was fictional.
- Bo Jackson stats (Royals): 511 G, .250 AVG, .308 OBP, .480 SLG, 109 HR, 313 RBI, 238 R
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However, one thing he could do was break bats with ease. It became one of his trademarks and there was even one iconic moment where he actually broke his bat over his head following a sad groundout to first base while playing for Kansas City.
Manny Machado’s failure on Thursday was not only an embarrassing moment for him, but it added a new layer to the lore of Bo Jackson and his incomparable ability to break bats. He truly was an athletic monster among sportsmen.