"How can I be a traitor?" - Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott shuts down Padres fans questioning his loyalty

Long-time rivals the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers are involved in an intense battle for the National League West division this season. With the Padres hosting the Dodgers for a crucial three-game series, former San Diego reliever Tanner Scott was back at Petco Park.

Fans in the San Diego area are known for their animosity towards their rivals from Los Angeles, and Tanner Scott got a taste of that during the series opener on Friday.

Ahead of the second game on Saturday, Scott revealed being called a "traitor," by one of the fans. The Dodgers reliever was surprised by the remark, highlighting that he was with the Padres briefly.

“I got called a traitor last night, but I mean, how can I be a traitor?” Scott said. “I got traded over here, and I was only here two months.”

Tanner Scott, who earned his maiden All-Star selection with the Miami Marlins after 44 appearances for Miami in the first half of the season, was traded to the Padres at the trade deadline in July.

While Scott made 28 appearances in the regular season for San Diego, he featured in five postseason games, including a Division Series game against his current team, the Dodgers.

After spending almost two months with the Padres last year, Tanner Scott elected for free agency. He was roped in by the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the World Series winners in January.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash