San Diego Padres star Manny Machado helped his team earn a huge 4-3 win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday. The Milwaukee Brewers still lead the series 2-1, but the victory kept the Padres' season alive. After the win, Machado joined FOX Sports for an interview. Justin Verlander — who just retired following the regular season — was making a guest appearance on the postgame show, and it is safe to say his presence surprised Machado.
"Hey, didn't you just retire man!?"
Manny Machado to Justin Verlander 😂 pic.twitter.com/yRLpr6Xm7W
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 7, 2026
Verlander began to ask Machado an interview question, but the Padres third baseman couldn't help but ask a question of his own.
“Hey, didn't you just retire man,” Machado asked.
“I did, bro,” Verlander responded as he laughed along with Machado and the FOX Sports crew.
“You gotta enjoy it a little bit! Come on,” Machado exclaimed.
Verlander laughed before delivering an honest admission.
“I know, they said retirement is supposed to slow down. It's not.”
Article Continues BelowThe moment went extremely viral, as the video FOX Sports shared of the interaction currently has one million views on X, formerly Twitter.
Verlander announced during the regular season that he was planning to retire. He was injured at the time, and it remained to be seen if he would pitch again in the big leagues. He was able to return for one final start on the second to last day of the season. Verlander pitched well in the outing, representing a strong final start for his Hall of Fame career.
Machado is building a potential Hall of Fame career as well. The Padres star is hoping to help San Diego erase the series deficit with another win in Game 4, which is scheduled for 10 PM ET on Wednesday night.