Perfection was required of Manny Machado.

Perfection is what he delivered.

The triple play for the ages Machado initiated and enabled Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium will be shown at his induction ceremony in Cooperstown if the third baseman someday gets a bronze bust.

Did I say Manny Machado?

I meant to say Manny Machado Mahomes.

Everything about Machado’s throw to second base was greatness.

Throwing to first base was the safer play after Machado gloved Miguel Rojas’ soft groundball on the infield grass and angled backward to third base to bag the first out.

Machado opted for second base … because he’s Manny Machado.

The man is a wizard at high-speed computations.

A TRIPLE PLAY! TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE POSTSEASON! UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/NfbCRgt0Y6

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 25, 2024

As he angled backward toward third base some 10 feet way — quick but not hurrying, right foot forward, then left foot, then right foot onto the bag, ensuring he could torque and throw without waste — he must’ve decided there was time to nab the baserunner nearing second base.

Yeah, sure. There was time.

All it would take is nailing every detail.

Machado’s flow told the story.

From grass, to dirt, to the bag to the throw and follow-through, he authored a continuous movement.

By the time he stepped on third base, he’d already begun his throw toward Jake Cronenworth at second base.

Machado is a wizard as well at improvising whatever throw is needed to meet the moment.

He got the ball out fast but also hot.

Clocked at 85.5 miles per hour, his 90-foot wingshot had almost no tail despite Machado’s side-arm release, a gift of spin control he possesses.

It beat Hernandez by inches.

For Cronenworth to have a chance to get Rojas at first base, Machado’s peg had to hit a target smaller than a bed pillow.

Cronenworth didn’t have to move his glove. Standing on base’s back corner, he caught the ball chest-high. His transfer and throw were perfect.

Being 5-foot-8, first baseman Donovan Solano could glove the head-high throw only with minimal extension.

It beat Rojas by a foot.

All Shohei Ohtani could do was head back to the dugout.

“That play is only made because of Manny Machado… I don’t think [any other third baseman] does that.”

Harold dives into the @Padres star’s footwork on last night’s epic game-ending triple play. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/yZnM1RdnX2

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 26, 2024

If Machado had flubbed at all in his gamble to get the lead runner, both men would’ve been safe and the terrifying Dodgers slugger would’ve batted with one out, representing the go-ahead run.

Is it it really a gamble, though, when you’re that good?

Wired like few third basemen in the sport’s history to make these type of plays, Machado raked all the chips off the table, boosting the confidence of closer Robert Suarez and nailing down a playoff berth with the 4-2 victory.

Baseball’s rule changes protecting pivot men paid off, too, creating an extraoridanry signature moment for the 2024 Padres and the sport itself.

For most of Major League Baseball’s history, a “barrel roll” slide into second base would’ve put Cronenworth to an extreme, perhaps impossible test.

Each Padres team that rose to the World Series had a barrel-roll demolition expert.

In 1984 it was Kevin McReynolds who thundered into second base to break up several efforts. Tim Flannery kept infielders on their toes, too.

Fourteen years later, middle infielders throughout the National League dreaded a close play at second base if Ken Caminiti steamed toward the bag.

Caminiti rolled into second like a runaway beer truck.

Rules have made the sport safer. Couple with Machado’s rare feel for high-speed, high-stakes baseball, the no-roll zone led to a champagne party for the wild-card-winning Padres.