The Los Angeles Dodgers took down the San Diego Padres on Monday evening in Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers pitching debut and the first of a four-game set.
As L.A. was in the process of winning their third in a row, Friars right-hander Dylan Cease hit Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages with a 98 mph pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning. This caused a massive stare down from Pages and some words shared before making his way to first base.
The intense moment caused both team’s bullpen’s to prepare for an imminent brawl, but the tense moment died down and the game continued. Pages spoke after the game about his reasoning for thinking Cease intentionally pegged him with the throw.
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“They thought I was relaying signs when I was jumping at second base, I think,” Pages said in Spanish. “It’s impossible that he can’t miss a slider on the corner and he missed a fastball a strike zone inside.”
To Pages’ point, Cease showed brilliant command up until the fourth inning. The right-hander finished with nine strikeouts to just one walk, but allowed three of his six earned runs before hitting Pages, with two of them occurring one batter prior.
As for the actual reaction, Pages expressed some regret, but acknowledged the heat of the moment and the intensity of the game sparked an adrenaline-filled reaction.
“I don’t think it was the right way to react. But like I told him,” said Pages, “there are things you don’t really see sometimes. I told him I reacted on adrenaline.”
Cease spoke after the game about the pitch and not understanding what the commotion was about.
“I didn’t understand it,” Cease said. “It’s not going to deter me from throwing inside. I don’t know if I’ve ever hit a Dodger before. It just happens. It’s part of the game.”
As tensions subsided and the game continued, the Dodgers continued to get the best of Cease and took a 6-2 lead by the end of the fourth, eventually holding on to win, 6-3.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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