Andy Pages Calls Out Dylan Cease for 'Intentional' HBP in Dodgers' Win vs. Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages was unhappy with San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning of Monday's game between the NL West rivals.
Speaking to reporters in a Spanish-language press conference after the Dodgers' 6-3 win, Pages felt like the 97.7 mph fastball from Cease that hit him was intentional.
"I probably shouldn't have reacted like that, but he doesn't miss with a slider on the corner, yet he can miss with a fastball?" Pages explained.
After being plunked in the arm, Pages stared at the mound and yelled something in the direction of Cease. A few players from both teams circled around home plate, but the situation never escalated into anything physical.
ESPN's Alden González noted Pages said the pitch from Cease may have been a reaction because the Padres may have thought he was relaying signs from second base after a leadoff double in the bottom of the third.
Pages did take accountability for his reaction, blaming it on adrenaline.
"I don’t feel like my reaction was right," Pages said in Spanish (h/t González), "but adrenaline took over for me in that moment.”
Cease admitted to being surprised at the response from Pages, saying there was no intent behind the pitch other than trying to throw on the inner part of the plate.
"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. [He hadn’t.] It just happens. It’s part of the game."
The rivalry between the Padres and Dodgers has been one of the most intense in MLB over the past few years. It really began to escalate in 2023 when the Padres posted the "Crying Kershaw" meme during a game at Petco Park.
There was an incident last season when Gavin Stone threw a pitch high and tight to Jurickson Profar, leading to Profar having an exchange with Dodgers catcher Will Smith.
Smith famously called Profar "kind of irrelevant" a few days later in a radio interview. Profar got his revenge later in the series by hitting a go-ahead three-run double in a 6-3 Padres win.
In Game 2 of their NLDS last October, Dodgers fans threw items onto the field after Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty hit Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was also unhappy that Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw a ball into the Dodgers' dugout during the game.
Monday's incident between Pages and Cease was rather tame compared to that situation, but it does show that tensions will often remain high when the Padres and Dodgers play each other.
