Dodgers’ Andy Pages accuses Dylan Cease of intentionally hitting him with 98 MPH pitch

Things got a bit heated between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages was hit on the left elbow guard by a 97.7 MPH fastball from Padres starter Dylan Cease in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Cease took a walk to first, and Pages responded right away, chirping at the pitcher. No benches cleared, but it was a moment that stoked an already fiery NL West rivalry and caused some to wonder if Cease threw at him intentionally.

Andy Pages believes the hit was no accident

Andy Pages said that he thought it was on purpose, via a Spanish translator, when he met with reporters after the game. The rookie speculated that it was payback for sign-stealing from second base in his previous plate appearance, when he hit a double. “It’s impossible to miss that badly unless it was on purpose,” Pages said. “I probably shouldn’t have reacted that way, but I felt it was intentional.”

The accusation from the outfielder added humidity to what had heated up to be a tight battle. Cease pitched well most of the day, but Pages criticized the timing of the pitch and implied the Padres may have had ulterior motives.

Dylan Cease and Dave Roberts dismiss claims of intent

Dylan Cease, who played an amazing game and finished with nine strikeouts over six innings, turned down the thought that the pitch was deliberate.

“I didn’t understand why he thought that,” Cease said. “It wasn’t on purpose. I’m going to keep throwing inside. It’s just part of the game.”Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also played down the situation by saying that, “I don’t think it was intentional. It’s part of baseball, but I get why Pages reacted the way he did,” Roberts noted. “That pitch was 98 miles per hour—it’s going to sting no matter what.”

The moment came back to bite the Dodgers with a five-run response in the bottom half of the inning to flip the game and earn a 6–3 win. Pages stayed in the game and later said he was doing fine, except for being shaken by the speed and location of the pitch.The Dodgers and Padres are now running neck and neck for the division title, so go ahead and crank up the evil. The two teams will face each other again soon enough, and whatever upset on Monday night is not likely to be forgotten.