When the 2026 MLB season began, one of the questions was who was going to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. One team that was seen as a team that could push them was the San Diego Padres.
However, there were questions surrounding whether their pitching was going to be good enough. So far, it has held up. They went into Tuesday night’s game a half-game ahead of the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Now, it’s just May, and we’re still five days away from Memorial Day, so there’s a lot of baseball left.
After dropping the series opener, 1-0, on Monday night, Los Angeles bounced-back the way a two-time World Series champion would, answering a huge challenge thanks to an unlikely hero, Andy Pages. He delivered one of the best at-bats of the young season, and it impressed one veteran teammate, Freddy Freeman.
Los Angeles Dodgers First Baseman Freddy Freeman Praises Andy Pages For Game-Winning At-Bat
Tied 4-4 going into the top of the ninth, the Dodgers had a huge task with Padres closer Mason Miller coming into the game. He is one of, if not the most dominant, closers in the majors. However, that didn’t scare Pages.
With one out, Max Muncy walked after challenging a strike-three call with an ABS Challenge, and he was lifted for pinch-runner Alex Call. A pickoff attempt by Miller was thrown away, sending Call to third base. All that was needed was a fly-ball by Pages. Easier said than done against Miller.
Facing a 0-2 count, Pages fouled off heat from Miller that hit triple digits three times. He then took a fastball over 100 mph and flied out to Fernando Tatis, Jr. to plate Call with the game-winning run on a close play at the plate on a sac-fly. Battling Miller was an impressive at-bat, even for Freeman to watch.
“It was one of the greatest at-bats I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve been playing a long time,” said Freeman. “To hit 95 [mph] is hard, to hit 100 is even harder, to hit 102 is even probably the hardest thing to do, and to foul off 102s back to back, sliders at 87, 88 — one of the best at-bats I’ve ever seen.”
That’s quite the compliment from Freeman. He’s been around a long time and seen a lot of at-bats. He’s seen a lot of at-bats against some of the league’s best. Pages coming up big was what the Dodgers needed to regain first place in the NL West.
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That comeback evened the series and sets up a rubber match on Wednesday night. However, even though it may still be May, it’s an important series. Thanks to Pages, they hand the ball to Shohei Ohtani to look to win the final game.
It may not seem like a big deal, but that at-bat by Pages could pay off down the line. Miller is the top closer in the game, and his stats don’t lie. In the end, that could end up being a huge at-bat. It certainly was one of the best at-bats that Freeman, who homered twice in the game, has ever seen. That says something.
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