Andy Pages was the hero on Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves, showing veteran poise in an 11th-inning at bat that resulted in a walk-off single and a 4-3 victory.
With a man on third and one out, Pages hung with veteran reliever Jesse Chavez for eight pitches before fighting off a bloop single to center field and bringing home the winning run.
It’s the first walk-off hit for Pages in what has been a remarkable welcome to the Majors. In 15 games and 65 plate appearances, Pages is batting .333 with a .921 OPS. He has three homers, five doubles and 11 RBI. And he can very quickly add walk-off to his ledger.
“It’s very special to me,” Pages said. “We know how good Atlanta is. I was just happy we got the win.”
The young Dodger outfielder simply tried to maintain his poise and do something with his 11th-inning at-bat. He tried to avoid his tendency in the past to overthink when the moment gets big.
“Just hit the ball forward. It’s happened to me in the past where I get anxious and I don’t get the job done. This time I was just trying to stay calm, and things worked out.”
Dodger manager Dave Roberts was extremely happy to see Pages come through in that moment when the Dodgers needed it.
“Really impressive from Andy,” Roberts said. “He wasn’t going to let anyone else win that game for us tonight. We trusted the head, trusted the talent, obviously, and he just rose to the occasion. It was fun to watch.”
What Roberts was particularly impressed with the way Pages kept his poise no matter how big the moment got.
“Every time he gets up there, it seems like he takes a good at-bat. The moment certainly doesn’t get too big for him. Shohei got that big hit in the 10th inning to tie the game, you saw the emotion, Braves-Dodgers, packed house, and Andy didn’t let that moment get too big.”
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez spoke in a similar tone about Pages in the aftermath of the big win.
“Watching him play, watching him develop these last couple weeks up here, he’s a great guy,” Hernandez said. “He’s always trying to get better. Today he showed that he’s made for the big moments. He’s not afraid to go out there and have success.”
Pages continues to make a case for staying up with the big-league club even after Jason Heyward returns from injury. And with moments like Friday, he is proving his place in the Majors early.
Dodgers injury updates: Jason Heyward
Heyward’s rehab process has been filled with many twists and turns as lingering pain has caused him to miss a lot more time than initially expected, but the emergence of Pages has lessened the blow.
The good news for Heyward is that the soreness in his back that has persisted is hopefully in the rearview.
“Jason hit today, I saw him running earlier full speed, pain-free,” Roberts said. “He’ll be taking batting practice soon on the field, I would assume this week for sure. Then there will be a simulated game at some point in time, I would assume next week.
“And then from there, if all goes well, we’ll continue to ramp him up. He’s taking a couple of big steps as far as the pain-free and how his body is moving, he’s in a good spot.”
