The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres heated up even more during their Monday night series opener at Dodger Stadium. In the bottom of the fourth inning, a 98 mph fastball from Dylan Cease hit Andy Pages on the arm, and Pages was not too pleased.
Pages glared at Cease and fired strong words at the Padres pitcher, while Cease stood on the mound, clearly confused by the reaction. Meanwhile, players from both teams jumped the railings, and both managers approached the plate umpire.
Following all the commotion, Padres third baseman Manny Machado made a candid remark about the situation, which might have re-fueled the rivalry.
Was Dylan Cease’s Throw at Andy Pages Intentional?
The Dodgers scored their first run in the third inning when Shohei Ohtani doubled to left-center field, bringing Pages home from second.
By the time Pages came up to bat in the fourth, the score was 3-2. That’s when a fastball inside hit him on the upper arm, and he immediately reacted angrily, pointing at Cease.
Andy Pages had words for Dylan Cease after getting hit by a pitch in the 4th inning.
Dodgers vs Padres getting scrappy 👀
Via @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/7AqGL0okSm
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 17, 2025
Reacting to Pages’ fiery reaction, the Padres pitcher was puzzled and denied the hit being intentional.
“I didn’t understand it,” Cease said after the game. “It’s not going to deter me from going inside. I don’t know if I’ve ever hit a Dodger before. It just happens. It’s part of the game.”
Meanwhile, Pages admitted to the Dodgers’ Spanish media that his reaction was wrong.
“I don’t feel like my reaction was right. But adrenaline took over for me in that moment,” Pages said.
Pages added that he thought it was a retaliatory strike from Padres and Cease, thinking he was stealing signs when he was on second base in the third inning. However, no such accusation was made by the visitors.
Manny Machado Fuels Fire in Pages-Cease Incident
Machado wasn’t about to let the tension die quietly.
“They’ve got way more superstars over there,” Machado said in response to Pages getting hit. “If we want to hit somebody, they’ve got some big dogs over there we could hit.”
Manny Machado on Dylan Cease hitting Andy Pages last night: “They’ve got way more superstars over there. (If) we want to hit somebody, they’ve got some big dogs over there we could hit.”
(via @sdutKevinAcee) pic.twitter.com/bVfSNn1ETr
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) June 17, 2025
At the same time, the Padres’ third baseman showed respect for Pages and kept the rivalry in perspective.
“This rivalry, it’s back and forth. It’s competition. Things get heated. You want to go out there and compete,” Machado added. “He’s having a hell of a year, and he’s going to continue to have a hell of a year. It’s just part of the game. It’s no big deal. He went his way. We went our way and just continued to compete.”
What’s Next in the Padres and Dodgers Rivalry?
This was just the first game of the four-game series at Dodger Stadium. The remaining games will occur on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Earlier in the season, the Dodgers won the three-game series at Petco Park, 2-1.
The Padres will, therefore, hope to secure at least two wins in this three-game stretch. Otherwise, they could find themselves potentially five games behind in the NL West and possibly even miss out on a playoff spot.