For a split second at Dodger Stadium, the air sparkled with the promise of pure chaos. A 97.7 mph fastball met flesh, a young star glared at a bewildered pitcher, and both dugouts emptied onto the field. It was more than a game; it was more of another chapter of the blood-boiling Dodgers-Padres rivalry, where every pitch can feel personal. Tempers cooled, but the game came down to conflicting post-game accounts from two of the game’s brightest stars, suggesting some gulf between the perceptions of both men, one’s apology hanging in the air, and the other fiercely defended his pitcher’s honor.
The incident took place in the bottom of the fourth inning on June 16, Monday. Padres ace Dylan Cease had drilled Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages with a high-velocity fastball, sparking a brief but heated confrontation. Pages said after the game that he believed the plunking might have been intentional, with the Padres, thought he was relaying signs from second base. But the Dodgers star quickly blamed his own accusation. “I reacted on adrenaline,” Pages said in Spanish. “What happened, happened. I tried to find a way to apologize.”
That apology, however, seemed to fall on deaf ears in the Padres clubhouse, at least according to Manny Machado. The San Diego superstar completely dismissed Pages’ claim of intent, laying out his reasoning with a blunt and candid response. “They got way more superstars over there if we want to hit somebody,” Machado stated firmly. He continued, “They’ve got some big dogs over there we could hit. This game is crazy, right, this rivalry. It’s back and forth. Playing this competition, things get heated. You want to go out there and compete. He’s having a helluva year. He’s going to continue having a helluva year. Rooting for him, but it’s just part of the game.”
Apr 16, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The man at the center of it all, Cease, appeared genuinely confused by the whole affair. He stood on the mound with a baffled look as Pages stared him down, and his post-game comments reflected that bewilderment. Cease expressed confusion over Pages’ reaction, stating that it wouldn’t stop him from pitching inside. He noted he didn’t recall ever hitting a Dodger before and emphasized that such incidents are simply part of the game. His claim of innocence was steadfast, backed by a clean history against his rivals.
Both managers worked quickly to pour water on the fire before it could truly erupt. Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts saw it not as malice, but as a natural response to a painful moment. “No, I don’t think it was intentional,” Roberts explained. He explained that getting hit on the arm by a 100 mph pitch never feels good, and believed Andy was simply frustrated in the moment. He added that he didn’t think the pitcher intended to hit the batter, and the managers quickly diffused the situation.
Padres manager Mike Shildt simply described his role in the de-escalation, stating, “It’s just: He had the reaction, and once the reaction takes place, we’re going to make sure everybody’s calm.” Thankfully, for the 53,207 fans in attendance, their level-headed approach prevailed. But for anyone who knows the history between these two teams, the tension on Sunday night was just another chapter in a long, combustible saga, where even the smallest spark can ignite something much bigger.
The Dodgers-Padres feud
This on-field drama should not come as a shock to anybody who follows this rivalry. The Dodgers-Padres rivalry is a powder keg constructed from years of hard feelings in which simple inside pitches have a tendency to explode into bench-clearing incidents. In 2013, a pitch from Zack Greinke caused Carlos Quentin to charge the mound and start a brawl that resulted in the Dodgers ace breaking his collarbone. A few years later, in 2024, words also escalated when Dodgers catcher Will Smith referred to Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar as “irrelevant,” igniting a season’s worth of warfare that necessitated a public apology.
Machado, a former Dodger himself, is not at all unfamiliar with being at the center of this storm. During the heated 2024 NLDS, he stoked the fire again and again. He was condemned for throwing a baseball disrespectfully at the Dodgers’ dugout. He also had an angry exchange of words with pitcher Jack Flaherty, which, according to reports, got physical, with an actual challenge to fight “outside” after the game.
While the staredown provided the drama, the biggest story of the night, however, was the two-way spectacle of Shohei Ohtani. He made his long-awaited debut as a Dodgers pitcher, firing a 100.2 mph fastball in his one inning of work. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate, including a key, RBI double, continuing a remarkable season where he has already hit 25 home runs with a monstrous 1.039 OPS.
In the end, what unfolded at Dodger Stadium was less a flashpoint than a reminder: in this rivalry, every game carries the weight of old grudges and new storylines, and the line between chaos and control is always just one pitch away.
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