Dodgers return to NLCS as Pages delivers clutch October moment

ATLANTA -- Coming off a historically poor offensive performance last postseason, Andy Pages went hitless through the first two games of this year's NL Division Series. The small sample of seven at-bats raised some concerns, especially because he missed most of the final month of the regular season due to a fracture in his left hand.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that Pages' performance created some cause for concern. But before the series shifted to Atlanta, Roberts reaffirmed his trust in the young center fielder, a first-time All-Star who became an integral piece of the Dodgers' lineup this season.

"I believe in him," Roberts said. "I feel that for us to win the World Series this year, we're gonna need him to be an active part of our team."

Roberts' faith was rewarded when Pages came through with a two-run single in the seventh inning of NLDS Game 4 on Wednesday night, driving in the winning runs of the Dodgers' 4-1 victory over the Braves that punched their ticket to a third straight NLCS appearance, where they will face the winner of the Padres-Brewers series.

The Dodgers have won their past five road postseason games dating back to Game 2 of the 2025 World Series, tying a franchise record.

They are 10-1 in their past 11 road postseason games and 14-3 in their past 17.

Bidding for the fifth three-peat in World Series history, the Dodgers have advanced to the next stage in their title defense. Three wins down, and eight to go if they are to reach their ultimate goal.

Pages' breakthrough single was the Dodgers' first -- and only -- hit in 20 plate appearances with runners in scoring position in the NLDS. In all best-of-five or longer postseason series, no team has had no hits in such situations and still won the series.

Last year, Pages' .211 OPS was the worst by any player who had taken at least 50 plate appearances in a single postseason. The poor performance led to him being benched from the starting lineup in Game 5 of the World Series.

With Wednesday’s Game 4 tied at 1 in the seventh inning, Pages came up with the big hit after the Dodgers loaded the bases against Braves starter Tyler Mahle and reliever Didier Fuentes. Right-hander Robert Suarez came on to face Pages, who worked a full count before shooting a base hit into left-center field.

"From the beginning of this series, I was looking for a moment like that," Pages said via an interpreter on FS1. "You try to get a good pitch and swing at a good pitch, and I was able to do that."

The Dodgers never looked back after the tiebreaking knock, with Max Muncy later adding insurance with his 19th career postseason homer before Edwin Díaz converted the save in the ninth inning.

"Every year in the playoffs, it's never easy, these are the best teams in the game, the best pitching staffs, the best offenses," Freddie Freeman said on FS1. "This was a great series, two really really good teams going at it, and [we were] able to pull it out."