LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers played their final must-win World Series games in Toronto last autumn, Andy Pages was left out of the starting lineups. That's become part of the lens through which his 2025 season is viewed, but a poor ending should not mean that the entire body of work gets overlooked.
Pages hit more home runs (27) than any Dodger not named Shohei Ohtani and established himself as a solid defender in center field during the regular season, but he completely dropped off at the plate during the playoffs, posting a .211 OPS that was the lowest on record in a single postseason (min. 50 plate appearances).
On a night that began with the Dodgers raising their 2025 World Series banner and celebrating their back-to-back championships, Pages showed that the dismal end to last year is behind him by hitting a go-ahead three-run homer and making a slick sliding catch in Thursday’s 8-2 Opening Day win over the D-backs at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s certainly a big boost to his confidence," manager Dave Roberts said. "But I’ll say this, even coming into this spring, he was in great shape, and his mindset was in a good spot. So I’m sure that fire, that fuel to not relinquish his position or his job, is something that motivates him."
Not only was it the Dodgers' first home run of their three-peat bid, but it was also the first long ball since the playing surface at Dodger Stadium became UNIQLO Field on the eve of Opening Day.
"It's going to take me a little while to familiarize myself with the name," Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. "But I was really happy to hit the home run, for sure."
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed a quality start in his season debut, only surrendering a two-run homer across six strong innings, but the Dodgers’ offense took some time to wake up. D-backs starter Zac Gallen allowed a leadoff single to Ohtani but retired 12 of his next 13 batters.
It wasn't until the fifth inning that the floodgates opened for the Dodgers.
Third baseman Max Muncy and left fielder Teoscar Hernández led off the frame with back-to-back base hits. Pages followed by crushing a 1-2 curveball into the Left Field Pavilion seats. The Dodgers kept the pressure on from there, chasing Gallen after he allowed his fifth straight batter to reach without recording an out in the fifth, and added another run on a Will Smith RBI single.
L.A. scored eight unanswered runs after being down 2-0 through four innings.
“It’s 27 outs. We’re never out of it," shortstop Mookie Betts said. "We can start it from anywhere in the lineup. That’s the beauty of us and why we’re tough to beat.”
The addition of top free agent Kyle Tucker -- who got in on the fun with his first Dodgers hit, an RBI double in the seventh inning -- considerably lengthened L.A.'s lineup. That Pages, a real power threat, is hitting in the eighth spot in the order is a testament to how dangerous the lineup can be from top to bottom.
That depth was on display in the season opener, with eight of the nine starters hitting safely. First baseman Freddie Freeman was the only Dodger to go hitless, but he had some hard-hit outs and made an impact with his glove.
Here's a summary of how the Dodgers scored their runs on Thursday:
- Pages' three-run homer in the fifth inning
- Smith's RBI single in the fifth
- Tucker's RBI double in the seventh
- Betts' RBI single in the seventh
- Smith's two-run homer in the seventh
The Dodgers' lineup was top-heavy at times last season, but they got production from up and down the order on Opening Day: just as they envisioned when they assembled their team this past offseason.
"It’s kind of how we structured this lineup," Roberts said.
Although Pages' tough end to last season could have carried over into this year, the Dodgers were not concerned about him. Roberts declared Pages his "pick to click" during Spring Training, instilling some confidence in his young center fielder.
Not that Pages needed the external validation. Just as the Dodgers are turning the page on their back-to-back championships and focusing on their three-peat bid, Pages is not letting the past weigh him down.
"The postseason's what the postseason was, and I'm not really focused on that," Pages said. "I'm focused on what I'm doing right now, and my confidence is really high."