Pages' clutch Father's Day HR a tribute to dad back in Cuba
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LOS ANGELES -- With one big swing, Andy Pages brought the momentum of the game back to the Dodgers' side. But what made it extra special was that he could dedicate it to his dad as a long-distance Father's Day gift.
Pages' three-run blast in the fifth inning was the difference as the Dodgers beat the Giants, 5-4, on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles took two of three from its longtime rival and padded its lead in the NL West to two games over San Francisco.
"It was a great series win. Good team over there. Great to come through in that moment," Pages said through interpreter Juan Dorado. "But it was a home run I hit for my dad, who I haven’t seen in a long time."
Pages last saw his father, who lives in Cuba along with the rest of his family, two years ago. Before that, he went seven years without seeing his family as he worked toward his dream of one day becoming a Major Leaguer.
Staying in touch from afar isn't as difficult as it was in the past. Pages tries to call his dad every day when he can, although sometimes electrical outages in Cuba make it hard to reach him that frequently.
Pages was hoping to get a hold of him on Father's Day.
"Hopefully I can talk to him and tell him I dedicated that home run to him," he said.
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Sunday's series finale against the Giants had plenty of drama before the teams even took the field.
Minutes before first pitch, news broke that scheduled Giants starter Kyle Harrison would not, in fact, face the Dodgers on Sunday -- because he was being sent to the Red Sox as part of the return in a shocking blockbuster trade for Rafael Devers.
The busy day continued afterward, when the Dodgers announced that Shohei Ohtani's highly anticipated return to a big league mound would come Monday night against the Padres.
Though the results of the game took a backseat to the news of the day, Pages was L.A.'s primary offensive force in the win.
Pages knocked in the game's first run against Sean Hjelle, who ended up starting for San Francisco, on a sacrifice fly in the first. But his most impactful hack came in the fifth, when he drove in Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts with a go-ahead shot to left-center off Giants reliever Ryan Walker.
It was Pages' 13th homer of the season, matching his total from 2024, his rookie season.
After his slow start to the season, he's made quite the turnaround, hitting .321 with an .886 OPS since April 22. He could be a real contender to make his first All-Star team this year.
"He's playing like it right now, but that's up to the fans," manager Dave Roberts said. "But he's playing All-Star baseball."
For Pages, his potential All-Star case isn't top of mind. Especially not on Sunday, when he was just thankful to have an opportunity to honor his dad.
"He’s the one who helped me in my baseball career, got me to play baseball," Pages said. "It’s really emotional, a special moment to hit a home run in that situation, because I haven’t seen him. It’s hard sometimes. But it was really special to hit a home run on Father’s Day."