Andy Pages gave the Dodgers the swing they had been waiting for Wednesday night in Atlanta, lining a two-run single in the seventh inning to send Los Angeles past the Braves, 4-1, in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. The hit delivered the winning runs and moved the defending champions into a third consecutive NL Championship Series.
Key takeaways
- Pages broke through after starting the NLDS 0-for-7 at the plate.
- The center fielder had missed most of the final month of the regular season with a fractured left hand.
- Dave Roberts had publicly backed Pages before the series returned to Atlanta.
- Los Angeles has now won five straight postseason road games, matching a franchise mark.
- The Dodgers are 10-1 over their last 11 postseason games away from home and 14-3 across their last 17.
Pages answers the manager’s faith
There was understandable unease around Pages entering Game 4. His postseason last year was historically difficult at the plate, and the early 0-for-7 this October came after a hand injury had taken away much of his September. For a young player returning to the pressure of October, seven at-bats can feel longer than they are.
Roberts did not hide that the early results had raised questions, but he also made clear that Pages remained central to the club’s plans. The first-time All-Star had become a regular force in the Dodgers lineup during the season, and Roberts believed the club would need him to keep playing a meaningful role if it was going to finish the job.
“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.”
Pages made that belief look well placed in the seventh. With the game in the balance, his single brought home two runs and turned a tight night into a series-clinching 4-1 win. It was the kind of October at-bat that can settle a player as much as it settles a game.
Road-tested Dodgers keep the defense moving
The victory extended a remarkable run for Los Angeles on the road. The Dodgers’ five straight postseason wins away from home date to Game 2 of the 2025 World Series, equaling the best such streak in franchise history.
More broadly, they have been exceptionally difficult to beat outside their own ballpark in October, winning 10 of their past 11 road postseason games and 14 of their previous 17.
Now the Dodgers move on with their title defense intact, chasing what would be the fifth three-peat in World Series history. They have collected three wins on that road so far, with eight more still required to claim another championship.
