Andy Pages’ helmet tap came too soon in the second inning of the Dodgers’ NLDS opener against Atlanta. With two outs and the bases empty, Pages challenged a 2-2 call that had been ruled a strike. The ABS review showed the pitch crossing 2.6 inches above the bottom of the zone, leaving Los Angeles without another batter challenge for the rest of the afternoon.
The result
The wasted challenge did not change the Game 1 outcome. The Dodgers held off the Braves, 5-3, but manager Dave Roberts moved quickly after the opener to make sure the same decision would not surface again in October.
Before Los Angeles’ Game 2 win on Sunday, Roberts said he had spoken with Pages and removed him from the club’s pool of hitters who can initiate a challenge.
“We talked about it a lot this year with Andy’s success rate, or lack thereof,” Roberts said. He added that he had not revisited the subject with Pages before Game 1 and called that oversight his responsibility. “I did have a conversation today. So, yeah, we’ve managed that one going forward.”
Game 3 of the NLDS is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, or 3 p.m. PT, with FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One carrying the game.
Pages’ record with the challenge system
The Dodgers were generally solid with the ABS challenge system during the 2026 regular season. Their 8.4 overturns above expected ranked 10th in the majors, while their 51 percent success rate was tied for eighth. Los Angeles was tied for 13th in runs above expected at 0.1, using 159 batter challenges, the 16th-highest total in MLB.
Pages was an exception. Among 182 hitters who made at least 10 challenges, he placed 142nd in overturns above expected at minus-3.0 and 169th in runs above expected at minus-1.3. His 25 challenges were the 33rd-most by a hitter, despite the poor return.
Roberts had already addressed the club’s challenge approach during a seven-game losing streak in August. Pages did not call for another review after missing on a first-inning challenge against Kansas City on Aug. 12.
Roberts said the Dodgers cannot treat every hitter’s decision the same way. Some players have shown a better feel for the strike zone, the game situation and the leverage of a challenge. He cited Mookie Betts as a hitter he trusts on pitches away from the plate, while noting that Betts has sometimes conserved a challenge for a later spot.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation,” Roberts said.
That caution carries extra weight in the postseason, where one challenge has already helped decide a series. Philadelphia sealed Game 2 of its Wild Card Series against Atlanta when a hitter’s helmet tap produced a successful review. The Dodgers escaped Pages’ miss in the opener, but Roberts has made clear that he does not intend to leave another October challenge to chance.
