The L.A. Dodgers are officially headed to the NLCS, after absolutely putting the Atlanta Braves down 4-1 in their NLDS Game 4. You know Dave Roberts was already celebrating, gold-tipped bubbly in hand, hyped to the max after that win.
Old School, New Rules: These Dinosaurs Are STILL Eating
Roberts wasn’t holding back, calling his team “the most talented” and “the best organization in sports, top to bottom.” He boasted they’re “smarter, we’re better, and we’re tougher.” Then Teoscar Hernández, who’s 33, yells out, “And we’re dinosaurs!” The whole room erupted in laughter, drowning out Roberts. This “dinosaur” thing? It’s a reference to a comment earlier this season by Padres owner José E. Feliciano, who said the Dodgers chairman “owns a lot of dinosaurs.” It was totally a dig at all the vets on the team. And yeah, they’ve got ’em: Teoscar Hernández (33), Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts (turned 34!), Will Smith, Freddie Freeman (37), Max Muncy (36), Tommy Edman, and Kiké Hernández. Even veteran infielder Miguel Rojas, 37 and dealing with a back injury, belted out, “We’re old! We’re f***ing old, yes.” Old, maybe. But still damn good, clearly. They just dispatched the Braves 4-1, and it felt way more one-sided than that.
Pages’ Playoff Redemption Arc Is Wild
Game 4 against Atlanta hung in the balance for much of the night. Tyler Glasnow and Tyler Mahle traded zeroes after both teams scored a sloppy run in the first, making it 1-1. But then the bullpens came in. L.A.’s held up, Atlanta’s crumbled. In the seventh inning, Braves reliever Didier Fuentes came in for Mahle with one on and one out. He got Max Muncy to ground out, but then he walked Josue De Paula, a 21-year-old with only 42 career regular-season plate appearances! Then he walked Kyle Tucker, who’s the highest-paid man in MLB history! That forced Atlanta’s Walt Weiss to yank Fuentes and bring in flame-throwing Robert Suarez. And who stepped up to the dish? Andy Pages. Now, Pages is only 25, definitely not one of the “dinosaurs.” Last autumn, he delivered one of the all-time putrid postseason performances, going 4-for-51 with just one measly RBI. He even got benched for World Series Games 5, 6, and 7! But he *did* make a season-saving snag in that dramatic Game 7. This season, he leveled up as a hitter, earning a spot as the National League’s starting center fielder in the All-Star Game. But a late-summer injury messed up his rhythm, and he started *this* NLDS 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. So to see him at the plate in that crucial spot? That’s the kind of story that changes everything.
The Dodgers are officially rolling into the NLCS, and while the “dinosaurs” are still crushing it, you gotta wonder if Andy Pages is truly back to his All-Star form. If he is, that guy could be the X-factor as they keep moving deeper into October!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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