Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Matt Olson: these are the guys you expect to light up the NLDS. But when the dust settled on Game 4 and the series was clinched, it wasn’t any of them that stole the show. Nope, this was a win forged in the trenches, driven by the guys you’d least expect, proving that in October, depth eats superstars for breakfast.
When the Big Bats Go Silent, Others Step Up
Man, the NLDS was wild. That series-clinching win in Game 4? It wasn’t about the MVPs showing off, far from it. It was all about the complementary group, the guys stepping up when the usual suspects went silent. And honestly, it went even harder in Game 4. Throughout the series, and especially in this game, the top of the order was a ghost town. The first four hitters in Game 4? O for 15, with just one walk to show for it. Talk about frustrating!
This wasn’t some slugfest either. Defensive errors on both sides kept it a tight 1-1 game for ages because neither offense could buy a hit. Tyler Glasnow was battling his command, walking five guys, but somehow he only coughed up one hit all game: Michael Harris Jr.’s leadoff knock. Tyler Mahle on the other side? Even better. He was locked in, keeping his pitch count low and cruising into the seventh without getting bitten by the walk bug. Earlier in the series, guys like Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández had their moments. But for Game 4, it was time for a different kind of hero. Someone who’d been growing into a bigger role this season, but whose postseason stats were, well, rough.
Andy Pages: From Postseason Struggles to Series Hero
Enter Andy Pages. Before this game, his batting average across the last two postseasons was legitimately below .100. Let that sink in. He only had one RBI in a whopping 62 postseason at-bats before tonight. His postseason issues had totally resurfaced, keeping him buried in the lineup.
But then came the seventh inning. Bases loaded. Two outs. Tied game. Pages steps up to face Robert Suárez. This was it, the season potentially hanging by a thread, a winner-take-all Game 5 looming. And what did the center fielder do? He crushed it! A go-ahead two-run single, BAM! Just like that, it was 3-1. That one swing helped his team avoid a dreaded Game 5, clinching the series on the road. Seriously, if anyone tries to tell you they saw *that* coming from Pages, they’re lying. His postseason record pointed the other way entirely. But that’s baseball, baby! Sometimes it’s the depth, the unexpected hero, that gets it done when the stars are quiet. And don’t forget the guys who set him up! Josue De Paula, flashing that incredible eye, worked a walk off Didier Fuentes, who just couldn’t find the zone. Then Tucker walked too, loading them up for Pages. That’s team baseball right there!
So yeah, Pages’ heroics will grab all the headlines, and deservedly so. But it’s the entire complementary crew, stepping up when the heavy hitters were stalled, that truly defined this series win. Now, they’re off to the next challenge, carrying that momentum and showing everyone what real depth looks like when the pressure is on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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