Andy Pages already has Dodgers fans eating their words after historically bad World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers winning their second consecutive World Series didn't spare center fielder Andy Pages from criticism. Pages had a brutal offensive run during the postseason last October, hitting under .100.

It reached a point where Dodgers fans were eager to see Pages out of the starting lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays. All the goodwill that Pages established during the regular season in 2025 was lost. On Opening Day, the 25-year-old outfielder may prove to have the last laugh.

It took some time for the Dodgers to get going against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday; call it a hangover from the pregame ring ceremony. But it was Pages who ignited the offense with a three-run home run off Zac Gallen in the fifth inning. LA put it on cruise control after that, winning the game 8-2.

Pages finished the day collecting two hits in four plate appearances with the three RBI from the homer in the fifth inning. It was a reminder that, despite how bad he looked during the playoffs, he was one of their best hitters during the regular season last year.

Dodgers fans quickly regret doubts about Andy Pages after rough World Series

Among Dodgers players with qualified plate appearances last season, Pages had the third-highest wRC+ on the team with a mark of 113. Only Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were ahead of him. Sure, that may speak to the struggles that Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández endured, but that shouldn't discredit the fact that Pages was very good during the regular season.

After the offseason the Dodgers had, they are easily the favorites to win the World Series again. The arrivals of Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz add to what was already a roster that rivals an All-Star team. That being said, as the Dodgers found out last season, things don't exactly play out the way they appear on paper.

Opening Day overreactions have certainly jumped the shark in this day and age, but it's hard not to be encouraged by Pages' performance on Thursday night. His swing appeared to break during the postseason, and credit to him for putting in the work throughout the winter to get back on track.

No, the World Series struggles aren't completely erased from memory, but the home run during Thursday's Opening Day victory is a great start.