In a dramatic fourth inning during Monday's game, Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages was hit by a 98 mph fastball from San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease. The incident, which occurred with a runner on first and one out, immediately sparked tension between the two teams.

Pages, visibly upset, stood in the batter's box and yelled towards Cease, leading both managers and several players to gather near home plate. Post-game, Pages expressed his belief that the hit-by-pitch was intentional, possibly due to suspicions of sign-stealing from second base in the previous inning.

"I probably shouldn't have reacted like that, but he doesn't miss with a slider on the corner, yet he can miss with a fastball?" Pages said in Spanish, noting that Cease missed inside by a whole quadrant.

Cease, however, seemed surprised by Pages' reaction, stating, "I didn't understand it. It's not going to deter me from throwing inside. I don't know if I've ever hit a Dodger before. It just happens. It's part of the game."

The incident quickly fizzled out, but it served as a reminder of the ongoing rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres, two teams battling for National League West supremacy. This rivalry was particularly heated during last fall's NL Division Series, where the Dodgers ultimately prevailed, shutting out the Padres' offense for 24 consecutive innings en route to a championship.

Pages acknowledged that his reaction was not appropriate, attributing it to the adrenaline of the moment. "I tried to find a way to apologize," he said.

In response to the incident, Padres' Manny Machado downplayed the notion of intentionality, saying, "They got way more superstars over there if we want to hit somebody. They've got some big dogs over there we could hit. This game is crazy, right, this rivalry. It's back and forth. Playing this competition, things get heated. You want to go out there and compete. He's having a helluva year. He's going to continue to have a helluva year. Rooting for him, but it's just part of the game."

The Dodgers and Padres are set to face each other three more times this season, with their next encounter scheduled for August. As the season progresses, the stakes in this rivalry will only continue to rise.