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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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During the top of the seventh inning of NLDS Game 1, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez hit a go-ahead three-run home run off a fastball from Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm.
The Dodgers were down 3-0 early on after pitcher Shohei Ohtani allowed three runs. Los Angeles found a way to battle back, first scoring two runs in the sixth and then the decisive trio in the seventh inning.
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After the game, social media became ablaze after a video of outfielder Andy Pages, who was at second base, making hand signs to Hernandez circulated.
Pages was seen potentially looking at Strahm's pitch grips inside his glove and seemingly making a gesture to let Hernandez know what pitch was coming.
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The center fielder told The Athletic that he could see inside of Strahm's glove, but denied relaying any signals to the hitter.
MLB analyst Ben Verlander, brother of future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, was one of many to circulate the image of Pages' hand sign and believed it was a signal.
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"Matt Strahm showing everything possible to the runner on 2B. Ball. Grip. Everything. Pages seemingly relays to Teo. Boom. Rest is history," Verlander posted on X.
Strahm did not take kindly to the post, and he called out Verlander in a reply.
"Ben I get stirring the pot is how ya make a living since baseball didn’t pan out. But go watch the game he did the same thing on different pitches. Oh and if ya know ball you’d know I’ve had my hands up the better part of a decade and have fingers together for all pitches," the lefty-pitcher replied.
Hernandez, for his part, revealed that it was film-watching that led him to read Strahm's pitch.
“I watched videos,” Hernández said. “(Strahm) likes to go up in the strike zone. I think that’s when he’s stronger. And something up in the strike zone. My first three at-bats, I chased a lot of down.
“Not trying to do overswinging or anything like that. Maybe a hit. Try to bring in one run to tie the game. But he left it over the strike zone.”
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