CINCINNATI — It took an early August conversation with a teammate who had been a former opponent for Pedro Pages to ditch all the changes he tried with his swing this season and go back to the knee lift that unlocked production a few years ago.

Thomas Saggese, who played against Pages in Class AA before playing with him after a trade, brought up the knee lift to Pages while the two chatted at Dodger Stadium in early August and lobbied for the catcher to try it again.

“Bro, just do it,” Pages remembered Saggese saying.

There was just one problem.

“Well, we’re about to face Shohei Ohtani,” Pages said. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

Saggese’s response was two words: “Send it.”

Whether the phrasing comes from a third base coach urging a runner to go home or a text message asking someone

See Full Page