There’s pressure, and then there’s Dodgers pressure. The kind that creeps into your pregame routine, quickens your breath on the mound, and electrifies a crowd before the first pitch. For one of the San Diego Padres’ newest arms, that weight didn’t just arrive in October—it showed up in March, under the Arizona sun, during what was supposed to be a “meaningless” spring training game.

Enter Dylan Cease, San Diego’s $13.75 million offseason acquisition and one of the NL West’s biggest X-factors. Traded from the White Sox and expected to lead a Padres rotation in transition, Cease brings power stuff and a calm demeanor. But when the Dodgers roll into town or even into a spring complex, he admits the atmosphere shifts dramatically. And he’s not shy about saying so.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s regular season, even spring training.” Cease said, “It always has that next-level intense feel. It always has a playoff feel, no matter what time of year it is.”

Let that sink in for a second. The Dodgers don’t just change the scoreboard, they change the temperature of the game. And Cease, who’s never been one for empty soundbites, is telling it exactly as it is.

This isn’t just about a rivalry. This is about a team so loaded, so relentless, that even seasoned pros can’t help but feel their pulse quicken. Still, Cease wasn’t overwhelmed; he was honest: the Dodgers bring out something different.

And it matters. Because Cease wasn’t signed just to eat innings, he was brought in to beat teams like L.A., to be the guy with the ball when everything’s on the line. That intensity which he talks about? It’s not a drawback. It’s the test. And he’s embracing it.

This is shaping up to be more than just another NL West race. With the Dodgers flexing their usual dominance and the Padres pushing to reclaim relevance, every head-to-head meeting crackles with October energy. As per Dylan Cease, it’s not hype, it’s real. And he’s ready to meet it head-on.

The Padres’ plan: Silence the noise, stick to execution

Forget the fireworks and flashy headlines, the Padres know the real way to beat the Dodgers is by staying grounded. No panic, no overreactions, just pure execution. While L.A. tends to overwhelm teams with star power and momentum swings, San Diego is leaning on a different formula: control what you can, and tune out everything else.

Dylan Cease, now anchoring the Padres’ rotation, understands that challenge better than most. He’s seen what happens when you let the Dodgers pull you into their rhythm, and he’s not interested in playing their game. His focus is on precision, staying within himself, and executing pitch by pitch. Because when every moment feels like October, there’s no time for distractions. “We really focus on playing as clean baseball as we can,” Cease said in a March 2025 appearance on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “We focus on our plan, our execution, and just see what happens.”

It’s a simple philosophy, but one that speaks volumes. Against a team like L.A., the margin for error is tiny. When you’re up against players such as Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman, even the tiniest error can quickly become a standout moment on the field. For the Padres, this means to block out distractions and rely on their training to approach each pitch with intensity as if it were a playoff moment, during spring training games.