The Los Angeles Dodgers offense was slow to get going but eventually found some rhythm to begin the regular season with a 5-2 Opening Day comeback win against the San Diego Padres to start the Seoul Series.
The Dodgers improved to 8-3 all-time against the Padres on Opening Day, and have now won six such matchups in a row.
Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-5 with one RBI and a stolen base in his Dodgers debut. His lone hit was a 112.3 mph single off Yu Darvish in the third inning.
Wednesday represented the first time Ohtani had ever faced Darvish in the Major Leagues. The two share a mutual respect and were teammates on Team Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning, only for Max Muncy to strike out swinging and keep the game knotted in a scoreless tie.
After Teoscar Hernández reached on an error that left him in scoring position to lead off the fourth inning, he advanced to third base on James Outman’s groundout and scored the tying run on Jason Heyward’s sacrifice fly.
While the Dodgers managed to stress Darvish and chase him from the game with two outs in the fourth, their lineup regularly failed to capitalize on opportunities.
The Dodgers left 13 on base and finished 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. At one point they were an even-more-futile 0-for-14 with a man on base. Hernández changed that in the eighth inning when he followed Muncy’s leadoff walk with a single.
James Outman’s walk then loaded the bases and Kiké Hernández followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly. Gavin Lux’s chopper to the right side of the infield brought in a go-ahead run thanks to the ball breaking through the webbing of Jake Cronenworth’s glove.
Mookie Betts kept the momentum going for L.A. with an RBI single and Ohtani fought off a pitch to muscle a flare into center field to complete the four-run inning that proved to be the difference.
Glasnow effective
Tyler Glasnow held the Padres to just two runs but took a no-decision in his Dodgers debut. Glasnow didn’t help his cause by issuing four walks in just five innings, nor on a sacrifice bunt attempt to third base that he attempted to make a play on.
Xander Bogaerts’ RBI single in the bottom of the third inning gave the Padres a 1-0 lead, and a run scoring when Luis Campusano grouned into a double play in the fourth broke the tie.
Dodgers Seoul Series schedule
The Seoul Series concludes Thursday at 3:05 a.m. PT. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making his MLB debut with the Dodgers as the designated home team.
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