The Los Angeles Dodgers are a mere two days away from the beginning of the Seoul Series and it is Tyler Glasnow who is getting the Opening Day start in his first season with the club. The two games against the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome are being played Wednesday and Thursday.
Glasnow’s second career Opening Day start is coming opposite Yu Darvish, someone he has developed a friendship with.
“We have the same agent, so it’s been a lot of back and forth through Joel (Wolfe) mostly. I’ve texted him and asked him questions,” Glasnow said of his relationship with Darvish.
“He’s very much like a pitching guru and stuff like that, especially with grips. So just kind of picking his brain with that stuff for a while. I don’t know how long ago, but quite a while ago I’d say. A long time.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently described Glasnow as being an inquisitive pitcher, and thus the revelation that he would solicit advice and insight from Darvish is hardly a surprise. Darvish has a positive presence throughout the sport and strong reputation for his wide repertoire of pitches.
Meanwhile, Glasnow has showed off exactly what the Dodgers were hoping for when they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade this past offseason. A very strong spring, among other factors, has Glasnow in position to open the 2024 season as the Dodgers’ No. 1 starter.
The opportunity could not have come at a better time for Glasnow as he has been dialed in and looked untouchable in his last two outings. Against the Cleveland Guardians he struck out five and only allowed one baserunner in three innings.
The right-hander then did himself one better in his final start of the spring, striking out eight while again allowing just a single baserunner in 5.1 innings of work against the San Francisco Giants. Overall this spring, Glasnow gave up just one run in 10 innings while striking out 14 batters.
A team with sky-high expectations this season, the Dodgers will be looking to start out their 2024 season on the right foot in Seoul. This is the first time the Dodgers and Padres have met on Opening Day since the 2017 season, when L.A. won 14-3.
Clayton Kershaw, one of Glasnow’s childhood favorites, picked up the win after striking out eight and allowing one earned run across seven innings.
Tyler Glasnow’s preparation for Dodgers Opening Day
Glasnow made his last start on March 12 against the Giants, which means he will have two extra days of rest before his Opening Day start on March 20. Despite the extra time off between outings and needing to adjust with being in South Korea, Glasnow has widely stuck to his usual routine.
“I felt good pretty early on. Got used to the time change and slept on the flight. They gave us some pointers and all that stuff. As far as actual preparation, it’s just normal. Just two extra days, but same bullpen and lift on the normal days. Just two extra throw days, so I feel good,” he said.
Last season, Glasnow had a 3.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 2.91 FIP and career-high 162 strikeouts in 120 innings pitched.
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