The Los Angeles Dodgers were close to earning their second tie of Cactus League play, but a four-run inning in the bottom of the eighth propelled them to their fifth win of Spring Training. Possible left-handed bullpen option Justin Wilson put the finishing touches on the Dodgers’ 9-6 win with three strikeouts.
Wildly anticipated is a bit of an understatement when it came to the excitement surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers debut. In the fifth inning, with the Chicago White Sox leading 4-1, he showed what makes him so special by muscling an opposite-field two-run home run despite the ball slightly beating Ohtani to the spot.
With Ohtani and the rest Dodgers’ regulars out of the game, the bench and reserve players put together a two-out rally in the seventh inning while facing a 5-3 deficit. Chris Okey and Ryan Ward both came through with a RBI to even the score.
The Dodgers took their first lead of the game in the eighth inning with Drew Avans’ sacrifice fly, and then Okey added some insurance with his three-run homer that extended the lead to 9-5.
All smiles for Shohei. pic.twitter.com/zLt9KxNQC3
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 27, 2024
THE SHO IS HERE. pic.twitter.com/dXJCEjApsN
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 27, 2024
Break it open? Okey! pic.twitter.com/VzoKSjhoiq
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 27, 2024
Blake Treinen's sliders are back. pic.twitter.com/QQqSWnSB5R
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) February 27, 2024
On the pitching side, Bobby Miller made his first appearance of Cactus League play. He surrendered an RBI double to Eloy Jiménez in the first inning, but otherwise looked in control through his two innings of work.
Blake Treinen returned to the mound for the first time after missing all of 2023. He went one inning with one strikeout and his slider looked just as effective as ever. Wilson had an eventful ninth inning, allowing one run and three hits but also collected three strikeouts.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto next for Dodgers debut
Speaking of highly anticipated debuts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is getting the starting nod for the Dodgers’ matchup against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million contract he signed with the Dodgers this offseason was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher in MLB history.
His fastball that sits comfortably in the upper-90s and plus off-speed offerings that made him a three-time Triple Crown winner in the Nippon Professional Baseball League will be on full display. He has impressed all throughout camp, earning praise from his manager and teammates like Freddie Freeman.
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