The Los Angeles Dodgers had their struggles against Hanshin Tigers ace Hiroto Saiki and suffered a 3-0 loss in their final exhibition game at the Tokyo Dome.
It was another impressive showing for the Tigers, who already had shut out the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers previously defeated the New York Yankees, when playing at the Tokyo Dome as well, in 2004.
Blake Snell initially matched Saiki with three scoreless innings before running into trouble. That coincided with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman joining Stephen Nelson and Eric Karros in the SportsNet LA booth.
Snell issued a leadoff walk and that was followed by a single, his first hit allowed in the game.
That prompted Friedman to immediately joke perhaps he needed to leave the booth. His sentiment lingered as Teruaki Sato lined a three-run home run to right field.
Snell faced more traffic in the inning but managed to keep the Dodgers’ deficit at 3-0. Snell threw 37 pitches in that inning, the same amount he needed to get through the first three frames. Snell finished with the three runs allowed and seven strikeouts over 4.1 innings.
Tyler Glasnow took over in the sixth and pitched four innings in his fourth appearance of the spring. It was Glasnow’s first time pitching out of the bullpen this year.
The Tigers took their at-bat in the bottom of the ninth despite holding a lead so that Glasnow could continue stretching out.
The Dodgers didn’t get a hit off Saiki until Max Muncy’s leadoff single in the fifth inning. Nothing came of it as the Tigers immediately turned an impressive double play to wipe the bases clean.
Saiki held the Dodgers to just the one hit over five shutout innings.
Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being pinch-hit for by Hunter Feduccia in the sixth inning. Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are hosting a players-only dinner Sunday night in Tokyo.
Dodgers Opening Day
Next for the Dodgers is the start of the Tokyo Series on Tuesday, March 18. They figure to have the support of fans but will be the designated road team in both games against the Chicago Cubs.
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