The Los Angeles Dodgers have preached patience with Roki Sasaki, and the need for that was evident in his Dodger Stadium debut.
Sasaki struggled with command as he walked four batters over just 1.2 innings. He allowed two runs, including one via walk with the bases loaded.
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Sasaki struggled to the tune of 41 pitches in the first inning as he sprayed pitches. The Dodgers had just one instance of a starter throwing at least 40 pitches in the first inning last season, which was Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his MLB debut.
Prior to Sasaki coming out of the game, the Dodgers’ deficit was cut in half thanks to Freddie Freeman’s second home run in as many games. L.A. then tied it in the bottom of the second on Michael Conforto’s RBI double.
That included a bit of good fortune as Conforto’s grounder not only hit off first base before rolling down the line, but Andy Pages ran through a stop sign from third base coach Dino Ebel. Pages nevertheless crossed home with ease standing up because the relay throw was up the line.
The Dodgers took the lead in the fifth inning when an intentional walk of Shohei Ohtani put two on for Teoscar Hernández, who delivered a double that brought both home.
That represented the Dodgers’ first runs of the series that were not scored via a homer.
Will Smith provided the long ball again with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning. The homer was Smith’s first of the season and 11th for the Dodgers, which is tied with the New York Yankees for the MLB lead.
Tommy Edman gave the Dodgers a 12th home run this season with his leadoff blast in the seventh. The homer was Edman’s third of the season and he remains well on his way to shattering a career high of 13 that was reached in 2022 and 2023.
Freeman contributed with an RBI double in the seventh inning to put the Dodgers up 7-3, which held as the final score.
The Dodgers bullpen amassed 11 strikeouts and held the Tigers to just one run over 7.1 innings pitched.
Dodgers undefeated start
The Dodgers’ 4-0 start marked a first for the franchise since the 1981 team opened the season with six consecutive wins. They now are the first defending World Series champion to open a season 5-0 since the Tigers in 1985.
Overall, the 2025 Dodgers are the fourth defending MLB champion to start a season 5-0 or better, joining the aforementioned Tigers, 1933 Yankees (7-0) and 1934 New York Giants (5-0).
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