Corey Seager nearly hit a home run in his first at-bat, then took Cole Hamels deep in the third inning of his first Major League game since April 29, 2018. It was one of two homers the Los Angeles Dodgers hit off Hamels en route to a 4-4 tie with the Chicago Cubs.
Seager added a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and finished 1-for-2 with a team-leading two RBI. He turned an impressive 4-6-3 double play to end the first inning but did have a mishap in the fourth when he booted a grounder that allowed Javier Baez to reach. Seager played six innings in the field.
While the spotlight understandably was on the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year winner, the game was also notable for Dustin May and Julio Urias in their own regard. Urias was initially listed as the probable, but the start instead went to the right-handed prospect.
May allowed a two-out RBI single to Hamels but otherwise held his own against a Cubs lineup that was full of expected regulars come Opening Day. The run was all May allowed on three hits as he collected three strikeouts over three innings in his first Cactus League start.
Meanwhile, after allowing just one run on two hits while striking out nine batters in nine innings across four starts, the relief appearance was Urias’ first of the year and preparation for a potential bullpen role come the regular season.
He appeared poised to complete three innings but was let down by sloppy defense. After a walk and base hit put two runners on in the seventh inning, Urias induced a potential double play but Brad Miller threw the ball away after recording a force out at second base, allowing a run to score.
Ben Zobrist’s line drive to center field dropped in front of Ezequiel Carrera and skipped off his glove, bringing in the game-tying run. Urias, who allowed a homer to Anthony Rizzo in the sixth, was charged for two of the three runs, and threw 52 pitches over 2.2 innings.
