Dodgers begin 2024 with a comeback win in Korea
by Cary Osborne
The Dodger offense, with three MVPs at the top of the lineup, is a significant reason for this being one of the most anticipated seasons in Dodger history.
So of course the biggest hit in the historic Opening Day in Seoul, South Korea on Wednesday came from the bottom of the order on not a broken-bat hit, but a broken-glove one.
Gavin Lux, the Dodger second baseman and №9 batter, hit what appeared to be a potential eighth-inning-ending double play ground ball. But the ball punched through Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth’s glove.
It gave the Dodgers their first lead of the game on Wednesday and helped ignite the offense. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani followed with back-to-back RBI singles in a four-run inning in the Dodgers’ eventual 5–2 win at the Gocheok Sky Dome.
“Fortunate break for us,” said manager Dave Roberts of the Lux grounder. “You’ve got to take them when you can get them.”
The MVPs — Betts, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman — delivered, reaching base eight times in 15 plate appearances. But the Dodgers were 0-for-14 with men on base and 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position heading into the eighth inning.
The Dodgers tied the score 2–2 in the eighth with their second sacrifice fly of the game — this one by Kiké Hernández. Jason Heyward scored the Dodgers’ first run of the game in the fourth inning, evening the score 1–1 at the time with a sacrifice fly off Padres starter Yu Darvish.
But even with Lux’s grounder — a fielder’s choice that gave the Dodgers a 3–2 advantage — the Dodgers still remained hitless with runners in scoring position.
Betts, who was 2-for-4 with a walk in the game, changed that with a single against San Diego reliever Jhony Brito. Ohtani followed with his own single, pushing the lead to 5–2.
Glasnow Starts It, the Bullpen Ends It
The Dodgers’ depth in pitching, another reason for the highly anticipated and high-expectation season, was a significant reason for the Opening Day victory.
Tyler Glasnow was sharp on the bookends, retiring the side in order in the first and fifth innings. But he dealt with traffic in between.
Leadoff walks in the third and fourth innings each scored. But his work in the fourth inning was a pivotal point in the game.
Glasnow allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base, but allowed only one run.
He left after five innings with the Dodgers trailing 2–1.
“I know there were some at-bats he would like to have had back, but making pitches when he needed to — (that’s) the sign of an ace,” Roberts said.
Glasnow said he didn’t have a feel for his curveball, which limited batters to an .095 average last season. He threw it 10 times (13% of his 77 pitches), earning three strikes. He averaged 21.3% curveballs per start last season.
The slider was a swing-and-miss pitch, getting eight whiffs on 16 swings and limiting the Padres to one hit on six balls in play.
“The whole day was kind of a grind,” Glasnow said. “I was happy I got to stay within myself and get out of that inning and mitigate the damage. So I’m happy with it.”
The Dodger bullpen didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position over the last four innings.
Ryan Brasier, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly and Evan Phillips, who earned the save, each contributed a scoreless inning.
The Debuts
Ohtani went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Teoscar Hernández went 1-for-5, reaching base twice and scoring two runs.
