In the first game of the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers overcome the San Diego Padres 7–5.
In the opening game of the NL Division Series on Saturday, the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 7-5 thanks to three-run home runs from Shohei Ohtani in his first-ever postseason game and a two-run single from Teoscar Hernández, which gave Los Angeles its first lead in a postseason game in two years.
Los Angeles fell behind 3-0 early on when Manny Machado launched a two-run home run off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the starter who was also participating in his first postseason game.
In the second inning, Ohtani gave the Dodgers an immediate boost when he smashed a two-out home run to level the score. As Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax watched the Japanese sensation hit the ball, supporters yelled, “MVP! MVP!” His home run sailed 372 feet to right field, and 53,028 fans in attendance recorded the event on their phones.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated, “I just really have never seen a guy in the biggest of moments come through as consistently as he has.” “I wish many other players were like that. He’s simply really special in that regard.
After trailing 5-3, San Diego seized the lead once more, but the Dodgers rallied for three runs in the fourth inning. Adrian Morejon, the reliever, sent up a wild pitch that allowed Tommy Edman to score. Morejon took the loss.
The Dodgers took a 6-5 lead because to Ohtani’s broken-bat single and Hernández’s single off Jeremiah Estrada, which also brought home Mookie Betts.
This became their first lead in a playoff contest since the Padres in the seventh game of Game 4 of the 2022 NLDS. Arizona won the Division Series last year and swept Los Angeles.
Roberts declared, “We had to fight, and that’s what we did.” “We were picked up by guys in the pen, and the offense’s at-bats were relentless.”
In the Division Series opener against San Diego, the Dodgers won their first postseason game since October 11, 2022. When they trailed by three or more runs through the first inning of the playoffs, they improved to 1-15.
In the ninth inning, behind 7–5, the Padres had a chance to tie the game with two outs. After Blake Treinen was hit by a single from Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado was up to bat but he struck out swinging after Jurickson Profar walked. The save went to Treinen.
In the eighth inning, San Diego had another opportunity to tie. To begin the inning, Michael Kopech walked Profar; however, Machado grounded out on a called third strike. After a 10-pitch at-bat, Jackson Merrill, a strong contender for NL Rookie of the Year, received a walk.
Dodgers shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a pop fly to Miguel Rojas, who made an excellent grab in shallow left-center. After that, Treinen loaded the bases by walking Jake Cronenworth. Treinen ended the inning by striking out Donovan Solano with a swing, while blue rally towels waved in the air.
Three-time hitting champion Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado, the mainstays of the Padres, combined to go 4 for 14 with three strikeouts. With a velocity of 118.9 mph, Tatis’ triple in the third inning was the highest of his career and the second-highest in the postseason since Statcast began keeping track of them.
Tatis stated, “We didn’t close the door.” We need to outscore them because they’re starting to come to life. No matter what, figure out how to get hits.
Ohtani played his first six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record, and it took him 875 regular-season games to make it to the postseason. With two singles in five at-bats, three RBIs, two runs scored, and two strikeouts, he concluded the game.
Through an interpreter, Ohtani remarked, “I really felt the intensity of the stadium before the game began and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” In the fifth inning, Edman grounded into a double play to score Will Smith, bringing Los Angeles’ lead to 7-5.
Six shutout innings were thrown by the Dodgers bullpen, including one and a half innings from winning pitcher Ryan Brasier. For the third time in five years, the NL West rivals are going up against one another in the playoffs.
During a pandemic-shortened season, the Dodgers beat the Padres in the 2020 NLDS on route to capturing the World Series. The Padres exacted their revenge in 2022 by defeating the Dodgers in yet another Division Series.
Yamamoto, Ohtani’s World Baseball Classic co-mate from the previous year, had a rough start to the game, trailing 3-0 after hurling 28 pitches in the opening frame. The right-hander has had trouble in the first innings in the past, most notably during his Dodgers debut in the Seoul Series at the beginning of the season.
In three innings, Yamamoto allowed five runs and five hits. He walked three batters, struck out one, and threw a wild pitch.
Dylan Cease, the starter for the Padres, went 3 1/3 innings after pitching a no-hitter earlier in the season. He walked two, struck out five, and gave up five runs and six hits.
With a record of 98-64, the Dodgers—who won the NL West—had the best record in the majors this season. After the All-Star break, the Padres, who qualified for the playoffs as a wild card, had the best record.
The Padres put up a strong fight to win the NL West, chasing the Dodgers until the very end of the season before they captured their 11th division crown in 12 years. This season, San Diego defeated the Dodgers eight times out of thirteen, winning the season series for the first time since 2010.
In the third inning, Bogaerts doubled home two runs to give the Padres a five-run lead.
Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers’ all-star first baseman, played despite suffering an injured right ankle the previous week and went 2 for 5. In order to preserve his injury, he stole second base and slid in with his left foot. “My breath was held,” Roberts said.
