Dodgers open season with win in South Korea
Teoscar Hernandez scored the go-ahead run on an error to highlight a four-run eighth inning, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers to a season-opening 5-2 victory versus the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea.
The error could be construed as an equipment malfunction as Gavin Lux's grounder off Adrian Morejon bounced through the webbing of first baseman Jake Cronenworth's glove. The ball eventually settled in right field and Hernandez scored from second base to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead.
Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani capped their two-hit performances with runscoring singles in the eighth inning.
Xander Bogaerts had an RBI single among his two hits for the Padres, who mustered just four singles against five Dodgers pitchers.
San Diego was nursing a 2-1 lead before Wandy Peralta walked Max Muncy to lead off the eighth inning and reliever Jhony Brito (0-1) loaded the bases after Hernandez singled to center and James Outman walked on four pitches. Muncy scored on a sacrifice fly by Enrique Hernandez to end Brito's evening before Cronenworth's glove trouble changed the complexion of the game.
The late uprising made a winner out of Daniel Hudson (1-0), who allowed one hit and struck out one batter in one inning. Joe Kelly bridged the gap to Evan Phillips, who retired the side in the ninth to secure the save.
San Diego opened the scoring in the third inning after Tyler Wade came home on Bogaerts' single to center against a drawn-in infield.
Los Angeles answered in the fourth. Hernandez advanced to second base following a throwing error by third baseman Wade. Hernandez moved to third on a groundout and scampered home on Jason Heyward's sacrifice fly to deep right field.
Machado walked on four pitches to lead off the fourth inning and advanced to second after Tyler Glasnow issued a free pass to Ha-seong Kim. A well-placed bunt by Jurickson Profar loaded the bases before Machado scored on a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Luis Campusano.
Glasnow permitted two runs on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five innings. The Dodgers acquired Glasnow in a Dec. 16 trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and signed him to a fiveyear, $136.5 million contract extension.
The teams meet again on Thursday before returning to North America. The regularseason for the remainder of the teams begins on Thursday, March 28.