Freeman reaches 3 times, scores in winning Dodgers debut

DENVER » Freddie Freeman’s Dodgers debut included reaching base three times, scoring a run and providing a comforting shoulder.

Colorado’s José Iglesias was emotional standing at first base following an early RBI single. When Freeman asked what was wrong, Iglesias said he’d just recently lost his father.

The Los Angeles star first baseman offered words of encouragement.

“It was a beautiful moment,” Iglesias said after the Dodgers beat the Rockies 5-3 Friday in a season opener. “Beyond baseball, we’re human beings. That was very nice of Freddie.”

Freeman lost his mother, Rosemary, to skin cancer when he was 10.

“He’s like, ‘I know what you’re going through,’” recounted Iglesias, whose father was from Cuba. “It was very emotional for me.”

Freeman started his Dodgers tenure with a solid day — and a win. The 2020 NL MVP signed a six-year, $162 million deal with Los Angeles after leading the Atlanta Braves to a

World Series championship last season.

Freeman struck out in his first at-bat, then was hit by a pitch, walked and scored in the Dodgers’ five-run fourth inning, and lined a sharp single before taking a called third strike in the eighth.

“Freddie, it’s not going to show up in the scorecard, but going first to third in a situation where there was a wild pitch and scores an insurance run, those are things where it’s a little microcosm of what we can do,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Colorado’s big offseason acquisition, Kris Bryant, had a double and a walk but struck out against Craig Kimbrel with a runner on to end the game. Bryant agreed to a sevenyear, $182 million to be a big bat in the top of the order.

YANKEES 6, RED SOX 5 » Josh Donaldson capped his Yankees debut with an RBI single in the 11th inning, lifting New York over Boston for its first walk-off win on opening day since Yogi Berra scored in 1957.

Trailing 3-0 before ace Gerrit Cole got a single out, the Yankees rallied against their longtime rival.

Xander Bogaerts put the Red Sox ahead 5-4 in the 10th with an RBI single against winner Michael King (1-0) — Bogaerts’ third hit of the game. Pinch-hitter Gleyber Torres tied it in the bottom half with a sacrifice fly off Ryan Brasier.

TIGERS 5, WHITE SOX 4 » Javier Báez wound up with a winning RBI single on a gameending replay reversal in his Detroit debut.

With two out and a runner on third in the ninth inning, Báez hit a drive to right off Liam Hendriks that sent AJ Pollock back to the wall. Pollock appeared to make a juggling catch, but the ball struck the wall before going off the outfielder’s glove.

The new-look Tigers started celebrating as they realized what happened, and the opening-day crowd joined in after umpire Marvin Hudson announced the reversal of the call.

Eric Haase hit a solo homer off Hendriks (0-1) earlier in the ninth.

RAYS 2, ORIOLES 1 » Budding star Wander

Franco had three hits, Francisco Mejía snapped an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly and AL East champion Tampa Bay beat Baltimore.

GIANTS 6, MARLINS 5 » Austin Slater doubled with two outs in the 10th inning for his first career walkoff RBI, sending San Francisco past Miami.

Thairo Estrada hit a tying home run to start the bottom of the ninth off Anthony Bender. Then Slater came through against Anthony Bass (0-1), scoring Darin Ruf. It marked San Francisco’s first walkoff win on opening day since beating the Padres on April 6, 1987, at Candlestick Park. MARINERS 2, TWINS 1 » Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray tossed seven impressive innings in his Seattle debut, Mitch Haniger homered and the Mariners opened with a win over Minnesota.

Ray (1-0) surrendered just three hits, walked four and struck out five. He made the opening day start after leaving Toronto and signing a five-year, $115 million contract with Seattle.