The 2024 MLB regular season kicked off Wednesday morning on the other side of the world. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played Game 1 of the two-game Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea, and Shohei Ohtani's new team came from behind in the late innings to earn a 5-2 win (box score). Ohtani had two singles in his Dodgers debut.
San Diego scratched across two runs against Dodgers righty Tyler Glasnow and the Padres took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, but Gavin Lux grounder went through Jake Cronenworth's glove at first base -- literally through the glove, it tore through the web -- and that peculiar error opened the door for a four-run inning. Los Angeles caught a break and capitalized.
Ohtani singled twice, stole a base and drove in the Dodgers' fifth and final run, and he also made a base-running mistake. He did not retouch second base on his way back to first on Freddie Freeman's long fly out in the eighth inning, which ended the rally. It was a productive and eventful Dodgers debut for the $700 million man.
Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim grew up not far outside Seoul and he played seven seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization before making the jump to MLB. With the Heroes, Gocheok Sky Dome was his home ballpark, so Kim returned to his old stomping grounds Wednesday.
Wednesday's game was the first ever regular season MLB game played in Korea. Here now is what you need to know about the Dodgers' comeback win and the Seoul Series opener.
L.A.'s new top of the lineup dominated
The Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a record -- and heavily deferred -- 10-year, $700 million contract this past offseason and, on Wednesday, the top of their lineup featured three MVPs: Mookie Betts, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman. That's an awful lot of star power. The 2024 Dodgers are the fourth team ever to hit three MVPs 1-2-3 in the batting order (via Elias Sports Bureau):
- 2024 Dodgers: Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman (Opening Day)
- 1983 Phillies: Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt (10 times)
- 1978 Reds: Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, George Foster (May 13)
- 1976 Reds: Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench (May 5)
It was a bit of a weird start to the season. In the top of the first, Yu Darvish took too long to deliver a pitch to Betts and was hit with a pitch clock violation that was ball four -- Padres pitchers were charged with four pitch clock violations in the game -- so the first batter of 2024 reached on a pitch-clock walk. Betts then appeared to successfully steal second base, but he was sent back to first because the home plate umpire interfered with the catcher's throw. An unusual top of the first, it was.
There were no loud home runs or extra-base hits Wednesday, but the vaunted top of the Dodgers lineup had a very productive game. Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman went a combined 4 for 11 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Betts and Ohtani each had two singles and drove in a run, and Freeman had both walks and the hit-by-pitch. Here is Ohtani's night:
The Dodgers are much more than the top of their lineup. Max Muncy had a single and two walks, Jason Heyward and Enrique Hernández drove in the Dodgers' first two runs with sac flies -- Hernàndez did not start the game, he pitch-hit for Heyward against the lefty Yuki Matsui in the sixth -- and James Outman reached base twice as the No. 7 hitter.
The Padres loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning and they did score a run on Luis Campusano's double play, but they scored just that one run. Against a team as good as the Dodgers, it was going to take a crooked number in that inning to win the game. Instead, San Diego got just the one run. You can't expect to keep this Los Angeles offense down all game.
The Dodgers got a little lucky
Sometimes you need a little luck, and in the eighth inning, Gavin Lux's potential double play ball went through Jake Cronenworth's glove at first base. It tore right through the webbing. Check it out:
Officially, that's scored an error, which is tough for Cronenworth. He did a nice job getting to the ball and was in position to make the play. The ball just went through his glove. Charge the error to the glove manufacturer, I suppose.
The Dodgers had runners at first and second with no outs when the ball went through Cronenworth's glove and trickled into shallow right field, allowing James Outman to score the tying run from second base. From there, the floodgates opened as Betts and Ohtani singled in runs. I'm not sure Lux's grounder would have been a double play, it would have been very close at first, but San Diego was unable to get even one out because Cronenworth's glove ripped.
Los Angeles scored their first run when Tyler Wade threw a Teoscar Hernández ground ball, leading to Jason Heyward's sac fly. Lux's grounder then went right through Cronenworth's glove. When the Padres made a mistake (Wade's error), got a bad break (Cronenworth's glove), or gave away free bases (nine walks), the Dodgers took advantage.
Both starters bent but did not break
Because the Dodgers and Padres had a slightly shorter than usual spring training leading up to the Seoul Series, starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Tyler Glasnow were both on an 80-ish pitch limit Wednesday, and neither had was particularly crisp. They had only two 1-2-3 innings between them, both by Glasnow. Here are their pitching lines:
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Pitches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darvish | 3 2/3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 72 |
Glasnow | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 77 |
For Glasnow, Wednesday was his Dodgers debut after coming over in an offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spiked an awful lot of pitches in front of the plate, both fastballs and curveballs, so it seemed he was having some trouble with the mound. The Padres did put some good at-bats on him though, and the Dodgers worked Darvish hard as well.
Four Dodgers relievers -- Ryan Brasier, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Evan Phillips -- held the Padres to two hits in four innings, giving the offense a chance to get back into the game. Wandy Peralta, Jhony Brito, and Adrian Morejon combined to turn that 2-1 lead into a 5-2 deficit for the Padres in that eighth inning. San Diego asked a lot of its bullpen following Darvish's short start and they couldn't make the one-run lead stand up.
Park threw out the first pitch with a special glove
Chan-Ho Park, the first Korean-born player in MLB history, threw out Wednesday's ceremonial first pitch, and he did so with a special glove. Park fetched the glove he used during his MLB debut in April 1994 from a museum in his hometown for the occasion, according to the Orange County Register. Here's Park's first pitch with Ha-Seong Kim behind the plate:
Now 50, Park played 17 seasons with seven teams from 1994-2010. He debuted with the Dodgers (1994-2001) and also spent two years with the Padres (2005-06). With a 124-98 record, Park is the winningest Asian-born pitcher in MLB history. He has worked as a special advisor in San Diego's front office since 2017.
Up next
The Dodgers will look to complete the two-game Seoul Series sweep Thursday morning. That's another 6:05 a.m. ET start (7:05 p.m. in Seoul). Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the three-time reigning MVP in Japan's Pacific League, will make his first MLB start with the Dodgers after signing a 12-year, $325 million contract in the offseason. That is the largest pitching contract in history. The Padres will counter with San Diego native Joe Musgrove. The Padres were the home team Wednesday and the Dodgers will be the home team Thursday.