What Happened With The First MLB Game Of The Year?
14-1 Dogers win, but two straight immaculate innings? What??
The Los Angeles Dodgers started spring training strong with a 14-1 win over the San Diego Padres. San Diego started Joe Musgrove, and LA started Gavin Stone.
In the first inning, a lot happened for the Dodgers, starting with a Mookie Betts walk on four pitches. On the next pitch, Chris Taylor singled to 2nd base to advance him, and Outman was hit by a pitch. Finally, Teoscar Hernandez hit a ground-rule double to left-center for 2 RBIs. All those led to Musgrove being replaced after 24 pitches. Carter Loewen who is out of the University Of Hawaii came out and struck out Austin Barnes on 3 pitches. But then walked Gavin Lux on four pitches to load the bases for Chris Owings who hit another ground-rule double to score two more runs. When Andy Pages stepped up to the plate, he spent no time waiting to do damage. He ripped a ball over the second baseman's head to score both Lux and Owings. Next up was Kevin Padlo who hit a two-run home run to left field to create an 8-0 lead before San Diego even got up to bat. That home run also sent the Padres to the bullpen for the second time of the inning where they handed the ball to Gabe Mosser from Shippensburg University. Betts and Taylor lined out to the Left and centre fielders respectively to end the inning.
The Padres went down in order in the bottom of the first, with a K, a flyout, and a pop-out. After the switch, San Diego went to Jeremiah Estrada who struck out James Outman on three pitches, Hernandez on three pitches, and Barnes on three pitches to complete an immaculate inning. In the bottom of the third, they took him out and put in the Japanese rookie Yuki Matsui who struck out Lux on three pitches, struck out Owings on three pitches, and then struck out Pages on three pitches for a second straight immaculate inning.
The next score was a solo home run by Jake Cronenworth to put the Padres on the board for their only run of the game. Offence slowed down again until the top of the 6th when Moises Lugo came in to pitch. Trey Sweeney singled, Austin Gauthier walked, and Travis Swaggerty singled up the middle to drive in a run. Drew Avans then singled to centre to score one more run. 10-1 Dodgers. On the next pitch, Jose Ramos doubled to drive in both Swaggerty and Avans to make it 12-1. Ryan Ward drew a walk as the next batter to end Lugo’s night on the bump. Austin Davis came in and struck out the next two batters, but Kody Hoese got the best of him to drive in Ramos and Ward on a double to left field. Davis struck out Sweeney to end the inning, but not before the damage was done.
Brett Sullivan was the final out as he was struck out swinging by John Rooney.
Gavin Stone picked up the win with one inning and one strikeout in that inning with no walks, runs, or hits allowed. Joe Musgrove got the loss while he gave up 4 runs on 2 hits, one walk, and one hit by pitch.
They play again tomorrow at 3:08 PM ET for game two of spring training.