LOS ANGELES – Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in his first postseason appearance, Teoscar Hernandez’s two-run single gave Los Angeles its first playoff lead in two years, and the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 7-5 in The NL Division Series opener is Saturday.
Manny Machado’s homer off starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who also made his playoff debut, put Los Angeles into an early 3-0 hole.
Ohtani quickly bailed out the Dodgers with a two-run homer that tied the game in the second inning. The Japanese star went deep with Hall of Fame player Sandy Koufax looking on and fans chanting “MVP!” MVP!” His shot traveled 372 feet to right field, and the crowd of 53,028 recorded it all on their phones.
“I’ve never seen a guy in the biggest moments have the same consistency that he did before,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I wish a lot of other players had that ability. He’s very unique in that.”
San Diego led 5-3 before the Dodgers took a three-run lead in the fourth inning.
Tommy Edman scored on a groundout by reliever Adrian Morejon, who was taken out. Ohtani had a breaking single and later scored with Mookie Betts on Hernández’s Jeremiah Estrada single that put the Dodgers up 6-5.
It was their first lead in a postseason game since the seventh inning of Game 4 against the Padres in the 2022 NLDS. Arizona swept Los Angeles in the Division Series last year.
“We needed to fight, and that’s what we did,” Roberts said. “We picked guys up in the pen and the offense was relentless with their bats.”
The Dodgers earned their first postseason win since Oct. 11, 2022, in Game 1 of the Division Series against San Diego. They improve to 1-15 in the playoffs when trailing by three or more runs during the first inning.
Down 7-5, the Padres had a potential tying run on base with two outs in the ninth. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to Blake Treinen before Juricson walked Profar to bring up Machado, who struck out swinging. Treinen made the save.
San Diego also had the potential to tie for eighth-place scoring position. Michael Kopech issued a leadoff walk to Profar before Machado struck out third. Jackson Merrill, the top contender for the NL Rookie of the Year award, drew a 10-pitch home run.
Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas made an over-the-shoulder catch on a Xander Bogaerts fly into shallow left-center before Treinen walked Jake Cronenworth to load the bases. With the blue rally towels waving ferociously, Treinen hit Donovan Solano swinging to end the threat.
The Padres’ big three — three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado — were combined for 4-for-14 with three strikeouts. Tatis’ double in the third clocked 118.9 mph off the bat, the hardest-hit ball of his career and the second-most hit in the postseason during the Statcast era.
“We didn’t close the door,” Tatis said. “They’re coming back so we better get ahead of them. Find a way to make it work no matter what.”
It took Ohtani 875 regular season games to finally reach the playoffs, after spending his first six years in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Angels, who had no winning record during his tenure. He finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs scored, and two hits.
“I really felt the intensity of the field before the match started and thoroughly enjoyed it,” Ohtani said through a translator.
Los Angeles made it 7-5 when Edman grounded a double play that scored Will Smith in the fifth.
The Dodgers’ bullpen pitched six scoreless innings, including 1 2/3 by winning pitcher Ryan Brazier.
The NL West rivals meet in the playoffs for the third time in five years. The Dodgers beat the Padres in the 2020 NLDS en route to winning the World Series in a pandemic-shortened season. The Padres turned the tables in 2022, beating the Dodgers in another Division Series.
Yamamoto, the fellow Ohtani teamed with to win the World Baseball Classic last year, trailed 3-0 while throwing 28 pitches in the first inning. The right-hander has a history of struggling in the opening inning, including in his Dodgers debut in the Seoul Series to start the season.
Yamamoto allowed five runs and five hits in three innings. He struck out one, walked three and threw a wild pitch.
Padres starter Dylan Cease, who has pitched a solid hit this season, lasted 3 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs and six hits, struck out five and walked two.
The NL West champion Dodgers had the best record in the majors (98-64) this year, and the wild-card Padres had the highest mark after the All-Star break. The Padres took the NL West race to its final days before the Dodgers won their 11th division title in 12 years. San Diego won eight of 13 meetings to take the season series for the first time since 2010.
Bogaerts gave the Padres a 5-3 lead with a double in the third inning.
All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman went 2-for-5 for the Dodgers while playing with a sprained right ankle suffered last week. He stole second and slid into the bag with his left foot, trying to protect his injury.
“I was holding my breath,” Roberts said.
Trainer room
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw is done for the season with a left big toe injury. He said he may need surgery and will not decide his future until the end of the season. … RHP Joe Kelly won’t be available until the World Series, if the Dodgers get that far. …RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. (Cracked nail) Not available.
the next
Padres RHP Yu Darvish starts Sunday in the second game against his former team. Los Angeles faces RHP Jack Flaherty, who grew up in the area and attended games at Dodger Stadium as a child.
——
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
