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After a week of drama, Dodgers get back to the familiar and win their home opener
To Dave Roberts, Thursday afternoon felt nostalgically, longingly, thankfully familiar.
The afternoon start time. The red, white and blue bunting. Even the traffic clogging up Vin Scully Avenue on the first of his 80 commutes, at least, into Chavez Ravine this year.
“You feel the buzz,” said Roberts, entering his ninth year as Dodgers manager. “Nothing like opening day here at Dodger Stadium.”
This year, especially.
After a historic $1.4 billion offseason spree, a winter of mounting fan base anticipation, a spring camp of tantalizing flashes from a star-studded lineup, and … a confounding theft and gambling scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara … Roberts and the Dodgers were more than ready to plunge into the regular season.
Dodgers defeat Cardinals in their home opener
⚾ Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1 — FINAL
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman each hit home runs and Tyler Glasnow allowed just two hits over six innings to lead the Dodgers to a 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in their home opener.
Ohtani had two hits and scored a run in his first regular-season game as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium.
TOP OF THE NINTH
Paul Goldschmidt led with a single to left field off reliever Ryan Yarbrough. Goldschmidt is the only St. Louis player with a hit today.
Nolan Gorman popped out to shortstop Miguel Rojas. (1 out)
Nolan Arenado flied out to left fielder Chris Taylor (2 outs)
Willson Contreras flied out to left field, ending the game. (3 outs).
Dodgers hold 7-1 lead over the Cardinals after eight innings
⚾ Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1 — End of the eighth inning
TOP OF THE EIGHTH
Dodgers reliever Ryan Yarbrough struck out Victor Scott II. (1 out)
Masyn Wynn flied out to center field. (2 outs)
Brendan Donovan grounded out to Mookie Betts at shortstop. Six up and six down for Yarbrough. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH
Pinch hitter Chris Taylor grounded out to Cardinals reliever Matthew Liberatore. (1 out)
Pinch hitter Kiké Hernández stuck out swinging. (2 outs)
Miguel Rojas, another pinch hitter, flied out to center field. (3 outs)
Max Muncy drives in another run to extend Dodgers’ lead
⚾ Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1 — End of the seventh inning
TOP OF THE SEVENTH
Facing Dodgers reliever Ryan Yarbrough, Willson Contreras popped out to Will Smith. (1 out)
Alec Burleson flied out to Teoscar Hernandez in left field. (2 outs)
Jordan Walker flied out center field. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH
Mookie Betts drew a leadoff walk from Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien, who nearly took Betts’ head off on a couple of pitches.
Shohei Ohtani struck out. (1 out)
Freddie Freeman took a six-pitch walk. Betts moved to second.
Will Smith flied out to right field. Betts advanced to third. (2 outs)
Max Muncy singled on a line drive to right field, scoring Betts from third. Muncy has two RBIs on the day. (Dodgers 7, Cardinals 1)
Teoscar Hernandez struck out, stranding Freeman and Muncy. (3 outs)
Dodgers extend their lead on James Outman RBI single
⚾ Dodgers 6, Cardinals 1 — End of the sixth inning
TOP OF THE SIXTH
Tyler Glasnow struck out Paul Goldschmidt. (1 out)
Nolan Gorman struck out on five pitches. (2 outs)
Nolan Arenado lined out to Max Muncy at third base. (3 outs)
Glasnow allowed two hits, one earned run, walked one and struck out five over six innings in his first start for the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Reliever Ryan Yarbrough will take over on the mound in the seventh inning.
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH
Facing Cardinals reliever Andre Pallante, Max Muncy struck out swinging. (1 out)
Teoscar Hernandez picked up his first hit as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium, finding the right-center gap for a double.
James Outman drove in Hernandez on a single to right under a diving Paul Goldschmidt, extending the Dodgers’ lead. (Dodgers 6, Cardinals 1)
Jason Heyward hit a soft liner to Pallante. (2 outs)
Gavin Lux grounded out to first. (3 outs)
Dodgers hold 5-1 lead over Cardinals after five innings
⚾ Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1 — End of the fifth inning
TOP OF THE FIFTH
Jordan Walker flied out to center field. (1 out)
Victor Scott II reached first on a throwing error to first by Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts. His throw as off-center and bounced past Freddie Freeman. Scott then stole second base.
Masyn Winn flied out to James Outman in shallow center field. (2 outs)
Brendan Donovan popped out in foul territory behind third base, leaving Scott stranded at second. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH
Mookie Betts popped out to short. (1 out)
Shohei Ohtani singled on a sharp liner to right field for his second hit of the day. The hit prompted a pitching change, with Andre Pallante taking over on the mound for the Cardinals. Miles Mikolas allowed seven hits, five earned runs, stuck out five and gave up two homers over 4 1/3 innings.
Freddie Freeman struck out. (2 outs)
Will Smith flied out to center field (3 outs)
Paul Goldschmidt solo home run cuts into Dodgers’ lead
⚾ Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1 — End of the fourth inning
TOP OF THE FOURTH
Paul Goldschmidt led off the inning with a home run to left field, launching a pitch from Tyler Glasnow low in the zone. (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1)
Jason Heyward made a grab on a liner from Nolan Gorman. (1 out)
Nolan Arenado flied out to Dodgers center fielder James Outman. (2 outs)
Glasnow walked Willson Contreras — the Dodgers pitcher’s first walk today.
Alec Burleson hit a grounder to Mookie Betts at short, who tagged second to force out Contreras. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH
James Outman hit a soft single down the third-base line off a check swing.
Jason Heyward popped out in foul territory to Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras. (1 out)
Gavin Lux grounded out into a 4-6-3 double play. (3 outs)
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman homer to extend Dodgers’ lead
⚾ Dodgers 5, Cardinals 0 — End of the third inning
TOP OF THE THIRD
Victor Scott II flied out to left field. (1 out)
Masyn Winn grounded out to Mookie Betts a short. (2 outs).
Brendan Donovan flied out to right field. Tyler Glasnow has looked sharp so far, with three strikeouts on 41 pitches. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD
Mookie Betts led off the inning with a first-pitch home run 406 feet to left field. It is his second home run of the season. (Dodgers 3, Cardinals 0)
Shohei Ohtani drew a five-pitch walk.
Freddie Freeman hit his first home run of the season on a 409-foot blast to center field, scoring Ohtani. (Dodgers 5, Cardinals 0)
Will Smith flied out to second base. (1 out)
Miles Mikolas struck out Max Muncy. (2 outs)
Teoscar Hernandez struck out. (3 outs)
Dodgers lead 2-0 after two innings
⚾ Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0 — End of the second inning
TOP OF THE SECOND
Willson Contreras popped out to shortstop. (1 out)
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow struck out Alec Burleson. (2 outs)
Jordan Walker struck out. Glasnow has three strikeouts on 31 pitches. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE SECOND
Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas struck out James Outman. (1 out)
Jason Heyward grounded out to first. (2 outs)
Gavin Lux struck out. (3 outs)
Dodgers take lead on Freddie Freeman RBI single
⚾ Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0 — End of the first inning
TOP OF THE FIRST
Facing Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, Cardinals leadoff batter Brendan Donovan flied out to center field. (1 out)
Paul Goldschmidt singled to right field.
Glasnow struck out Nolan Gorman. (2 outs)
Nolan Arenado pops out into foul territory between home and first base — Will Smith makes the catch. (3 outs)
BOTTOM OF THE FIRST
Mookie Betts draws a leadoff walk against St. Louis starting pitcher Miles Mikolas.
Shohei Ohtani doubles to the right-field corner in his first Dodgers at-bat, but he gets caught out between second and third when third base coach stops Betts at third base. (1 out)
Freddie Freeman drives in Betts from third base on a single up the middle. (Dodgers 1, Cardinals 0)
Will Smith singled on a line drive to center, moving Freeman to third.
Max Muncy hit a sacrifice fly to right field, driving in Freeman (Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0 — 2 outs)
Teoscar Hernandez struck out. (3 outs)
PREGAME
Dodgers great Adrian Beltre threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Clayton Kershaw. Recording artist Josh Groban sang the national anthem. But the biggest cheer during pregame festivities came when Shohei Ohtani was introduced.
Walker Buehler is progressing ‘sooner than I think we anticipated’ in return from Tommy John
At the outset of spring training, it seemed like Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler would miss at least the first month of the regular season, if not more, in his continued recovery from a 2022 Tommy John surgery.
On Thursday, however, manager Dave Roberts said Buehler is “coming sooner than I think we anticipated,” and could begin a rehab assignment with either triple-A Oklahoma City or at the team’s spring complex in Arizona soon.
“We’ve still got to decide if he’s going to go to Triple-A or if he’s going to go to Arizona and kind of continue to build up,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure if we’ve made that decision yet, but Walker’s coming.”
Buehler didn’t pitch in any spring games during preseason camp, but has built up to four innings in simulated games against teammates.
Other injury updates
Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) and Blake Treinen (lung bruise) are still “a ways away” from returning from the injured list, Roberts said. Both are throwing flat-grounds, but have yet to resume bullpen sessions Roberts said. ... Clayton Kershaw (shoulder surgery) is also at least several months away from returning, but said Thursday he is feeling good about the progress of his recovery. Kershaw’s long-toss play has gotten out to 120 feet, and his next step will be throwing bullpens, though Roberts said he wasn’t sure when that would be.
NL West preview: Is it still the Dodgers’ division to lose? Can Giants challenge?
The Dodgers dominated the offseason with a $1.2-billion spending spree that included the acquisitions of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, but the three other division contenders didn’t exactly sit on their hands all winter, and they’re not about to raise a white flag this spring.
Arizona’s rotation, led by Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, should be even better when left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed a four-year, $80-million deal in December, returns from a lat strain, and its lineup should be every bit as explosive as the one that helped the Diamondbacks sweep the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs en route to a World Series berth last October.
For Dodgers, ‘World Series or bust’ carries richer meaning — and consequences
They have three former most valuable players at the top of their lineup.
They’ve spent more than $500 million to reconstruct a new-look pitching staff.
They’re the odds-on favorites to win a championship this year, if not several more in the seasons that follow.
They know what the expectations are — and, just as important, the consequences that come with falling short.
“If the Dodgers don’t win the World Series,” manager Dave Roberts said, “I think we’d all feel we’ve failed accomplishing our goal.”
This is nothing new to Roberts and his team. In almost every season of the last decade, World Series or bust has been their default setting.
The mysterious life — and questionable claims — of Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter
They were one of the best-known duos in baseball. Wherever star pitcher and slugger Shohei Ohtani went — to practice, to the gym, to Japanese restaurants in Orange County — his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was never far behind.
His Beatles-like haircut, self-deprecating attitude and rapport with the new face of baseball made Mizuhara, a 39-year-old from Southern California, a celebrity in his own right. But over the last week, the world learned how little was truly known about Ohtani’s former right-hand man, who was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of stealing more than $4.5 million to cover debts with an illegal Orange County bookmaking operation.
Now that Mizuhara’s life is under a microscope, key aspects of his biography have proved difficult to confirm; others are outright false. His whereabouts for nearly a decade after graduating from high school in L.A. County are still largely a mystery. He apparently lied about the college he attended and overstated the nature of a previous job with Major League Baseball, in addition to accusations that he misled Ohtani for months — perhaps even years — about a gambling addiction.
The Dodgers are expected to win. But has MLB stacked the odds against them?
The Dodgers probably are not going to win the World Series this year. That is just the way Major League Baseball likes it.
This is not a conspiracy, just the cold reality of a sport that has engineered a postseason format in which promoting hope, faith and interest across the land is the priority, not crowning the best team as champion.
The Dodgers spent more than $1 billion over the winter to assemble the best team Guggenheim’s money could buy. For every five season simulations Baseball Prospectus ran, the Dodgers failed to win the World Series four times. For every six simulations Fangraphs ran, the Dodgers failed to win the World Series five times.
If you are a Dodgers fan, this might not be what you want to hear. The Arizona Diamondbacks finished 16 games behind the Dodgers last season, then eliminated them from the playoffs. The San Diego Padres finished 22 games behind the Dodgers in 2022, then eliminated them from the playoffs.
Do you still believe in Shohei Ohtani? I’m not sure
It still doesn’t feel right.
It still doesn’t make sense.
No matter how much Shohei Ohtani and his advisors attempt to clean it up, something in all this gambling garbage still stinks.
When a smiling Ohtani strides on to the Dodger Stadium field for their home opener Thursday, I want to believe.
I want to believe the game’s greatest player is as pure as his image.
I want to believe the beloved global superstar is as honorable as he seems.
I want to believe the legendary Ohtani magic, for which the Dodgers just paid $700 million, is real.
Starting lineups for Dodgers and Cardinals
Here are the starting lineups for the Dodgers and Cardinals today:
Minus ‘buffer’ of Ippei Mizuhara, Dodgers engaging more directly with Shohei Ohtani
There has been plenty of fallout accompanying the scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
The confusion it caused among the Dodgers fan base. The distractions it threatened to create for the team. The way it could all impact Ohtani’s play individually, in particular, in the first season of his 10-year, $700-million contract, given how integral Mizuhara was in his daily training and preparation routines.
“That’s his personal life,” teammate Freddie Freeman said of the situation, which has seen Ohtani accuse Mizuhara, his longtime interpreter and close friend, of stealing money from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off gambling debts to an allegedly illegal bookmaker.
“That’s a lot [to handle],” Freeman said.
Dodgers players surprised by Shohei Ohtani’s composure: ‘Betrayal is hard’
Kiké Hernández stood in the corner of a jam-packed Dodger Stadium interview room Monday and watched as Shohei Ohtani forcefully denied speculation that he bet on sports or knew that his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused of stealing $4.5 million from him to pay off debts owed to an allegedly illegal Orange County bookmaker.
During the 12-minute news conference, Ohtani said he had no knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling problem until last week, that he never agreed to pay off Mizuhara’s debt or make payments to the bookmaker, and that Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers last week, “has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
When he was done, Ohtani, speaking through interim interpreter Will Ireton, thanked the crowd of about 75 media members, said he was “glad we [had] this opportunity to talk,” and that he is “looking forward to focusing on the season.”
‘There’s no better organization.’ Dodgers and Will Smith celebrate contract extension
Andrew Friedman acknowledged it himself Wednesday.
There have been times in the past, the Dodgers president of baseball operations said, where the team’s talks with players on long-term extensions didn’t come to fruition. Where stop-and-start discussions never resulted in a deal.
“We’ve had other failed negotiations,” Friedman said, “that separated or fizzled out in a way that’s hard to put back together.”
With catcher Will Smith, things played out differently.
How the saga of Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter unfolded — and why it’s not over
The tip arrived two weeks ago, and it threatened to engulf Major League Baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, in scandal. The name of the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher had surfaced in a federal investigation of illegal sports gambling — millions of dollars in payments were allegedly made from his bank account to an illicit bookmaker.
As The Times investigated the tip and began to assemble a story, Ohtani’s representatives scrambled behind the scenes to head it off. The result was a series of shifting accounts of how Ohtani’s name was raised as part of the investigation, with each version presenting him as not being involved in any wrongdoing.
And that effort continued after The Times broke the story of the probe. It culminated Monday in a news conference by Ohtani at Dodger Stadium, and what the ballplayer, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball had hoped would put the matter to rest.
It didn’t.
Tyler Glasnow adds SoCal cool to Dodgers. Will he help his hometown team win a title?
There is a certain “it” factor that many professional athletes, movie stars and musicians possess, qualities that fuel their celebrity and attract legions of fans but are often hard to define.
Not so with Tyler Glasnow, the new Dodgers ace with a 6-foot-8, 225-pound frame that oozes athleticism, a personality as big as his 98-mph fastball, the facial look of Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy, the long, flowing locks and occasional lingo of a Lower Trestles surf rat, and an aura that is easier to put into words.
“He’s California cool, easygoing, really bright, extremely well-traveled, and he has a little Jeff Spicoli from ‘Fast Times [at Ridgemont High]’ in him,” said Chris Rose, who has employed Glasnow as a regular co-host on his Jomboy Media podcast, “The Chris Rose Rotation,” for the last three years. “I just think he’s fascinating.