Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts Impress in Dodgers’ Opening Day Victory, Seoul Series Starts With a Bang

The storm has passed for a moment. As the dust settles, the Los Angeles Dodgers are standing tall after game 1 of the Seoul Series with a 5-2 score. The Blue Crew certainly didn’t make things easy for them as the team was behind for much of the game. However, despite having a shaky start the Dodgers’ quality proved to be too much for the San Diego Padres. With Shohei Ohtani also making a great debut, there’s a lot to unpack about this historic game.

Apart from Ohtani, it was the joint effort of the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting squad that leveled the Padres. While the game wasn’t short of drama, it was Shohei’s debut that was the biggest story. After initial hiccups, the superstar slowly built up momentum. With Mookie Betts providing great support, the superstar lineup of the Dodgers is off to a great start.

Shohei Ohtani almost does it all in his Dodgers debut

All eyes were set on Shohei Ohtani. The $700 million man’s debut in MLB’s first regular season visit to South Korea was the talk of the town. Certainly, he didn’t disappoint. As the Los Angeles Times reported, Ohtani recorded 2 hits in 5 at-bats. Moreover, the superstar also played an active role in scripting a win for the Dodgers.

Initially, Shohei was struggling against Yu Darvish. His first at-bat ended with him getting grounded out by Fielder’s choice. While that was a disappointing start, Ohtani was quick to bounce back in the third inning. The AL MVP hit a line drive and recorded his first hit for the Dodgers. That woke up the crowd, who found another reason to celebrate just a moment later when he stole second base.

However, the Dodgers failed to convert that opportunity into a run. Until the eighth inning, the Blue Crew had zero hits in 8 scoring positions. But then the team staged a remarkable comeback when Kike Hernandez’s sacrifice fly resulted in a run. This opened the floodgates, with Gavin Lux, Mookie Betts, and Ohtani following up with hits that led to 4 runs being scored by the Dodgers. One particularly absurd moment occurred when the ball went through Jake Cronenworth’s gloves after Lux’s hit.

And that was all the Dodgers needed as the Padres couldn’t keep up. The team once again showed its inability to close out games. However, while Ohtani’s night was going great, he did find himself as part of a hilarious mishap.

The Blue Crew’s dream start to their campaign

The eighth inning ended with Ohtani making an unusual mistake. The superstar misread a flyball and didn’t retag the second base before returning to the first. That ended the inning for the Dodgers. However, luckily for them, the job had already been done. Apart from Ohtani, Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with a walk and 1 RBI. 

On the other hand, Freddie Freeman got two walks in two at-bats. Teoscar Hernandez got 2 runs. Overall, the Dodgers’ hitting squad slowly got into a fabulous groove. That sure must be an encouraging sign for the skipper, who will undoubtedly enjoy the momentum his team has created.

Read more: MLB Opening Day Seoul Bound: Everything You Need to Know About I-5 Dodgers-Padres Feud