Padres Score First, But Dodgers Find A Hole in Eighth to Win Opener in Korea
The San Diego Padres scored the first run of the 2024 regular season Wednesday night in Seoul, but that wasn't enough to secure a victory.
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the eighth inning, rallying for a 5-2 victory at the Gocheok Sky Dome.
The main culprits? Seven walks issued by Padres pitchers and one faulty glove.
With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning and two runners on base, Gavin Lux hit a ground ball to Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth. The ball got through Cronenworth's glove — literally — on what was technically considered an error. But really, it was his glove's fault:
Singles by Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani followed. Game, set, match.
The Padres held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but squandered both.
Yu Darvish didn't allow an earned run in his Opening Day assignment, but he also walked three batters and was pulled after throwing 72 pitches in only 3.2 innings. A parade of seven relievers followed.
Jhony Brito (0-1) took the first loss of 2024 in a game that began at 3 a.m. Pacific Time.
On a day of firsts, the Padres at least provided some entertainment to a sold-out crowd in Seoul.
Padres Highlights
Padres' Next Game
The Padres will send Joe Musgrove to the mound against the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto at 3 a.m. Thursday from Seoul. The game will be streamed by the Padres and available to out-of-market fans via ESPN.
