LOS ANGELES — No one knew which version of the Dodgers would show up in Game 1 of the NLDS. The Padres, coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round, had plenty of juice, riding into this series with a quiet but palpable swagger. L.A., on the other hand, was searching for theirs.
With the Dodgers’ announcement that longtime ace Clayton Kershaw would be shut down for the remainder of the season and the unknown status of first baseman Freddie Freeman due to a recent ankle sprain, the vibes weren’t great going into first pitch Saturday.
They didn’t get any better during a three-run Padres first inning, and when Manny Machado’s towering two-run shot gave San Diego an early 3-0 lead, it felt like not only the tone of the game but also the tone of this series had been set. The Dodgers needed to respond — and quickly.
One inning later, thanks to the bat of Shohei Ohtani, they did.
Throughout this season of injuries and unknowns with their starting staff, the thing the Dodgers have always been able to count on is their ability to mash. And in their 7-5 victory over the Padres in Game 1, L.A.’s star-studded lineup sent a must-needed message: This team, injured though it might be, is not to be underestimated.
In the second inning, the Dodgers put two men on, and you could feel the energy in the ballpark begin to buzz. Then Ohtani walked to the plate, looking to give his team the boost it desperately needed.
And in one swing, he did, crushing a 97 mph fastball for a no-doubt, three-run homer to tie the game. As Ohtani flung his bat to the side and let out a scream en route to first base, it was clear he had flipped the script on the Padres.
“It just got the momentum back for us and just gave us life,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “And I think from pitch one, the fans were just engaged, were in it. … I felt that energy. And I think Shohei feeds off that.”
Said Ohtani: “I’m very pleased to be able to tie the game in that situation and be able to get a hit against a really good pitcher. [Padres starter Dylan Cease] is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes … I was able to get to [the fastball] and was happy that I was able to do so.”
“Listen, he’s a good player,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Ohtani. “He’s obviously done some pretty special things this year. I just think it’s about execution. You gotta be even finer against really good players.”
The Padres responded with two more runs in the third inning, but no matter. It was as if, thanks to that one swing from Ohtani, L.A.’s lineup had renewed confidence, with the crowd now energized, alert and unfazed.
In the fourth, L.A. manufactured their way back into the lead. Three consecutive singles from Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas and Ohtani, followed by a wild pitch, pushed across another Dodgers’ run. Then came an intentional walk of Mookie Betts and a Freddie Freeman groundout before Teoscar Hernandez notched a two-run single of his own, making it a 6-5 game and putting the Dodgers on top for good.
“It’s really difficult for a playoff team to get into and feel comfortable in the first game of the postseason, especially after a long layoff,” Ohtani said afterward. “But I think everyone really contributed today — the entire team, the bullpen especially.”
The bullpen indeed delivered for L.A., throwing six scoreless innings after Yamamoto surrendered five earned runs in his three innings of work.
“I appreciate and love the support,” said Yamamoto said, who was making his MLB postseason debut and just his fifth start since returning from a shoulder injury. “I’m so glad we won as a team in the end.”
With Ohtani as the spark, the Dodgers started this series against San Diego with a bang. What could’ve been a gut punch from the Padres instead turned into a victory at home, one they were able to secure even without a great performance from their starter.
Don’t get it confused: This Dodgers team is built on offense, and in Game 1, they showed exactly how they won 98 games in the regular season and exactly why, even without consistent pitching, this lineup has a chance every night. Ohtani, Betts and Freemen receive much of the hype, but Saturday’s win showcased the depth of L.A.’s lineup when it’s firing on all cylinders. Six of the Dodgers’ nine starters recorded hits in the game, with four recording multiple, and every starter reached base at least once.
“It’s just hard not to panic when you’re behind, especially, you know, in a postseason game,” Roberts said postgame. “You see a guy like Cease, who’s got really big stuff, and to be able to kind of grind at-bats, that’s the hard part. … We did that all night, got the pitch count up, got him out of the game, got to their pen and got looks at some guys. So that’s a credit to our guys.
“It’s experience. It’s trusting the process.”
The Dodgers are now 70-13 this year when they score five or more runs. While their pitching has been anything but reliable this season, the offense’s ability to score in bunches — even and especially in the postseason, when runs are difficult to come by — is a huge advantage over most teams.
Yes, the Dodgers are going to need better production from their starters, but having the safety net of this lineup certainly makes things easier.
“The first inning certainly wasn’t ideal as far as striking first,” Roberts said. “But it was good to see us show some resilience and take a blow and respond the way we did. … It just really speaks to the character of this group. …
“We need to fight, and that’s what we did tonight.”
