The Los Angeles Dodgers have opened their regular season with a historic eight wins in their first eight games, the best start for a reigning World Series champion ever. They have swept the Chicago Cubs, the Detroit Tigers and now the Atlanta Braves in their respective series. However, despite their dominance, these wins haven’t come easy, requiring heroics from stars like Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, but also excellent performances from key players like Tommy Edman and catcher Will Smith.
Just before the league-wide Opening Day, March 27, the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs faced off in a two-game series, playing in Tokyo, Japan. These games, which are counted as part of the regular season, were preceded by match-ups against the Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) teams Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers (not to be confused with the Detroit Tigers), which proved exciting as the Tigers beat both the Cubs and the Dodgers in quick succession.
The first game of the Tokyo Series featured Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japanese superstar and starting pitcher for the Dodgers, who debuted in the Major League Baseball (MLB) last year, against Shota Imanaga, another relatively new pitcher from Japan for the Cubs.
Both of these teams put on quite the show for the Japanese audience, as Imanaga gave up no hits in the first five innings, before he was pulled. Ohtani, 2024 MVP and inaugural member of the “50/50 club” (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season), led off for the Dodgers, racking up two hits and two runs. Ohtani’s historic season last year showed his speed and ability to steal bases while not pitching. However, this year, Ohtani will be back to pitching, meaning he could have another incredible season and cement himself as possibly the best two-way player of all time.
Despite Imanaga’s strong start, the Dodgers quickly scored three runs as soon as he was pulled, bringing them into the lead and eventually securing them a 4-1 victory.
The second game was much more back-and-forth, resulting in another exciting game. Ohtani’s home run, though it was controversial due to possible fan interference, was an exciting moment for Japanese fans as Ohtani started his home run count for this season. Overall, this puts the Dodgers on a good track to dominate the National League West again. And despite the Cubs’ losses, they played well and are in the running to be a playoff contender this year.
The Dodgers’ most recent matchup on April 2, the third and final game of their series against the Atlanta Braves, was one of the most exciting. The Dodgers started poorly, with recently signed ex-Giants pitcher Blake Snell having a rough first outing, allowing five hits in four innings. However, Snell was certainly not the only one to blame for the poor start; the Dodgers gave up five runs, none of which were attributable to Snell’s performance.
With the Dodgers down three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, a miracle was necessary to keep their winning streak alive. Two more runs kept them solidly in the game, but with a tied ball game in the bottom of the ninth against a winless team, the Dodgers were looking the weakest they had all season. Andy Pages, at the bottom of the Dodgers’ batting order, struck out swinging on three pitches to start the inning. With Ohtani up to bat, the Dodgers were looking for a base hit at the minimum to keep their hopes alive.
The outcome was predictable, of course. Ohtani swung on the first pitch, sending it 399 feet for a walk-off home run. While a home run is never truly ‘expected’ from a player on a given at-bat, this outcome was certainly foreseeable from one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Ohtani has continually proven his $700 million value for the Dodgers, not only in publicity and attracting overseas fans but in raw baseball prowess. He’s arguably one of the most underpaid players in baseball, as his value is simply immeasurable.
While 162 wins in a season will almost certainly never happen in baseball, it’s hard to say that the Dodgers don’t have an excellent chance at breaking the season win record, currently held by the 2001 Seattle Mariners. Big signings in the off-season, a stacked bullpen, powerful batting lineup and leadership under Dave “Doc” Roberts, are a recipe for a historic season of baseball.
