Dodgers start quest for three-peat with rout of Diamondbacks
The matchup between the Mets and Pirates saw the first successful challenge in the history of the automated ball and strikes system (ABS).
Shohei Ohtani, star of the Los Angeles Dodgers. File image.
(AFP) With a key home run by Cuban Andy Pages, the Los Angeles Dodgers made their debut Thursday in the new Major League Baseball season with an 8x2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Angels franchise, World Series champions in 2024 and 2025, has every ambition to complete the first championship three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
Japan's Shohehei Ohtani, the superstar who transformed the Dodgers upon his arrival in 2024, warmed up with a hit and a base on balls in his three at-bats.
Ohtani is scheduled to combine his batting duties with pitching but the first opening was reserved for compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the last Fall Classic, winning against the Toronto Blue Jays, stayed for six innings on the mound, striking out six opponents and conceding five hits and two runs.
Those two runs were the first of the afternoon at Dodger Stadium and came on a home run by Dominican Geraldo Perdomo in the fourth inning.
In the next inning came the forceful reaction of the locals, with a spectacular three-run homer by Cuban Andy Pages.
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Venezuelan Miguel Rojas then crossed the plate, driven in by a single by Will Smith, to extend the lead.
In front of their 53,000 fans, the reigning champions closed out the win with four more scores in the seventh inning, including another two-run home run by Smith.
After Yankees win over Giants in Wednesday's opener, most major league teams kicked off their season in Thursday's 11-game day.
The date will also go into the baseball history books for recording the first successful challenge of the automated balls and strikes system (ABS), executed by Venezuela's Francisco Alvarez.
The catcher of the New York Mets challenged the initial ball decision on a straight ball thrown by Dominican Freddy Peralta to compatriot Oneil Cruz, figure of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The decision was reversed by the new robot umpire system to strike three, resulting in the second out of the inning.
The Mets ended up taking the 11x7 win with two hits and a run driven in by their Dominican star Juan Soto.
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