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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered three times in his home debut for the Dodgers, and Los Angeles began a season of sky-high expectations by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 in the opener at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
Mookie Betts and Freddy Freeman homered in the third inning, and Tyler Glasnow pitched six innings of two-hit ball for the Dodgers. One week after the season started with Los Angeles two games in south koreaThe club featured talent on an expensive, star-studded roster headlined by three former MVPs at the top of the batting order.
Following a standing ovation from the crowd of 52,667, Ohtani doubled in his first official at-bat at Chavez Ravine since agreeing to his record 10-year, $700 million contract. The two-time AL MVP followed with a walk and a single as the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
Freeman had two hits and scored three runs, while Bates drove in three runs while reaching base three times. Teoscar Hernandez doubled and scored in the sixth inning of his Dodgers home debut, while Max Muncy drove in two runs.
Glasnow (1-0) pitched quickly in his home debut for his hometown team, striking out five and allowing only one run on 81 pitches. Glasnow, who also started the Dodgers’ opener in Seoul last week, is expected to be a pillar for Los Angeles as its rotation was decimated by injuries and off-field troubles last season.
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Ryan Yarbrough pitched three innings of one-hit relief for his first save.
Paul Goldschmidt homered off Glasnow and Miles Mikolas (0-1) had seven hits and five runs for the Cardinals, who managed only three hits in his opening day.
According to MLB the Dodgers’ roster is the oldest in the majors with an average of 31 years. It’s a remarkably talented group after a remarkable offseason in which Los Angeles spent nearly $1.4 billion on five players, adding a gallery of new stars to an already loaded roster.
Although Ohtani’s deal was prominent, the Dodgers signed two of the top starting pitchers on the market, Glasnow (five years, $136.5 million) and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million), while slugger Hernandez (one year, $23.5 million) million) added. million) and retaining homegrown catcher Will Smith (10 years, $140 million).
The Dodgers’ three MVPs then combined to go 5 for 6 with two walks, a double and two homers against Mikolas, who criticized the Dodgers for playing “checkbook baseball” this month and said “it It would be great to keep up with the Dodgers” in the opening series.
By the time Los Angeles followed with Ohtani’s single in the fifth inning, it was clear that Mikolas’s mouth had written a check that his hand could not cash.
When Ohtani went to the plate for the first time he got a standing ovation and cracked a double to right – but when Bates was thrown to third he was thrown to the basepaths and Ohtani didn’t see him stop.
Victor Scott II went 0 for 3 and stole a base while playing center field and batting eighth in his major league debut for St. Louis.
Cardinals: Several key players are on the injured list to start the season, including prized free-agent sign Sonny Gray, new reliever Keenan Middleton and outfielders Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson.
Dodgers: Manager Dave Roberts said relievers Blake Treinen (contused lung) and Bruiser Graterol (inflammation of the right shoulder) are both still “a long way away” from playing, although both played catcher this week.
Left-hander Zach Thompson made his 11th career start for the Cardinals on Friday. Bobby Miller started for the Dodgers, returning from his solid rookie season.
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