The 2024 MLB Regular Season began on Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea in a contest between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers took the win, 5-2, over the Padres with solid performances from newcomers Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. With a total of 22,425 runs scored (3rd-most since 2010) throughout MLB last season, it’s ironic that the 2024 season started out with a rather low-scoring affair.
Glasnow Impresses In Regular Season Debut
Tyler Glasnow started his season on a decent note, going 5.0 frames while allowing 2 hits, 2 earned runs, and 4 BBs. Glasnow also struck out 3 throughout his 5 innings of work. The right-hander’s fastball velocity was on par with 2023’s mark with an average of 96.3 MPH, peaking at a blazing 98.3 MPH. Despite hurling the fastball at a high speed, it wasn’t Glasnow’s most effective weapon.
The slider was Glasnow’s most impactful pitch, specifically on the outside corner to righties and low-and-in to lefties. It tallied 8 of Glasnow’s 13 whiffs in the game, with 3 of them coming in Fernando Tatis Jr.’s second AB against the right-handed pitcher. The 30-year-old threw 3 slide-pieces in a row on the outside corner to strike Tatis Jr. out swinging. Glasnow only yielded a solid 81.0 MPH average exit velocity throughout the game, giving the Dodgers optimism for the ace of their staff.
Final Line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 4 BB, 13 Swings-and-Misses
Darvish Keeps San Diego In It
SP Yu Darvish received the baseball for the San Diego Padres in the first game of the Seoul Series and played at a high level. He pitched for 3.2 innings, while yielding no earned runs, 2 hits, and 3 BBs. The 3 strikeouts that Darvish registered all happened at crucial moments in the contest. Specifically, in the top of the 3rd inning, where Max Muncy stepped up to the dish with the bases loaded and 2 men down. After a quality 6-pitch at-bat, Darvish struck Muncy out swinging on a well-located sinker at the top of the zone, ending the threat with no runs allowed.
The most intriguing pitch, to me, was Darvish’s curveball. It added a whole 7 inches of vertical movement from last year, while also generating 3 whiffs on 5 swings (60% swing-and-miss%). The 37-year-old starter utilized the curve at the top of the zone, usually at the beginning of an at-bat to get ahead of the hitter. This is most prevalent in James Outman’s first at-bat of the game, as Darvish located a curveball high-and-away for a first-pitch strike. With the curveball’s versatility, it seems that Yu Darvish will be a quality pitcher in his age-37 season.
Final Line: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 6 Swings-and-Misses
Dodgers Start Off The Season Right
The Los Angeles Dodgers started their 2024 MLB campaign off right, scoring 5 runs in order to seal a 5-2 victory over the Padres. The Los Angeles offence showed excellent plate discipline at the dish, as they took 9 walks while tallying 7 hits throughout the game. The offensive attack was led by DH Shohei Ohtani and recently-converted SS Mookie Betts. The superstar, Ohtani, had the hardest hit baseball of the game at a scorching 112.3 MPH. Betts went 2-4 with an RBI and a BB in his 5 plate appearances against San Diego.
The Dodgers got their scoring started in the top of the 4th frame, as Teoscar Hernandez tapped a grounder to the third baseman, Tyler Wade, who made an errand throw up the first-base line, allowing Hernandez to reach 2nd safely. After a groundball from James Outman moved Hernandez to third base, veteran Jason Heyward flew out deeply to right field, allowing Hernandez to score on the sacrifice fly.
Los Angeles scored 4 additional runs in the top of the 8th inning as RPs Wandy Peralta and Jhony Brito yielded a single and 2 walks to load the bases. With the bases juiced, utility man Enrique Hernandez flew out to deep left field, allowing Max Muncy to score, tying the game at two a piece. The next batter, Gavin Lux, bounced a ground ball to 1B Jake Cronenworth, who was unable to backhand the baseball due to it (oddly) bursting through his baseball glove. This chaotic play allowed for the Dodgers to take the lead 3-2.
The Dodgers weren’t done yet in that eighth frame, as Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani looped a pair of singles that resulted in 2 runs scoring, making the score 5-2 in favour of LAD. The lack of quality bullpen pieces in the Padres ‘pen allowed for Los Angeles to take the lead and ultimately, win the contest due to the 4-run 8th frame.
The Padres Couldn’t Capitalize
Overall, the San Diego Padres offence struggled, specifically due to bad luck. Many Padres hitters, like C Luis Campusano and OF Jackson Merrill, had expected batting averages of .560 or higher in particular ABs that resulted in outs. Furthermore, Campusano’s exit velocity in his at-bat was a scorching 110.1 MPH, which was the second hardest-hit ball in this contest.
Another reason why the Padres were unable to score runs consistently was due to the lack of capitalization when it came to scoring opportunities. In the top of the fourth inning, 3B Manny Machado, SS Ha-Seong Kim, and LF Jurickson Profar got on base, loading the bases with nobody out. However, Luis Campusano grounded into a double play, and while it did result in Machado scoring, it prevented San Diego from scoring more runs and possibly, winning this game. Either way, the Padres had an underwhelming performance offensively in their first game of the regular season.
Highlights of the Game
Top Performers: Dodgers
SS Mookie Betts: 2-4, RBI, BB
DH Shohei Ohtani: 2-5, RBI
CP Evan Phillips: 1.0 IP, K, SV
Top Performers: Padres
2B Xander Bogaerts: 2-4, RBI
3B Tyler Wade: 1-2, R, BB
LF Jurickson Profar: 1-2, BB
Seoul Series Finale Begins Tomorrow
Game 2 of the Seoul Series begins on Thursday, March 21 at 6:05 PM EST. Pitching phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes his regular season debut for the Dodgers, while veteran SP Joe Musgrove takes the mound for the San Diego Padres. MLB is back, everybody, and it’s time to watch some baseball.