That was a terrific win for the Dodgers. How many Dave Roberts haters are going to admit that the buttons he pushed in this one worked very well. I know some of you out there are saying:
Jordan Hicks was not good in his last two outings, and after the first two batters, it did not look for him again. Mookie led off the game with his 50th career leadoff HR (100.4 MPH), and the next pitch was a Shohei Ohtani single (106 MPH). After the first two batters, the Dodgers had more 100MPH+ AB than they did in Sunday’s against San Diego. Hicks settled down and retired the side.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up Thairo Estrada double in the first. But in the 2nd, Wilmer Flores led off and hit a hump back line single to CF. With one out, Blake Sabol hit a hard ground ball that Mookie got to, but he could only knock it down. Next pitch he left a hanging curve center/up that Luis Matos crushed into the LF stands.
After 2 innings the Giants had a 3-1 lead, and the way the Dodgers have been hitting of late, there had to be some concern…right? But the Dodgers caught a couple of breaks with wild pitches. Andy Pages continues to hit as he led off with a double in the 5th. With one out, Mike Yastrzemski made the play of the game laying out on a Mookie Betts line drive slicing away from Yaz to make a fantastic catch. With Ohtani up, Hicks uncorked a WP and Pages moved to 3B. Ohtani then hits a dribbler to 2B that Estrada could not make the play and Pages scored. The Dodgers were unfortunate that Yaz made the play, but fortunate because of the WP.
Mike Yastrzemski, FULL EXTENSION! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/oeg1u96Qi3
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2024
In the 6th, with RHRP Luke Jackson on the hill for SF, the Dodgers got a leadoff walk for Muncy. Muncy moved to 2nd on a WP, and with two outs, Gavin Lux slugged a ground rule double to CF that Matos could not make the play, and Muncy scored the tying run.
A multi-hit game
Both hits 105+ mph
An extra base hit
Not sure who this Gavin Lux is…. but I'm down pic.twitter.com/PNYzWI5HPX
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) May 14, 2024
Yamamoto In the bottom of the 6th, after only 68 pitches through 5.0 innings. Yamamoto’s control escaped him. He had just got Estrada on a ground out to Lux, and that was 12 in a row. But inexplicably, Yamamoto walked Matt Chapman on 4 pitches, and LaMonte Wade Jr. Wilmer Flores popped out on a foul ball to Freddie, and it looked like Yamamoto would get out of it. But on a slider middle/in, Heliot Ramos singled into LF for the go ahead run.
Yamamoto had only thrown 84 pitches, but Roberts made the first of multiple decisions that turned out to be correct. With two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, with the hot hitting LH hitting Blake Sabol coming up, Doc brought in Alex Vesia to face Jackson Reetz PH for Sabol. Vesia needed 3 pitches to strike out Reetz to end the inning and threat.
In the 7th with James Outman due up, and 2 out of the next three LAD batters LH hitting, Bob Melvin brought in LHRP Erik Miller. Roberts key decision #2… Kiké Hernández was sent up to PH for Outman. On the 2nd pitch Kiké saw he slugged a changeup low and in into the LF stands just inside the LF foul pole. It was the hardest hit ball all night (112.7 MPH) and the longest hit ball all night (406 feet). Good decision, Doc. Better hit Kiké.
Michael Grove and Daniel Hudson each pitched a clean inning with 2 Ks. Blake Treinen relieved in the 9th and had to navigate around a single and BB. He had help with his pick off of PR Tyler Fitzgerald, who was running for Flores.
Camilo Doval pitched the 9th for SF, and with a free runner on 2nd in the 10th, the Giants turned to Taylor Rogers. He struck out Ohtani, but Freddie walked on 5 pitches. Will Smith, who had been in a big slump, came to the plate and hit a crushing blow to CF that Matos could not make the play, that turned out to be a 2 run scoring double.
Will Smith for the lead! 😤 pic.twitter.com/lW5siMN83f
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2024
Ryan Yarbrough was not going to be used if at all possible. That left Nabil Crismatt, Gus Varland, and J.P. Feyereisen to choose from. Doc chose wisely as he brought in Feyereisen. JP struck out Brett Wisely for the first out. He walked Yastrzemski on 8 pitches, which turned out to be fortuitous. On the 2nd pitch, Thairo Estrada hit a tailor-made 5-4-3 DP. Good grab (not difficult) by Max and good turn by Gavin to get the DP and the Game 1 win.
Good for Feyereisen, having a moment like this. He was out for so long that pre-injury Walker Buehler actually pitched in a MLB game more recently than JP did (by 8 days). A whole lot of work went into this, love to see it. https://t.co/ORE3XuNsZ2
— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) May 14, 2024
Injuries are a part of baseball. The Dodgers have had their share with pitching, but the Giants have been decimated. On Sunday, the Giants lost rookie CF Jung Hoo Lee to a dislocated shoulder. Matos replaced Lee in CF and had a big 3-run HR that Lee probably does not do. But I wonder if Lee makes those 2 catches in CF. We will never know. What we do know is that the Dodgers won, Giants lost, and Padres lost to Colorado.
It is a pair of rookies going in game 2. Gavin Stone vs Keaton Winn.
