Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow reacts after placing out Atlanta’s Austin Riley in the course of the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-1 win Monday night time at Dodger Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
On Thursday and Friday night time at Dodger Stadium, a standard chorus echoed from the house plate escalators as the group was submitting out.
“One-hundred-sixty-two and 0!” one fan shouted Thursday, whereas administering two-handed high-fives to passers-by.
“One-hundred-sixty-two and 0!” one other yelled Friday, soliciting a refrain of cheers again in response.
In a 162-game baseball season, such perfection is nearly unattainable. However for now, Dodgers followers can carry on dreaming.
As a result of six video games in, their group has been, nicely, excellent.
In a 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the Dodgers continued their unbeaten begin to this yr’s World Collection title protection — going wire-to-wire in a sport dominated by beginning pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who threw 5 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts; and a Dodgers lineup that, regardless of lacking Freddie Freeman after he slipped within the bathe this weekend and aggravated his surgically repaired proper ankle, struck for 4 early runs and by no means seemed again.
“I didn’t know what to expect going into spring, but it just seemed like the atmosphere was even hungrier than last year,” Glasnow stated. “I think it’s been from Day 1, everyone has just been super motivated to come out strong and win it again. The focus, it’s very high this year. It’s really good.”
Making his first begin of 2025, and his first outing total since sustaining a season-ending elbow harm final August, Glasnow set that tone from the beginning Monday.
He struck out the primary two batters he confronted, snapping off a nasty curveball to Michael Harris II earlier than blowing a 98-mph fastball by Austin Riley. He labored round a short lived lapse of command within the second, stranding a pair of leadoff walks with out additional stress. And he didn’t surrender his first hit till the fifth inning, flashing the identical overpowering arsenal that had him on monitor to be the Dodgers’ postseason ace final yr earlier than elbow tendinitis sidelined him for all of October.
Kiké Hernández runs the bases after hitting a house run in opposition to the Braves on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” catcher Will Smith stated. “We’re fortunate to have him. He gave us five really good innings. He was really good.”
Glasnow in all probability might have saved going after the fifth, having thrown simply 79 pitches.
However by then, the group was already main 5-0, giving supervisor Dave Roberts an opportunity to experience a rested bullpen coming off of Sunday’s off-day.
“I thought he had a good rhythm throughout the night,” Roberts stated of Glasnow. “You can see the conviction of the breaking ball today. There’s a lot of bad swings with that pitch. And then the fastball played. So, yeah, I think tonight was a good stepping stone going forward.”
Teoscar Hernández, proper, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting a two-run dwelling run within the first inning Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
Teoscar Hernández opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a two-run dwelling run within the first, giving him eight RBIs already on the younger season, tied for second within the Nationwide League.
Michael Conforto helped double the lead within the third, smashing an RBI double off the wall two at-bats earlier than Tommy Edman lifted a near-grand slam to the warning monitor in heart for a sacrifice fly.
Will Smith, off to a blistering begin with a team-best .467 batting common, tacked on an RBI single within the fifth.
And Kiké Hernández — who changed Freeman at first base in his first sport for the reason that group’s season-opening Tokyo journey, having missed final weekend’s collection in opposition to Detroit whereas recovering from a abdomen sickness — ripped a solo dwelling run to left within the sixth for superfluous insurance coverage.
“It certainly speaks to the depth,” Roberts stated of his offense, which is averaging six runs per sport although Freeman (who additionally missed the Tokyo video games due to rib discomfort) and Betts (who has sat thrice whereas getting over a abdomen virus) have every solely performed in half the video games.
“Teo started us off tonight with the big hit … Kiké hadn’t played in a while and comes in, hits a homer. So it’s just really nice when you can look up and down the roster and plug in some guys that are certainly formidable.”
Put all of it collectively, and the Dodgers have made some notable historical past.
Although their opening five-game win streak was hardly flawless, requiring them to come back from behind in 4 video games, they nonetheless achieved 30 runs, 20-plus walks (21), 10-plus dwelling runs (12) and 55 strikeouts (59) with out committing an error; one thing no group had ever performed over any five-game stretch in main league historical past.
They’ve matched the very best begin to a season within the group’s Los Angeles historical past, equaling the 6-0 mark set by the 1981 World Collection championship group.
And now, they’ve their sights set on extra milestones, making an attempt to eclipse the franchise’s all-time greatest begin to a season of 10-0 set by the 1955 “Boys of Summer” title group in Brooklyn.
As for 162-0, Roberts was requested…
“No, I’ve got the under on that one,” he joked. “We’re still not really playing great. We haven’t synced things up. But we’re still finding ways to win. And it’s good our guys are focusing on each night and trying to win a ball game.”
