FULL GAME: Mookie Betts calls game with walk-off homer in Ring Ceremony Night! (Tigers vs. Dodgers)
We welcome inside Joe Davis. You just saw Rohersiser. He’ll be back up here hopefully not in too long to get an elevator held for him. Get him back up here. We’ll join Kirstston in a moment as well. They win a championship last year and what a start to this season between the trip to Japan, the ceremonies here this week and against three really good starting pitchers. A 3-0 start moments ago down in the field. Kirstston Watson. A little preview of that hardware with Mookie Betts. Mookie, this ring ceremony, it was spectacular. You have the ring in your hand. Is it everything you imagine and more? It’s more. It’s more. This is uh this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten. I mean, fortunately, I have three, but I think this one uh this is probably my favorite one. You told me you wanted to fill your whole hand with rings. You guys are now 3 and0 to start the season. You ready to add some more hardware to your hand? Absolutely. I mean, I I definitely want to get another one and see what the what the Dodgers have in store. But, you know, be doing this in in Dodger Stadium and in front of all these Dodger fans is just amazing and a blessing come true. You show us the ring real quick. Just show it up there. Look at this. They got the got the inside of it. This is It’s a beautiful thing. Enjoy every second. Thank you so much, Muki. Congratulations again. All right, guys. All right. And a fitting pitching matchup on a weekend where we celebrate last year’s championship team, last year’s World Series run. Jack Flity, Yoshino Yamamoto, guys that combined started more than half of the postseason games for Yamamoto. It’s already his second start of the year. He looked really good on opening day in Japan, getting the win for the Dodgers and tries to get off to a 2 and 0 start here. Dodgers and Tigers. Middle game in this three-game series. Dodgers trying to keep the perfect start going. We’re all set for game two of this series with this lineup for the Tigers brought to you by your Southern California helpful Honda dealer. Glaver Torres lead things off. And then it’s Carrie Carpenter hitting second in right field. Riley Greens in left hitting third. Spencer Tolkenson had a great first game. DH’s and bats cleanup with Colt Keith at first. Former Dodger Zack McKinstries at third base. Then it’s Dylan Dingler. Trey Sweeney who was traded over there for Jack Flity last year and Ryan Kriedler. bats ninth in center field. Yoshinoba Yamamoto gained so much confidence in the postseason last year. His first start of the postseason didn’t go well, but in kind of a microcosm of this whole season, bad start, rallied from there. Game five of the division series against Hugh Darish. Five scoreless innings. Game two of the World Series, one run over six and a third. and the overall numbers right there. He proved last year with the tough start in Korea, his very first one as a Dodger was really rough, but he responded to that and that continued throughout the year right to the very end. Dodgers trying to get off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 1981 season. Yamamoto winds and throws and off we go with a fast strike on Torres. Really good opening day start for Yamamoto in Japan. those five innings, just one run after all the talk during spring training about how sharp he was looking. Drops in a breaking ball here. Didn’t throw that a ton in Japan. In fact, just nine times against the Cubs. That was the fewest that he’s thrown it in the big leagues. Here comes an 02. It’s in the dirt. Ball one. This is what he threw over in Tokyo. And you can see the splits are a little different. He used all his pitches, but the four seamer and the splitter were predominant. There’s 29 splitters that he threw, second most in a game in the big leagues. Had fast balls, punched to right field. Tasker Hernandez is there. And there’s the first out of the ball game. Well, the results against those two pitches, you can see why he stuck with them at 29 each. The one for six and one for nine. And because he commanded the bottom of the strike zone with his four seamer, that really set up the split and the chase. And Dave Roberts said that he felt like, you know, the confidence we’re talking about that he took from the postseason last year, where that’s showing up is with his fast ball. The way that he’s attacking with that, putting it wherever he wants it. Strike one with that fast ball to Carrie Carpenter. Carpenter getting his first start of the season for the Tigers. Off of the bench yesterday. sacrifice fly knocking a run and that 5-4 Dodger win on an 01 pitch. Carpenter takes it low. 97. He was up a tick from last year in Tokyo at 96 and we thought maybe it was from being in his home area and uh adrenaline. He’s got it here though in Los Angeles. It’s a curve ball again. Misses away to Carpenter. Two balls in one strike. And they sure love him here. I mean clearly they love them all hearing the roar of this crowd during the ring celebration the ring presentation but extra loud roar for him as they introduced him while he’s warming up out in the bullpen a fun couple days this has been you know it is really hard to pitch I don’t know how the everyday players continue to concentrate when the pageantry is all around and it’s about you it’s one thing to block that out another thing if people are like mad at you or just normal crowd but this is hard when it’s so special. On a two- two pitch, it’s another curve. Going heavy with that early on here. Three balls and two strikes on Carpenter. Last year, the Tigers were one of the better split finger hitting teams. So maybe a little change in strategy. This in his second start. Offense much better as the season went on for Detroit. That stunning run to the playoffs, their first postseason trip in a decade. That’s hit hard and a base hit for Carpenter. First base runner of the game, Carrie Carpenter with his first hit of the year. Confidence in the fast ball and confidence using in the middle of the plate. Carpenter got one earlier and missed it. Then he came back with the breaking ball, but this one back down the middle and he squares it up. Yesterday, the problem for the Tigers wasn’t getting guys on. It was doing something once they did. They had nine hits and six walks, but went over with runners in scoring position in the game. Here’s Riley Green and a curve is banged into center. Back-to-back hits on back-to-back pitches for Detroit. And they’ve got him cornered with one away. This is the situation yesterday with Blake Snell that he pitched around it. It wasn’t usually with hits that the Tigers set the table. It was some walks from Snell right here. Yamamoto looking for a ground ball double play with one out. try and avoid that run at third. Yeah, Snell doing it yesterday. That’s been one of the early season themes for the Dodgers, their pitchers getting out of these situations. Spencer Torqulson takes ball one. Hitters against Dodger pitchers over the first three games with runners in scoring position are two for 29. Making pitches when they have to. Torqulson coming off a great day yesterday. walked four times and homerred. Grounded it off his foot there. Foul. There’s the first line like that in baseball history on opening day. Well, he’s got pop. You know, he might have a lot of swing and miss in his games, but when he squares it up, it goes a long way. Former first pick of the draft. He’s in the majors at 22. Weight of the world on his shoulders as a big-time prospect, but it’s shifted around where he’s now trying to prove that he still belongs. a good first step yesterday. Another foul ball off himself. One and two. Where’s that shin guard on his left ankle there? And he’s attacked that area twice here in a row. Figure I got that guard. I might as well use it. Most of the time it misses it. Mamoto could use a strike out right here. It’s one two tools. Grounded foul. First inning was the worst inning for Yamamoto as a rookie. Had a six erra in the first. That was skewed by what happened in his first start in Korea. But that wasn’t the only time when he had his issues in the first inning. Six erra in the first. 225 after the first inning. Fires one, two, and gets him swinging. Tailing fast ball for out number two. Excellent movement right there. you think could be a two seamer, but I think it’s a four seamer with that tailing action and it just goes in and jams him. Get out of my kitchen. That’s huge. First and third, one out. Get that punch out. It’s got the hitter looking at it like, “What was that?” And it actually was oral to your uh your instinct there was charted as a two seam which he threw a few times in Japan. About time the computer gets it right. Come on. Technology is just it’s flying. It’s catching up to the old news. Yes. Ball one in the dirt to Colt Keith. We had some outstanding blocks yesterday from Will Smith. Hey, Austin Barnes back there getting the call. Starting his 11th season with the Dodgers. I hope he carries over with the offense that he showed in spring training. Two on, two out. Keith takes right down the middle. One ball, one strut. Keith, uh, he was the guy, you know, the teamwide problem with runners in scoring position yesterday. Found himself those situations every time he was up there. Went 0 for four on this one. One from Yamamoto. Keith takes outside. Ball two. John calling balls and strikes tonight. The Tigers almost hit 500 with not a man in scoring position. Now 0 for 16 after that last strikeout. 23-year-old former top prospect Keith swings and misses. That’s the splitter. And it’s at 93 as it was in Japan. And again, you’re thinking he’s just revved up pitching in his home country, but he’s back here in LA and it’s still 93 moving like a butterfly. It reminds me of Zack Granky’s change up. Zach was here in a Dodger uniform. A power change. Power change. Was this a power split? Just got to add a little more of a grunt. Grinky like Deuce is wild. Two on, two out, and a two. Trace his way out of trouble. Backto back splitters to get Keith and put up a zero in the first. Show Otani to lead things off. Three games, two home runs for the superstar, for the MVP, Otani Benson Freeman. Coming up, here come the Dodgers with this order presented by your Southern California helpful Honda dealer. You know who it is leading things off. There’s Otani, then Betsson Freeman with Tasks Hernandez hitting cleanup. Muny hitting fifth. Tommy Edmond down to the six spot. Confoto’s first start at home. And Pah and Barnes finished things up for Dave Roberts against an old friend and Jack Flity. His first one to Otani is downstairs. Ball one. Welcome back. Times two for Jack Flity. Back to the Tigers. That’s where the Dodgers got him from last year. And of course, back to Dodger Stadium where he helped his hometown team win the World Series. [Music] [Applause] Two and0 on Otani. This is much more than just another start for Jack. talking to him yesterday, he said, “Yeah, it’s, you know, it’s already you’re starting a new season with kind of a new team, back with a new contract. You’re going to have a lot of emotions from that, but then everything else starting at here, seeing his all all his old friends. He’s going to get his ring tomorrow. This is uh million emotions going through Jack tonight and he’s falling behind Otani 3 and 0 to start it. Green light if he wants it. jumps out of the way and it’s a four- pitch walk. [Applause] What’s Jack got? Well, he’s got a lot of pitches, five of them. Throws a lot of fastball sliders and curves. Got rid of the cutter last year and that was a good decision and he has the four seamer in the strike zone. He can really get you to chase, especially with the knuckle curve. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball last year. Came over to the Dodgers. Went six and two. delivers to Muki Betts over the heart of the plate and fouled back. Muki a hit and a walk and a run scored yesterday in his season debut after missing of course the two games in Japan. Battling that stomach bug using the days between Japan and opening day to start to get right. Said that he’s feeling closer and closer each day. Feels a little bit better. put a little bit of weight back on. And he said he’s confident and comfortable that he’s going to get to where he needs to go because he says, “I’ve got the blueprint. I’ve put the weight on already. Did it with a very specific plan that we have written down this off season and I’m just going to do the same thing. Should be two.” Torres takes it himself. Twin killing. Jack’s going to have a battle tonight against this Dodger lineup because he gets a lot of outs from chases and this Dodger lineup will not do that. So, he could end up setting the table with Look at the smile to Freddy. [Applause] Ball on on Freeman 0 for four in his first game after he exercised some precaution in Japan. He’s thinking that it’s just scar tissue that broke up in his ribs. That was the thing coming out of the World Series. It’s like you knew about the ankle that he was dealing with, but then you started to hear a little something about the rib. Yeah. It turns out that the day before the division series, he’s warming up, taking swings, and dropped to his knees in pain. would pop something in his ribs and was dealing with that the entire postseason as well. Fought through it all to earn that bling that he put on tonight. Flies out to center. No score after one. [Applause] He start Zack McKinstry with a strike on a fast ball to the outside corner. The old Dodger now in his third season in Detroit. [Applause] He made the game a little tighter last night with his triple and scored on a sack fly. Had a couple big hits at Kica Park last year against the Dodgers and then tributed off of the bench yesterday. [Applause] Takes a strike. One and two. Oh boy. Third consecutive K. Does it with a splitter, fast ball when he locates it and then comes back with that the tunneling effect to a hitter. You can see they start the bat and then they lose the bat speed right when the ball starts to break. It’s like, oh no. And that’s the facial expression you get. Fast ball, fast ball, fast ball until it’s not. until it just dives out of there. There it is. The perfect 95 on the corner. And here’s the tunneling effect of those two pitches when he’s at the knees with that red line. The four seamer and then the split dives like that. Tough to hit. One ball, one strike on the Tigers catcher Dylan Dingler. Was that a red line or orange line, Joe? Uh, it was red. Okay. Thank you. Red. Orange. Yeah. Thank you. those box of crayons. You know, you get the bigger the box of crayons, the more names they have to come up with. They get like macaroni and cheese color. Our producer, Mike Levy, just said tiger orange since we’re playing the Tigers, but I think it was more red than that. Okay, good. So, we were on to something. Fast ball fouled off. One and two. already threeks and in jumbo jack math that’s halfway with this pitching staff. This is jumbo jack world. It’s going to be a lot of them. Golf to left center field traveling deep. It is gone and it’s Dylan Dingler. Doubled in his career home run total with that swing. He had one in a cup of coffee in the big leagues last year and he’s got one and one AB this year. He got fooled but he made a very nice adjustment dropping his top hand and pulling the lower part of the bat in the handle in to get the head to this. You can just see he just releases turns the hips and gets the head on it. At first you think that’s got a chance to stay in here, but this ball had some backspin and carry. So, the Tigers on the board first with a home run from their seven hitter and catcher, light hitting catcher and Dylan Dingler. And now it’s Trey Sweeney who was the key piece in the Jack Flity deal. Like Sweeney and Flity were like ships in the night in that trade, right? Sweeny goes to the Tigers, gets called up to the big leagues right after that. Flity, of course, to the Dodgers, but now playing together. Flity going back to Detroit on that two-year contract on 02. Sweeny swings and misses. Back to the splitter to get his fourth K already. One of the dangers of throwing so many strikes is the hitters will just start the bat and hope they get one in the middle. And that’s what happened with the home run. But that one, if they start the bat, it’s not in the middle, you’re out. Former UCLA Bruin Ryan Kriedler, [Applause] one for two yesterday. He’s a shortstop by Trade, who’s playing center field, not because they needed a spot for his bat. You see the offensive numbers, 147 over three seasons with the Tigers, but because their top three center fielders all start the year on the injured list. So, they got to dig deep and get a guy who they still feel good about out there because he’s so athletic. I say has those defensive instincts, but still starting the season already very banged up in this lineup. Two and one on the Tigers nine hitter. Yamamoto comes back home and a fast ball speeds by him to even the count up. Strike percentage in his first outing in Tokyo was up there and it’s up there again here. Right around 75%. A different kind of guess hitter when a guy’s thrown that many strikes. They’re just guessing strike. They’re not worried about what pitch it is. Already five Ks for Yoshi Nou Yamamoto. That splitter just diving out of the zone, but the Tigers draw first blood on the Dingler home run. And it will be Tasker Hernandez to start this second inning. 33 home runs careerhigh last year in his first season with the Dodgers in that one-year prove it deal. Prove it he did to earn the long-term contract. 32-y old in his 10th season in the big leagues. Had two balls and no strikes. The definition of a long-term contract nowadays is really different. That’s true. Three years three now when there’s 10 and 12s out there. 15 in the case of Sodto. Oh my gosh. Yes. Three and one as Flity falls behind the leadoff man again. Jack last year had the lowest walk rate of his career. He had five four pitch walks all year and then he walked the first batter of this season on four pitches in Otani. falls behind Hernandez and now gets back in there with a good breaking pitch. Three and two. The Dodgers seem to have a magic formula with guys to really improve them, especially on the mound with their repertoire in their arsenal. And I think for Jack, it was just really more more fast balls and curve balls. Swaned the other way off the end of the bat. It is a diving try from Carrie Carpenter and he’s got it. Nice catch by Carpenter for the first out of the second. Is it just the fingers of the glove that get under this? That was very well done. The body ends up in front of the glove with the slide, but it was well done to stabilize and keep it in the leather. Tigers one, Dodgers nothing. Bottom of the second. Here’s Max Muny looking for his first hit of this home stand. an 0 for three yesterday and trying to get it against a guy that historically has given him a hard time. Max is two for 13 against Jack Flity with eight Ks. A lot of that came when Jack was at the peak of his powers in St. Louis. I love watching these exchanges between these guys. You can see how fond the Dodgers were of Jack Flity in his couple months with him. One ball and two strikes. Well, Max loves to hunt the fast ball and he loves strikes, but Jack will throw him a lot of off speed pitches. That’s pretty much what Max has seen so far this year in the three games is a lot of breaking balls. Another one of them right there. Rolled towards the middle for Trey Sweeney. Two up and two down. You know, Flity when he came over last year, Dodgers were desperate for starting pitching and he was so reliable. Seven and five with the 295 with the Tigers. Comes over to the Dodgers. Numbers not quite as good, but he held him together and they don’t win the World Series without trading for Jack Flity. That’s for sure. Great addition to the clubhouse. Great addition on the mound. Tommy Edmond, speaking of don’t win the World Series without a trade, boy knows this guy. National League Championship Series MVP and he has just kept on humming last season into this one with two home runs over the first three games. His strong side is against left-handed pitchers and he showed it again last night. This is some pop over 400 ft there into the left field pavilion. But because he missed the first four months last year recovering from that wrist surgery and then the ankle injury that he suffered during his rehab, he didn’t hit his second home run of last year until September 10th. The first two of his season in the same game against the Cubs here. Already got two of them this year in three games, but he’s down quickly as Jack Flity gets his first K. All smiles on the guys that got the rings and on the 50,000 or so they watched him do it inside ball one on Glaver Torres at the top of the Tigers order coming up against Yamamoto here in the third. Home run of this game came in a home run from Dylan Dingler last inning. Tigers catcher and now it’s Torres after seven seasons with the Yankees. Dodgers saw him of course in the World Series last year. Over to the Tigers on a one-year contract on a one-1 pitch from Yamamoto. Torres takes in the dirt. Two-1. Torres came up and allar right away as a youngster in New York. All the pressure that comes to playing shortstop for the Yankees and then had a couple years where he wasn’t very good before recovering, steadying things the last couple seasons. Lifts his fly ball to left field. It sends Conforto back to the wall and it’s gone. Labber Torres has his first home run in his new uniform and it’s two to nothing Detroit. Torres though holding his side as he limps around the bases. Not a good sign for a Tigers team already limping into this season with injuries. And you can see Joey Core, the third base coach down there saying, “Hey, he ain’t right.” Get the training staff on him right away. Well, he gets to a two seam fast ball and it is way off the plate, but he does a nice job. As many splitters as he’s thrown, that one split his side. Yamamoto gave up a home run on a splitter earlier. Only one home run last year on a splitter. He’s already given up one this year. for one on a splitter and one on a two seamer or a sinker if you want to call it that. Is there a difference? Ask the computers. I’m going to ask one of the greatest throwers of what do you say? What What did you What do you say you threw? I threw a sinker. Okay. Yeah. Because that’s what my goal was. Now, some nights it turned into a two seamer, which is really when it’s level like that home run, but you’re really looking to make the ball go down at least the width of the barrel of the bat. Bonus strike on Carpenter and a bounce it to short. Mookie bounce. You see all kinds of throwing angles from Muki at short. That’s one of the things that he’s really concentrated on as he’s gotten better there at that position. Just find finding what’s comfortable for each throw from each part of the diamond, the length, how much time he has. That one he times almost go from the land down under. The way that he put it, Oral, is that he used this off season as a chance to discover his own style as a shortstop. Whereas last year was a crash course. remember he found out he was going to move to Shortstop and play there for the first time since he was an Overton High School Bobcat like a week before the season. And so he got there and grinded away at just getting himself game ready to play the position. Not thinking about what is my style or what makes me most comfortable. No, just let’s get ready to do what I can to hold this spot down. In on the hands there, Riley Green. That’s a fair ball and out number two. this off seasonason though more of an exploration where he could take his time and see what made the most sense where he was taking grounders every day. Pety Montero video man and does so many things beyond that. He would hit mookie ground balls and for the first month or so was just about footwork, not even really worrying about making any throws. They started layering the work more and more. He’d go to Arizona, work with Chris Woodward, all to put a feeling in place like this is what I am. more of a downhill athletic guy trying to channel the things that made him special in the outfield to short and you see more guys playing in the position like that not the traditional Tommansky tape fielding the ground balls two hands between your legs one ball one strike on Torlson and he’s leaned into that more dynamic free flowing modern version of the position A lot of your best athletes on your little league teams, your first organizational teams, they play shortstop and there’s not a lot of instruction at that level. You’re just playing the field naturally. And I think that’s what he was searching for. And then once that natural style and feeling came, that’s when you add the mechanics in to make it more consistent. If you start with mechanics, boy, it can really lock you up there. The last kind of mechanical piece and cue that he had to come up with was for the arm angle. And I know you say there’s going to be different arm angles, but for your average throw, the cue that he’s given himself is get my hand by my ear. And that for him that’s not going to work for everybody, but for him it gets his hand in the position that he needs it. So those throws are truer because the biggest issue last year eight of the nine errors were throws because it would tail and it would cut and you get on the side of the ball. There’s a difference between feel and real. So what you’re telling yourself you’re trying to do is not what you’re going to maybe see on video. But that feeling and that instruction in your mind is what gets you in the right position. Line drive base hit center field Spencer Torqulson. That’s a young free swinging team against a guy who’s throwing an awful lot of strikes and they’ve barreled up a couple. Here’s one that’s up in the strike zone. Doesn’t do a lot. Center cut and he doesn’t miss it. And you know what? When a guy this strong and can hit it as far as he can just gets a base hit on that pitch, you’re glad to get the ball back. been on base six of his seven times up this season and kept alive for Colt Keith outside ball one Torlson was making his case during spring training cuz coming into spring training he’s wondering where am I going to play cuz the guy at the plate right here Colt Keith they’ve moved to first base the spot that just a couple years ago Torqulson was going to be the franchise savior at so he’s had to earn his way back as the BH and part of the thing is the injuries in center field created less depth and less of even a choice. But going to knock the door down with those numbers right there during spring training and has validated that over the first 24 hours of this regular season. It’s not always a perfect straight climb. Rarely is it even for the top pick of the draft. And from organization to organization, year to year, spring training stats either matter or don’t matter. There wasn’t a whole lot of guys on the Dodger roster that really like I got to have a big spring to be on the team. But for the Tigers, once they got some of the injuries, it was like every at bat meant something. Yamamoto’s 2-2 to Keith downstairs. Runner goes and a stolen base for Torlson. Here’s the Tigers chance. A runner in scoring position. At this point in the year, they are 0 for 17. Yamamoto and Barnes going to try and strand him out there. That’s the first stolen base for Spencer Torlson in two years and only the fourth in his four major league seasons. Payoff lays off and a walk. First one taken by Detroit after they had six walks yesterday. It’s already 59 pitches for Yamamoto. It’s been a little bit of a struggle. A couple of barreled up balls that got two runs on the board, but get out of this situation right here. No tack on runs. Give him a couple more zeros, maybe two or three zeros. And it’s a it’s a fight and give the Dodgers a chance to have a lead in a few innings. First and second, two-way for Mckenry. Disappearing splitter for strike one. Yamamoto because of that pitch largely was one of the best pitchers in the National League against left-handed hitters. Reverse split so severe that it was a right-hander up near the top of those standings against lefties. in on him to end the inning. Couple solo shots for the Tigers though. Torres gets him here. Two to nothing. Middle three and a weekend launching the 2025 season and doing due diligence, doing justice for the championship run. Looking back on that only new addition of the lineup right here, Michael Conforto. But the last team to repeat as a champion, the New York Yankees repeat 98 through 2000. One of the things the Yankees always did was bring in new blood. So you got the guys that you bring back, but you also bring in guys like Michael Conforto that so badly want to ring for themselves that want to taste what other new teammates had. It brings an edge to the locker room. You walk into the locker room in spring training, it doesn’t look the same. It’s not the same chemistry. All of a sudden, there’s a new camaraderie. They’re still kind of doing the Freddy, aren’t they, on doubles and stuff, but uh there’ll be some new dances or new handshakes. [Applause] Conferto’s down on strikes. One gone in the third. Clarity gets his second K. Dodgers still looking for their first hit against Jack. We’ve seen some camaraderie and smiles between Jack and a few hitters. And if he gets his rhythm, that is something that pitchers would like. They like the fact that I’m having fun out here and you’re responding to me. So, you might want to just stare out there and step out, call time, and do different things to start upsetting his chemistry on the mound. Well, if there’s anybody you would pick to not flash a smile and not play that fun game, it’d be this guy. Yeah. Andy Pahz. Pinpoint. One ball, one strike. Pah comes into spring training looking good physically and first few days of the season. He’s looked good in the batter spot. Just nice presence about him. [Applause] A little more mature in his look. the uh mannerisms in the box. The gyrations are a little slower and more predictable of what he’s going to do and how he’s going to set up on this 2-1 from Flity. Pokes it foul 248 as a rookie last year. Couple home runs in the championship series against the Mets and then his first opening day roster. Won the job over James Alman in center field. right into your living room. These days though, I guess this could be coming wherever. Could be in your Uber. Could be where sitting at the mall. Can’t go to the mall anymore. He’s worked it full. Good at bats down at the bottom of the order. A couple key at bats in Tokyo. They got Otani back to the plate. He’s reached in just under half his plate appearances so far. On this 3-2, he takes strike three. flarity to the outside edge with that fast ball. You couldn’t have walked it up there and placed it any more accurately. He’s got really good rhythm right now with the breaking stuff and this fast ball away to the glove side. That is so accurate. The height, yeah, you don’t quite want it there, but when it’s on the edge like that, that is a good pitch. This is one of the best pitchers in baseball last year. Flity a huge turnaround from the year before. starts Barnes with a strike. You know, years of dealing with injuries, wrapping up his time in St. Louis. Then he goes to Baltimore. 2023, Flity had a 5RA, two points lower last year. Barnes went around and it’s 0 and2. Highest strikeout rate of his career, lowest walk rate of his career. And the contract, it seemed a bit like settling, a two-year deal for a guy who had had such a good season. But most of the money’s in the first year and then there’s an opt out. So he’s got a chance if he does what he did last year. Hey, go do it again in free agency. Strikes out Barnes life to that fast ball. Strikes out the side in the third. Jack Flity making quite a return. Back here at Dodger Stadium on a pair of solo home runs. The Tigers have a two to nothing lead. Joe Davis or Hershiser. Kirstston Watson. The gold trim jerseys reigning champions. One season in the big leagues and one big old fat ring. It’s the guy that got him in the second inning. Dylan Dingler. Former Ohio State Buckeye with his second career home run. A ball was slightly up and he got the barrel on it. That is a surprise when a guy that has so few home runs catches you. at 167 in a handful of games in the big leagues last year for the Tigers as they made that late season run to the playoffs. Dodgers saw him in July and they gave Dodgers all kinds of problems, but they were below 500 at the deadline and sold. That’s how the Dodgers got Jack Flity, but had the best record in baseball over the last almost two months. And so they enter this season with between that run they had last year and how wide open the Central is. A lot of excitement around this team. That’s a good baseball town and the Tigers are in it. Yamamoto’s one-two this time. He rings him up with the fast ball is six. The thing that got the Tigers going was they started to win close games. The bullpen really came together. The offense was about the same and that really at any time they were losing. It was offensive support they were looking for, but the pitching staff really picked them up. Same thing this year. They’re going to have Scooble and Jack Flity back there. They’ve got a rookie of the year candidate. Jackson Job is going to be in that rotation. Bouncing boat is second here. He’s going to get Trey Sweeney on one pitch. Two up and two down in the fourth. The Central last season had three playoff teams. Not because it was a gauntlet, but because it was wide open and parody across the American League. And going to be the same thing this year, not just in the division for AJ Hinch and the Tigers, but across the AL where projection systems don’t have any team winning more than 90 games. Anybody could come out of the American League. And these days, you just got to get in. Well, and if you’re a general manager, one of those clubs, you’re thinking about what piece can I acquire at the deadline or prior to put me over the top. So, early results here in the central could be key to who becomes a buyer. That’s a tough thing when you’re looking at injuries. You know, you say, “Okay, it’s fine. We’ll get right.” But it might come down to one gate without few of your top guys in the outfield right out of the gates. And a tough start here playing against the Dodgers. They’re going to go up to Seattle from here. Mariners are going to be good, especially the pitching staff on an 02. Kriedler takes a ball. Yamamoto right here is trying to post a zero. Give the t give the Dodgers a chance to have another comeback win this year. Two out of three in the comeback variety. Bookend Ks in this one. Two, three, fourth and seven total for Yamamoto. needed just nine pitches. Steadyies the ship here in the fourth. Top of the order coming up. Walked his first time on four pitches. Threetime MVP trying to join Barry Bonds as the first guy or as the only other guy to win three straight. Three of the last four seasons he’s won. He’s joined Frank Robinson already as the only guy to win MVP in both leagues. [Music] Sends this one a mile into the sky. Shallow center field Trey Sweeney. Ryan Kriedler. Eventually it comes down and it’s the first down of the fourth. [Applause] Mookie Bess mentioned to you that he feels like he’s trending right and he’s measuring getting better more than just stepping on the scale. He’s measuring it with bat speed as well which is something that you can get data on these days. In spring training, he’d gotten it to 74 miles per hour, which is a little above average, but it was as fast as he’d ever been. So, he’s like, “Man, I’m in a good place.” Last week, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break 68. Might not seem like a huge deal, 74 mph to 68, but for every mile, that’s 7 ft of carry on a fly ball. So, we’re talking about 40 ft loss from where he was swinging to where he was feeling his weakest a few days ago. The progress that he sees there though is that he’s back up into the low 70s today on this one. Two from Flareity Bats, grounds one left side. It’s McKenry at third. Two out. Well, didn’t he lose about 10% body weight? So, he lost about 10% bat speed. Yeah. And he’s saying he’s like, I can’t play at 158. I can’t. That’s kind of down where he was when he was vegan for a year. He’s like, I can’t hit like that. Right. And so he said, “No matter how perfect my swing is, no matter how hard I’m swinging, I’ve maxed out. I’m putting all the power I can.” And 68 is the most I can do for bat speed. It just ain’t enough to try to get back there to 174, 175 where he was in spring. Yep. I mean, if you’re concentrating on bat speed, you’re going to lose some accuracy, too. And that’s what makes him, it’s not the bat speed, it’s not elite, it’s good enough with the bat accuracy you’re talking about and just hits the ball correctly, compresses it, backspins it, he gets a lot of home runs that are just gone enough. So that added one or two miles per hour, that added seven or 14 ft of distance makes all the difference for him. [Applause] But to tie it back to what he was saying earlier, what we mentioned during his first atbat, he’s confident he’s got the blueprint. He’s going to do the same thing he did this off season to get to that great place he was before he got sick. Two and two on Freeman. Easier said than done though when you’re also playing a major league game every day. You are burning some calories every day. As an everyday player, you’re going to have to load up. Freeman yanks one to second. It’s caught by Torres. And the Dodgers are still searching for their first hit against Jack Flity through four innings. The newly extended Dave Roberts has his second ring. Top of the order for the Tigers. Glabber Torres staying in the game. A bit surprising to see after he grabbed his oblique rounding the bases on the home run. 10 from Yamamoto. Misses outside. ball two. Seven Ks for Yamamoto and Sophie. Jumbo jacks for everybody already. Five of those seven Ks have come on his splitter. [Applause] Both these pitchers tonight are owning that outside corner to righties. The glove side fastball for both these righties has been outstanding. That has set up Yamamoto’s splitter and it’s set up Jack Flare. He’s breaking balls. No hits against Flity through four. The four pitch walk to Otani to start the game and since then he’s been in the strike zone about 75% of the time. Yamamoto delivers and foul tip under the corner is a cutter she only threw one of in Japan’s 80% fastball splitter in that start against the Cubs. two-0 to two and two and now the count is full. Only threw 72 pitches total in that game. So 75 at this point. Normally not anything to glance at, but he’s already past where he was in his first start. Popped out of his hand and he’s walked Torres to start the fifth. Tigers two Dodgers nothing top of the fifth. Carrie Carpenter 27y old in his fourth year and he takes a ball from Yamamoto. The American League slugging leaderboard last year when Aaron Judge, Bobby Wit, Carrie Carpenter, a former 19thround draft pick, went where 19th round picks go. He went to rookie ball that first summer. That was 2019. The next year, there was no minor league season, so he went to Dick Sporting Goods. He worked at Dicks for the full year. You can check his length in still there. They must have had a cage. Well, he he did change his swing in that year, too. So, yeah, they got one of those cages off to the side. Quiet day. Go fix my swing. And he’s hit for power since then. Go to Dick Sporting Goods. Come out with a bat like Judge and Whit. Now, the issue is keeping him healthy. Missed half of last season with a back injury. He’s ready for the postseason. Had one of the biggest home runs in Tigers history. Game two of the division series against Emanuel Class. The untouchable Emanuel Class broke a scoreless tie with a game-winning home run in the ninth. Anthony Bonda has started to warm. These Tigers have gotten the leading lady on over 50% of the time so far in this Dodger series. They’re having no trouble setting the table. Only way they’ve gotten anybody in though, solo home runs, two of them today. The great equalizer, the long ball. Dodgers have been out hit their last two games, but because they’ve hit three home runs and out homerred the opposition, winner. Torres off first. Two-2 from Yamamoto. Got him. Splitter fades away. It’s strikeout for Yamamoto. Drop third strike. First base occupied. So this is a punch out. Left field. Ryan Green. Eightks and four and a third for H Yoshobu. Now the all-star Riley Green. [Applause] Little lower with the fast ball. It’s a good shot though. Looking for a ground ball. Looking for a first pitch strike and just missed. [Applause] Found it that time. [Applause] They haven’t had to make adjustments to left-handed hitters tonight, but they’ve made an adjustment to the righties. They’ve stayed away from the righties trying to keep them away from the pull side. But the lefties with the fast ball and the split been pretty solid with their strategy. The home runs on a high split and a two seamer that was in off the plate. So those balls launched to the pull side. So with the righties, they’re trying to stay away from that power side. And to the lefties just kind of keeping the same strategy, low fast balls and splitters mostly. [Applause] Good lead for Torres. Two-1 to the plate and a foul ball. Two and two. Off himself in pain right there. Went back to the cutter it looked like there. Getting some feel for that pitch. It hit the shin guard. Well placed. What a good reason to think it still hurts even if there is a shin. Just blunts it a little bit. Huh? Yeah. [Applause] On two. Riley Green. Swings and misses. The splitter again finishes the job. The ninth K for Yamamoto. This is nasty. Cutter inside at 91. And then 91 going the opposite direction with even more depth. 17 swings and misses for Yamamoto. One shy of his careerhigh. Torqulson pops curveball in there, but it misses. Torqulson one for two. Dodgers have retired him just once and is seven times up there. That’s the cutter. Two and0. It’s a great job by Austin Barnes right there mixing up the sequencing and going to a pitch that he has a good feel for right now. Keeping the ball away from the power and especially right here on a 2- 0. It’s back to a curve. Bucked his knees a little bit for a strike. Here solo home runs for the Tigers to lead two to nothing. Yamamoto nineks has matched his careerhigh. Here’s his 2-1 fast ball. Speeds in there and that looks really fast after you watch a 77 mph lollipop. It only takes about 10 to 12 mph to get a swing and miss. So when you get close to 20 mph differential, you got a really good chance of getting fooled. Crowd urging him on sensing this could be it right here. His 2-2 his 10th K in his Dodger Stadium 2025 debut. Yoshi Yamamoto with 10 strikeouts in five innings. And if you saw the commercial, I think you guys might have seen a little preview of what’s to come. So, make sure you get here early to get those special replica jerseys. Joe Joe Davis in the show off for Hershiser hopping back showing the gun. Dask Hernandez leads off this inning. One ball, one strike against Jack Flity. Yamamoto looks like he’s done those 10ks. New careerhigh for him. Dodger offense tried to get him off of the hook. The two solo shots have the Tigers in front. Eight of those 10ks coming on his splitter. Clayton right there giving him the first high five after the hug from Dave Roberts. Clayton was the one that chided me during the first pitch to back up. Oh, he told you to. Yeah. He’s like, “Back up. Back up.” You tell him your hip is like a week old. It’s okay. It’s all right. 26 days, Joe. 26 days. But it feels like a week. Almost a month. It looks good on you. I appreciate that. Yeah. So many things to say, but we’re on the air. Two and two on Oscar Hernandez. Four innings for Jack Flity. He walks Show Otani on four pitches to open the game. No base runners since three and two. An Oscar. Jack Flity trying to do what he did to his old team last year. Shoved against the St. Louis Cardinals 14 Ks took a shut out into the seventh against St. Louis. Hey, Dodgers got a base runner. First one sent so tiny to start the game. We know and Teao are very close. The same results and at bats there goes back to when they were facing each other and they were both in the American League West and Utani hit Tayscar with a pitch. is in Anaheim. And then on the way out of the stadium that night, Tasker’s walking out to the bus and Otani poked out of the Angels clubhouse and apologized to him and they struck up a conversation and became friends seeing each other at that point 13 times a season when division teams used to play each other more. Unlikely friends, one of them a Japanese speaker, one of them a Spanish speaker with some English, but universal language of baseball. Those two guys fast friends and now close friends being on the same team. One ball, one strike on Miy. [Applause] Well guys, just quickly with Tioscar and Show and their relationship as we know that they have they’re very close, but Shi Otani actually speaks some Spanish and so the two of them when you hear them talking in the clubhouse together, it is often times in Spanish, guys. And Tasks is responsible for a lot of that. up and teach him and has passed on some show has passed on some Japanese to Teay Oscar. I think we all picked up a little bit of Japanese on the Tokyo trip last week. Two and two on my representing the tying run here in the fifth. Ariato very good Joe Arato. He got parat [Applause] 2-2. Got him swinging. Jack Flity with his fifth K. Well, there have been smiles between these two earlier in the game, but right now Maxy heading back to the Dodger dugout. He is not smiling at all after that swing. Just an offspe pitch that gets him out in front. One-on-one out for Tommy Edmond. Strikeout victim his first time. [Applause] Now Tommy grew up in La Hoya like in the Padres’s, but he was born in Michigan. His dad was a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan and is a Michigan native and a lifelong Tigers fan. So Tommy grew up uh cheering for the Tigers a little bit. teenager during some of those glory years with Miguel Cabrera and Magley Ordonz to Victor Martinez and he had Sherzer and Verlander and four straight division titles those Tigers teams won. Tommy was peak fandom at that point on this one-1 pitch. Shows Bun takes a ball. Defense turned around for the lefty to pull. A lot of room on the left side and the coach’s kid whoever the game calls for on this 2-1. Edmond swings and fouls. Two and two. Tommy, a left-handed pitcher, killer, batting from the right side, made an adjustment this year so far with his left-handed stance. He’s a little bit taller, kind of frees up your hips. The the more you crouch down, get your knees past the balls of your feet or past your toes, it can lock up your hips. Muscles this ball into right center field, a base hit. First one of the game for LA. Tommy Edmond provides it with one gone here in the fifth. [Applause] Player Torres on this flare playing a little shenanigans with Teay Oscar Hernandez pretending like he’s going to catch it and throw it back to first. So Tay Oscar has to freeze and retreat a little bit but has enough to get to second base but you can see on this little jam shot just pretending like he’s going to catch it. T Oscar realizes it in the nick of time and moves up 90. Just like that, tie and run aboard. Go ahead run at the plate in the form of Michael Conforto. Number 23, who was so excited to make his Dodger Stadium debut in Dodger Blue. Happy to have his home ballpark be anywhere other than Oracle Park. Tough place on hitters his last two years in San Francisco. Last year was a totally different guy on the road against Flity. He swings and misses. He struck out his first time. He’s hit Jack hard throughout their previous meetings. Four for six with a home run against Flity. That was a good pass at that first pitch breaking ball. Was middle of the plate. [Applause] Tying run aboard in the fifth. Punches this one to third. McKinstry’s got it cleanly to short for one, but a wide throw from Sweeney. Keeps the door open for the Dodgers here. It’s that odd 563 attempt at a double play and coming across the bag. Not really getting the complete footwork. Gets the throw offline headed to first. You can see it’s bobbled coming out of the glove and the footwork was a little awkward. And good job by Conorto not assuming a double play and hustling down there to beat the tag. All right. Let’s see if Pahz can make him pay here. Tying on a board. Pah the go-ahead run at the plate. Took strike three called his first time. One of the five for Flity. [Music] This is where Jack Flity was exceptional last year. Third in the majors with runners in scoring position. Batters hit 183. remember right from his first start with the Dodgers made an impression by getting out of these situations. On the other side though, trying to turn that reputation upside down. Pah up there. Two gone in the fifth. First one from Flity. Pah swings and misses. That makes you very popular in the locker room. You put up those numbers after being traded. Bahz gets points and the bases get juiced. [Applause] Backto back fast balls and just overthrows and one slips out. the second one. [Applause] Austin Barnes. And so this game finds Austin Barnes. Bases loaded, two gone in the fifth for the longest tenure. Dodger position player starting his 11th season with the club tonight. Hernandez at third, Conforto at second, Pahes at first. Flareity to the Dodger nine hitter with ball one and Otani waiting on deck. Austin has one grand slam in his career in that career year of 2017 on this 10. He takes ball two. Walls closing in on Flity a bit here. When Austin has gotten hot with the bat over the course of his career, it’s been when he is aggressive in the strike zone. Two in the air to right field for Carrie Carpenter. And the Dodgers leave him loaded in the fifth. It’s the Tigers two, the Dodgers nothing as Anthony Bonda takes over for Yamamoto here in the sixth inning and gets strike one on Colt Keith. What a find he was last year, huh? Boy, even during the ring ceremony, just watching him go up there, listening to the introduction of him coming over and the impact that he made. So many different pieces that the Dodgers find that make a huge impact, but you didn’t know anything about him before they got here. And why would you have? He had a 56-9 RA over parts of seven seasons. It’s not like he hadn’t had chances. seven seasons with seven different teams and he just hadn’t been able to figure it out. Last year, 58 games including the postseason, had a 280 ERA and considering the postseason, 10 games, zeros in nine of those 10 games. That’s a long way from considering retirement and coaching his nephew’s team. Why retire when you can get some more jewelry, right? I might play again and get me a ring. That that ring. Is it a ring or is it a hood ornament? It’s big one. Right down the shoot. And like a house by the side of the road, Keith takes strike three. Two breaking balls, one fast one, one slow one. And then the heater. That house spot the side of the road line is Ernie Harwells, the legendary Detroit Tigers announcer who actually started his career as a Dodgers announcer. Kinstry fouls this one off. Vin replaced Ernie Harwell. Ernie left for the New York Giants and then eventually made his way to Detroit. Long career, legendary career as the voice of the Tigers. [Applause] 01 to McKenzry upstairs. I know you remember listening to Ernie for sure. I know you did. And we talked about Tommy Edmund being having some Detroit roots. I was 10 years old. We lived in Southfield, Michigan. It was 1968. The Tigers won it all. The year of the Tiger was the name of the album that was after that season. And it was Ray Lane and Ernie Harwell narrow narrating the the highlights. And for those of you not old enough to know, it was a record album. 33 that have come back now. Hip McKinster chases way out there. Two out. Danny Mlan. 31 wins for that 68 Tigers team. Mickey Lich won three games in the World Series. Left-handed starter for the Tigers. Dylan. You can get free MLB.tv with T-Mobile. will redeem today at t-Mobile.com/mlb. Tigers two, Dodgers nothing. Top of the sixth. Dylan Dinglers got one of their two home runs in this game. Hits a line drive to center field for Andy Pahz. That’s three outs already. Andy just one hit against Jack Flity who go to the bottom of the sixth inning and the top of the order comes up. Dodgers hitter in this one. A four pitch walk in the first inning. the fly out in the fourth inning. After he hit 54 home runs in his first season as a Dodger, he’s got two in the first three games this year. One to the pull side in Tokyo, one the other way yesterday. [Applause] The first pitch from Flity here in the six though fouls it off. ESPN handled the first game and I got a chance to sit down right in the front row behind home plate and the person I was with said, “Doesn’t it have a different sound when he makes contact?” And I said, “It sure does.” Even we talked about this last year, but even like the fly ball that he hit last inning, it’s just different than everybody else’s fly balls. this lever system and his ability to use all of its potential, [Applause] big, strong, he’s a monster in the weight room. And then there’s the flexibility, the rubber band component of it that’s developed partially with his years as a swimmer. Was a good enough swimmer where The thought was that he pursued that he would have been an Olympian. But a lot of the shoulder flexibility that he has that leads to some of the stuff we’re talking about comes from those days and that mobility. [Music] Yesterday he hit a ball like that towards second base and it was hit a little bit harder and made it through for a single. That one he almost got. One away in the sixth inning. Mookie Bats comes up off the end of the bat. Shallow center field and the Dodgers have couple hits in this game. Both of them dunk shots. Bets is on and the tying run is coming up. Who needs more bat speed, right? Hit him where they aim. You take it. It’s amazing how a ball hit like this will bring a hitter confidence just because he gets the positive result. Hey, if he hadn’t gotten sick, that’s a fly out to center. That’s right. Freddy Freeman left center field pretty deep. Kryler back. Freddy Freeman ties the game. Here comes Freeman with the tying run. And here come the Freddy chance. [Applause] In the ring ceremony, they saved the best for last. It was Muki third to last, Freddy second to last, and Otani last. Wow. Day after they celebrate one of the greatest home runs in baseball history, his game one grand slam. His first hit of the ensuing season is a game-tying home run. Two to two in the six to Oscar Hernandez. [Applause] Laid on it. 0 and2. Three home runs yesterday. Scored all the runs. That home run there scores all the runs tonight. Seven runs. Four home runs in this series. [Applause] One and two. Another look. This swing sets him up for another comeback win. That’s an impressive swing right there. That thing off speed pitch that he still hit to the opposite way. Got it back sw spinning, not side spinning, and powered it out of here. and not just over the wall cuz he doesn’t usually hit tape measure wow home runs. You add together the fact that that’s the other way and it was that far gone. Man oh man, it’s gone from 0 and2 to three and two. More chances teams had to see Jack Flity, the more success they had last year. Stays alive. It takes some metal discipline right now. You give up that big fly to Freddy. The game is now tied and you’re on the mound with only one out facing this lineup. You can’t let the disappointment get into your gut and apply it to your concentration. He is battling it out there right now against Oscar Hernandez who grounds the ball left side. Cut off by McKenzry. Two out. Tyler Holton warms. That’s actually Javier Bayz over at third is check into the game replacing McKinstry. And it looks like that is going to do it for Jack Flity. Here’s AJ Hinch. Or perhaps that is going to make the change. So Flarity takes a no hitter into the fifth inning. Dodgers get a hit there and finally crack through. Get to the scoreboard in the six. It’s Freddy Freeman. His first hit of the season is a game tying home run. So long ball tie score. [Applause] First walk-off grand slam in World Series history. First guy to home run the first four games of the Fall Classic. Tied at two is Maxy fouls off Tyler Holton’s first pitch. The lefty out of the Tigers bullpen debuted with the Arizona Diamondbacks a couple years ago. Diamondbacks cut him loose and in two years with Detroit a 215 erra. [Applause] Two different pitchers depending on who’s up to bat. Against lefties more sinker slider sweeper against righties more cutter change. He was one of the reasons the Tigers made the run at the end of the year. [Applause] Yeah, bullpen covered more innings than any pen in baseball last year, especially down the stretch. Really, it was just school and piecing the pen together. He strikes out Muny to finish off this sixth inning, but a brand new ball game. It’s Freddy Freeman with a two-run home run. All tied up after six. Freddy Freeman spoils Jack Flity’s shut out. And Jack heaving some gum at him. You It’s been awesome seeing these seeing the smiles between Jack Flity and these Dodger players. Very telling. Two- two game. It’s up to the bullpens. Onto the seventh. Kirby, one of the new Dodgers to face off with the bottom part of the order here. He’s got strike one on Trace Sweeney. Here’s another one of those guys, Oral, who’s played for a long time, still playing at a high level, but a guy they go grab that they know not just performing at a high level, but is hungry to get his ring. [Applause] Weak grounded is second, Tommy Edmond. Fast ball split. That split right there shattered that bat. talked about that pitch a little bit in Japan. That’s the pitch that he’s made a career out of. 147 career average against that pitch. First learned how to grip it from Masahiro Tanaka in New York. That was just off to the side. Talked about it a couple times. Never really threw it in a game, but had it in his pocket. And then longtime buddy of his, Alex Cobb. They were together in the Tampa Bay system, but offseason catch partners. We know Cobb has a good splitter. Cobb’s actually with the Tigers now on the injured list, but this guy’s back uh together again here in this series. Squeezed right there. Balling a strike on Kriedler, but he toyed with it for years and then finally got to a place where they encouraged him to use it. San Diego was out of the race and they said, “We don’t mind you trying that pitch out.” and he says he still remembers the first few times he used it in a game. Colorado Rockies Padres’s are 20 games out of first place said let’s see how this works and the swings that he was getting on it. He’s thinking okay there might be something to this and then he started getting swings and misses in zone. He’s like I get it when guys are chasing but guys can’t hit it in the zone. Something’s working right. And he’s made a career out of it. 2019, the first full season with San Diego. He was the best reliever in baseball. He had 41 saves and then he goes away for a while. Tommy John surgery. Looks like that’s maybe the last of Kirby, but he comes back last year and again leads the majors in ERA. He strikes out Kryler on a splitter in the zone. And years after he found the splitter, he’d tell you that when he gets that, that’s when he knows it’s right. Yeah. It looks like a juicy fast ball. And at the very end, late movement is what messes up a hitter the most because they have to make a decision. And then after that decision of where they’re going to launch the bat to, it moves differently. They’re in trouble. Back to the top here. And Bayz, who has replaced Glaver Torres. So that ultimately was the defensive move last year. Torres leaves the game. We saw him grabbing his side after hitting a home run earlier. So, Bayas is coming at third. Mckenry’s moved over to second. [Applause] Dodgers 3 and 0. They’ve gotten three saves from three different pitchers. Kirby’s not one of those three pitchers, even though he’s the guy on this roster that has more career saves than anybody. 95 since finding that splitter. San Diego to Atlanta to Texas. And now to the Dodgers for his 11th major league season. It’s 2-1 to Bayz. Two and two. There’s the traditional bullpen where you have your setup guys, your long guys, and your closer. There’s a bullpen by committee where the roles get mixed up a little bit and then there’s just all hands on deck. And in some ways the Dodgers are just all hands on deck. We’ll tell you when you’re up and it could be the fourth inning or it could be the ninth especially for a guy who has a save this year already. And Alex Vessie, he could be in there no matter when Dave Roberts rings that phone down there at the bullpen. When you add Phillips and Copek back into the equation, you’ve got five guys with significant closing experience and just having been there is a big deal. Another 2-2 Bayz swings and misses and Kirby Yates with a breeze of an inning. We stretch in a two-2 game. Tied at two, bottom of the seven. Tommy Edmund leads off and he gets a chance here against a left-handed pitcher and fouls off Tyler Holton’s first pitch. Tommy Edund absolutely crushes left-handed pitching and he’s been a dodgeaboo long enough for you probably know that by now. 412 during the regular season last year, 11 for 17 in the postseason against lefties. One ball, one strike against Holton. [Applause] One and two. [Applause] Dodgers trying to get off to their first 4-0 start since 1981. That year finished up pretty well. Pretty well. Started 6 and0 ultimately that year. Two of those six games were complete games by Fernando. And there’s Fernando Mania. Ground ball up the middle. Stabbed at second. One away. So Confoto is going to face a left-handed pitcher here, which you shouldn’t bat an eye at. Last year he hit 285 against left-handers and had the highest slugging of any lefty lefty in the National League. [Applause] Freddy Freeman turns it around a little bit with left on left. They’ll have some competition this year. kind of push each other. Shoots this one left center field. Kriedler on the run. He’ll get there. And so the computers think that those two teams meeting up next week are the top two teams in baseball. That is before they get back. Akuna and Strider. Both those guys coming back from injury. Should be a fun few games beginning on Monday. Pah with two gone in the seven. Waves and misses. 0 and2. Phillies might have something to say about that projection. Mhm. East is going to be tough. Braves Phillies Mets. Pah in an 02 hole. Holton delivers. tried to back door that cutter right there. Fast ball cutter change mostly to right-handers. Alex Vasia couple lefties do up next inning. Carrie Carpenter and Riley Green. How can they pitch me in the eighth? I’ve got a save this year. Let’s go. What’s going on? What’s my role? Play ball carved out to right field. Carpenter settles under it. And good stuff from Tyler Holton. Tied up at two. Top of the eighth inning. Couple solo home runs for the Tigers back in the second and the third. They don’t have a hit though since the third inning. 0 for their last nine with seven Ks and 14ks total. And well Margo pinch hitting for Carrie Carpenter. Swings through Alex Vesia’s first pitch. Now Vasia’s third outing over the first four games this year. Gave up a run yesterday on a home run to Torqulson. Margo swings and misses. 0 and2 just like that. Margo had a good Tigers debut just few days after they signed him with all those injuries we were talking about in the outfield. They signed Margo less than a week ago. Had two hits and a sacrifice fly on opening day. Good morning, good afternoon, and good night. 15ks, 15 of 22 outs. Yamamoto had the split finger going with his K function. Had eight Ks on the splitty. The most he got last year on the splitty were five. Splitty. [Applause] One away for Green. slashes the first pitch foul. Alex Vessia coming off his best season, 176 last year, second in the National League. Tanner Scott, the only guy that was better postseason, seven games, didn’t give up a run. Spinner to the knees. Strike two. Sharp bite on that. The optical illusion fastball really started and made his career, but the evolution of the breaking ball has really turned him into somebody who was really hard to hit. Off the end of the bat, back in Muny steps into the throw with a fast runner. He gets him. Two out. Back to back breaking ball to record that second out. Yeah, the league hit 106 against that pitch last year and had the lowest slugging of any breaking pitch in baseball. Not out of the woods yet. And he gets a rematch right here with the guy that took him deep yesterday in Torlson. Starts him with a slider. [Applause] Torlson after reaching five times yesterday, one for three today on this 01 takes change up one ball, one strike. Here’s his home run yesterday. After this at bat, in this situation in a 2-2 game right now, his first job is to keep him in the park. His second job is to get him out. bind down the left side and a fair ball into the corner for Torqulson. First base hit for the Tigers since the third. It’s a two-out double and the go-ahead run is in scoring position. Torqulson having a wonderful opening weekend. They were 0 for 15 until that at bat right there. and he does keep him in the park, but Torlson gets himself into scoring position here in this tie game late. [Applause] Number 77, Andy. Mark Prior is out for a visit. And Andy Aanz comes to the plate as a pinch hitter for Colt Keith at leadoff yesterday. Went 0 for five. [Applause] [Music] Dodgers took the first game of this series five to four. Tight tense stuff late. Same thing in this one. They’ve erased a two to nothing deficit on one swing at the bat from Freddy Freeman. two batters to get one out. And I’m sure that was part of the message from Mark Prior. [Music] Every one of the pitches here in this first at bat should be like the count is 0 and2 or 0 and one. You’re not going to give in right here. Vasia to Aanz to the knees. Strike one. This is one of the reasons Vesia is such a weapon out of that bullpen. Doesn’t matter what handedness he faces. They counter by the book with a righty, but righties only hit 150 against him. His one. There’s that fast ball, but it misses up. 28 years old. His fifth season with the Dodgers coming over from the Marlins. Fully established at this point. fires one- one. Two and one on Aanz. You don’t want to break any trends right here if you’re Alex Vesia. The Tigers are 0 for18 in this series with a runner in scoring position. [Applause] Torlson there with his two out double. Vessia home with a 2-1. Aanz fouls it back. Two and two. Albanz takes high. Mckinry on deck. [Applause] Heers his best pitch, but he may pull the trigger on the breaking ball here with first base open. Here he comes. He did. And it’s fouled off. [Applause] Sometimes with the breaking ball when you try for your ultimate best it slips out a little bit and hangs. And I think that’s what that one did right there. Seven pitch coming here to Abanz. Go ahead run in scoring position in the eighth. Another 3-2 miss for the fast ball. So backto back two out base runners here. The double from Torqulson. And now the walk for Aanz. And Zach McKinstry is going to have a chance to hurt his old team. Zack McKin. Some big hits against the Dodgers last summer in Detroit. Triple in yesterday’s game. 0 for three so far today. Trying to break through. Tigers looking for their first hit of this young season with a runner in scoring position. Torqulson in second. Abanz at first. Vesia to the plate. Mckenry fouls off a fast ball. [Applause] No action in the Dodger pen. They’re sticking with Alex the whole way. 18 pitches yesterday, 18 pitch today coming here. 0 and two. So after the walk, quickly gets ahead of Mckinry. The breaking ball hasn’t gotten hurt, but it really hasn’t been in great locations and it has not been sharp. If he goes to it right here, just make sure he gets it down. Fast ball. Fastest one that he’s thrown. The spray pattern is a little bit off compared to the target. Austin Barnes wanted that one high and away. It ended up kind of thigh high middle, middle in. You’re fresh this time of year, but still building up this time of year, too. Two on, two out, and a no two pitch. Check. Swing. Did he go? No swing. McKinstry stays alive. Excellent pitch. Excellent adjustment. You got room to bounce the breaking ball and that’s what he does. just didn’t get him to go far enough. Tie game in the eighth. One-two pitch taken for ball two. Still no action down in that bullpen. Catcher Dingler’s on deck. Right-handed hitter. [Applause] Deuce is wild and a two-2 scoreboard. Vessia throws. Count has gone full 0 and2 to three and two. Crowd a bit restless. The mergo rounds going to be moving here. He walked him and the bases are loaded. Three straight two out base runners for the Tigers. [Applause] Number 13. So now it’s Dingler 167 hitter as a rookie last year. First at bat of this season takes Yamamoto deep. Hit a split finger which is a rare thing from Yamamoto. Give up a home run. First one from Vasia. A fast ball. Splits the plate. So, what do you think? I think that having a right-handed hitter up there is going to help him with the visually of not walking him. Get his release point back in there. Back-to-back heaters 0 and two, but it was 0 and2 on McKinstry. Can he finish him this time? But I like the fact that both of those heaters, they wanted away and that’s where he was missing with the left-handed hitter. This is really a great place and I would stay with the heater. Armside high to get him to swing and miss. Strike away from an escape and a roar. Gen stuck with a fast ball. There’s the roar. Two-2 game to the bottom of the eighth. We’re tied at two to the bottom of the eighth. That man there’s do up second in this inning. Hope your weekend is off to a great start. Hope your weekend wherever you are has been as good as the weekend has been or this I guess weak weekend weekend has been here. Yeah. Between the raising of the flag and the ring ceremony today and all the pageantry, the fly over yesterday, it’s been fantastic. And a chance here to cap it off with what could be a late win. Dodgers trail this game two to nothing. Freddy Freeman has tied it with a home run. You’ve got 91 and two coming up here. Barnes, Otani, and Betts against Will Vest. It’s a strike on Barnes who was up there with the bases loaded his last time and flyed out to end the fifth. best. Another one of those good arms out of the Tigers bullpen that they rely on so heavily. Framed in there for a strike. 0 and two. I’m sure Austin’s trying to look for a little bit of a redeemer here. Get a base hit here. He had a 20 count in that bases loaded two out situation with Otani on deck and swung it a low fast ball away and flew out to right. I think he’d like to have that swing back. Good thing he didn’t do it in Tokyo. They would have been doing him ruthlessly like they’re doing to Craig Council with the intentional walk. Now we want to watch 17 hit. Vesta Barnes with the one-two pitch. Punches a foul. Boston coming off his best season in a long time. at 264 last year even though he broke his toe and then came back two weeks later broke it again. Woo! Little catcher’s grace there, I guess. Ball to Austin Barnes. Yeah. And this fast ball gets by him. Vest strikes out Barnes. One gone in the eighth. Tied at two. And here comes Shi Otani. One and0. Show might have to come out of the strike zone a little bit to be swinging here. I would semi-intentionally walk him. [Applause] Might have an opportunity now because of this pitch. Fest coming at him with the 1-1 and it’s way outside. Ball two seems to have a sixth sense. Otani sense for the moment. Ahead three and one. No jumpiness at all. You’d understand if you’d have that here knowing that one swing could win this game. Tied at two in the bottom of the eighth on a 3-1 from Vest. Otani takes a strike. I think show has been looking for something middle in because he has taken two fast balls that are away that he normally likes to extend his arms but just not in the area where he was ready to let it go. So if you’re will vest, are you going back there thinking that he’s continuing to think inside? Yeah, I I wouldn’t be surprised if this is another change up slight breaking ball. Yep. Target out there. That’s where he goes. And Otani protects. [Applause] Approach changes if ever so slightly with two strikes to stay alive. [Applause] Another 3-2. And he got him with a fast ball. went right back to that outside lane to get Otani. Joe doesn’t get it done here, but he was a big part of why the Dodgers scored more runs than anybody from the eighth inning on last year. They scored 201 from the eighth inning on. Were number one in baseball and he was the number one hitter in baseball from the eighth inning on. Here’s Betts hitting a fly ball to left center field. Green to the track to the wall. gone. Got just enough. And here in the eighth, the Dodgers have just enough. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Well, Muki told us earlier today, I’m getting on the field as a home run. This is a crew chief review. His bat speed was up a few miles hour. And remember, every mile per hour of bat speed equates to 7 ft of distance on fly balls. He was 68 mph a few days ago, measured at 71 today, and that added bat speed got him just enough to break this tie. Yeah, they’re taking a look at it. I’m not sure I see anything on there. That’s I really don’t. I mean, last year we say little man with big power. This year you say little man with just enough power until he gets that weight back. I think that clears the fence. It’s a deflection off a fan’s glove, but I think this is going to be long enough. Oh, that’s a little different. Look there. [Applause] That’s a looks like a smile with a bit of relief in it. I can still do it. I can still get it out of here. everything he’s gone through these last couple weeks. Oh, the strength sapped from his body. Last thing he wants to do is put his helmet back on and go out to second base. Oh jeez. I think he can put it away. He’s put the Dodgers in front for the first time in this game. Have to review the call on the field stands. home run. And the echoes of last season have sounded here early on in 2025, honoring last season with the the banner raising, the ring ceremony yesterday, Otani and Edmond and Tascar Hernandez all constant presences late last year. Today, Freddy Freeman and Mookie Bats [Applause] This series they have scored all their home runs or all their runs with home runs. Yep. Eight runs on five home runs. What’s old is new. The old guard getting it done for the Dodgers. And now three outs away from a 4-0 start. Freeman bangs one on the ground to second for Zack McKinstry. Onto the ninth we go. Mookie Betts got his third championship ring earlier. Got his first home run. Now fasten those seat belts to the ninth. Freeman and Betts going deep for the Dodgers. All top four in the Dodger lineup. Otani Betts. Freeman Tasker Hernandez have hit home runs over the first two games of this home schedule. And now it’s up to Tanner Scott to try and lock things down. The Tigers have 89 and one coming up. Scott to face Trey Sweeney to start this ninth and he rips one to right field. A base hit on the first pitch that Scott throws. So Trey Sweeny’s first hit of the year as the tying run aboard just like that in the ninth. Centeriel number 32 Ryan. We’ll check in with the studio for Access Sportsnet Dodgers presented by Audi when this game finishes. center field studio. That’s right. So, the tying run is aboard and the nine hitter Ryan Kriedler’s at the plate. [Applause] The days of this being automatic small ball moved the guy up into scoring position are no more on deck. Top of the order and Jav Bayz [Applause] to third and knocked down by Muny. Recovers to go to second. And what a pick by Tommy Edmond to get the out. Wow. Was outstanding. And it was at second base where all the work was done. Max does a nice job knocking it down. This ball can skid on you at Dodger Stadium as the grass gets damp. Then the throw. The ball’s probably got a little wetness to it, but boy, that is a good pick. Tommy, who can play all over the field. They were glad he was at second base right there. 3-2 game, ninth inning. Ground ball could end it now. Javier Bayz, strike one. Bayz signed a big contract. one of the first big contracts the Tigers gave out with this current era and he seems to be in some pain here. But three years into the deal, he’s got the lowest OPS in baseball. They’re hoping that he’s healthy now. He had hip surgery like you, Oral, and they’re hoping that it’s a different guy this year. Having a fight for playing time at this point. So, he’s hitting with a titanium hip. I don’t know if he did the same thing. Same exact. I don’t think he needed it replaced. Don’t think so either. Also had his hip cut open. Okay. Yeah. Just a little cleanup. Kryler over there at first, by the way. Has pretty good speed representing the tying run. Bayz grounds this one up the middle. It’s got eyes. Edmond gets there. Gets the throw off. Backto back. Dazzling plays from Tommy Edmond for the first two outs of the night. How much do you love Tommy Edmond? This is sweet. This is from the shorts stop side of second base with a backhand weight going away from first base. Strong enough throw and then accurate enough throw. A ground ball that back in the traditional days would be a double play. But with the data showing where the fieldielder should be, Tommy Edmonds has just enough range and so does Freddy have just enough reach. tying run into scoring position as Margo comes up and takes strike one. What a player. Dodgers three, Tigers two. Two out of the ninth inning. Scott fires Margo to left field. It is down. Here comes Conorto’s throw. It’s cut off and it’s tied at three with the Tigers down to their last out. Their newest guy, Manuel Margo, comes up with their first hit this year with a runner in scoring position and it’s three to three. [Applause] Picked on a couple of first pitch fast balls and this is the one that ties it up. Inner half almost jams him, but he gets enough barrel on it to force it out there to left field and with two outs running on the crack of the bat as the tying run. pretty hard to get him at home. Margo three hits in two days as a Tiger signed with Detroit on Monday tied up. Riley Green and Margo technically an old friend. He was a Dodger for a short time last year. Came over in the Tyler Glass Now deal. started spring training with the Dodgers and then was sent to Minnesota having a back of the first weekend with Detroit. [Applause] Green, who’s one for four, pulls one down the line. This is trouble. Margo’s got wheels. Into the corner it goes. Tosser digs it out. Here comes Margo. Here comes the relay from Edmond. He’s got a hat-tick. No, he missed the tag. It looked like Tommy Edmond was on the verge of making three tremendous plays in the inning, but Barnes couldn’t get the tag on Margo and Detroit has retaken the lead. Well, down there in the corner, Tay Oscar gets it in. Tommy Edmonds on one hop and Austin Barnes gets pulled away. The tag might be on the foot as the hand is getting to the plate and that makes the play a lot closer. That little trip. Let’s see the glove of Austin Barnes. Does it move at all? Boy, looks like the hand might get there first. Oh, he might be out by an inch. Edmond with the good throw. Oh, well, he gets the tag there, but was the hand on the plate. Call on the field is safe. I think the hand might be on the plate. Yep. [Applause] It’s kind of like a brain exercise trying to sync up the looks and well that oven mitt gives you an extra inch or two as it’s protecting your fingers. That might be the difference. [Applause] [Applause] After reviewing the call, the field is overturned. The runner is out. Tommy Edmond, Tommy Tanks saves the day. Three outs. All thanks in part to that man right there. The Tigers have tied it. But have they just set the stage for a walk-off? [Applause] Tied at three. What a game this has been. To the bottom of the ninth we go. One more look. Tasker Hernandez. There’s not too many things in sports more aesthetically pleasing than a relay to the plate like this. And then once you sync up the two angles, you do realize that that glove of Austin Barnes hits the foot before the oven mitt hits the plate. So you got assists from Tscar and Edmond there. I think our truck gets an assist, too, for getting those looks synced up. of the ninth inning. All right, so to the bottom of the ninth inning. Guess who’s due up first and who’s due up third? You got Tay Oscar Hernandez, then Maxy, then Tommy Edmund. Two of the three guys combining to keep it tied at three. Tommy Canley, the old Dodger, on the pitch. And a change up as it usually is in there for a strike. last season with the Yankees. So, the Dodgers saw him in Dodger Blue, but then they saw him again in the World Series last year. Almost nothing but change ups. Ball to strike on Tay Oscar. One career walk-off home run for Teascar Hernandez six years ago. Change, change, change. You went around one and two. All in the mid 80s. And the arm speed doesn’t match the ball speed. And then he’s also got some movement on that pitch. Through 48 change ups in a row in the postseason last year. Every now and then it’ll sprinkle in a fast ball and it’s stuck in your head. Another change up. That one with the most depth but the highest velocity. That one at 87. [Applause] One, two again. Left that one up a little bit. That one was juicy. [Music] Little pitch cal maintenance. [Applause] Can you explain the problem you’re having with the pitch count? Yeah, I can’t hear it. Well, it’s 50,000 people scream. Exactly. We see this more in Dodger Stadium with the crowds and the noise, the energy here than we do any other ballpark. Man, it was rocking for the ring ceremony today. Just pure joy and appreciation from these fans. Every player that was introduced, some of them a little louder than others though. And this guy right here would be near the top of the list trying to send him into a frenzy again. Oh, a fast ball. Speeds by him. Five change ups in a row. And now the heater 84 to 87 with the change up to the mid 90s with the heater and gets Teao one out in the ninth and now Muny first change. No balls, one strike. 190 home runs for Maxy in his Dodger career. It’s top five in the National League since his debut. Top 10 in Dodger history. Not an 01 from Keanley. Pokes it down the line to left and fouled. [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] The 02 got him to chase and curse [Music] two up. Dodger saw Kanley four times last year and they got to him an awful lot. Seven runs, five of them are earned in two innings pitched. But right now Keanley’s got their number. Tommy Edmond. The love for this guy growing. Tommy Edmond’s going to bat right-handed against a right-handed pitcher here. Harder for a righty to throw a change up to a righty. So sometimes Tommy Edmond will do this specific to the pitcher. Give up the platoon advantage to try and minimize the guy’s best pitch. The 01 ripped to left field. Riley Green is there. And that’s a one, two, three, ninth inning for Tommy Keaneley to send this game to the 10. [Music] Tommy Edmond. What an impact he made. Not with the bat. Yeah, he can hit it, but this with the glove at second base, the pick. Maxy loves it. He picked him up here. Mookie, he picks up here with this one. Freddy with the stretch. And then on the relay that ends the inning and keeps this game at a tie. What a throw. What a tag. What a great play and a great job by our crew to sync up those two pictures and get that out recorded. So to the 10th inning we go. Dodgers playing extra baseball for the first time this year. Oh yeah. It’s like a reminder. You know, we’ve lived our whole lives without somebody being in second base to start extras, but this is still a little bit odd to see that. Free runners Riley Green, the hitter Spencer Tolson. The pitcher’s Luis Garcia, who makes his second appearance for the Dodgers, gave up a run in one inning of work in Tokyo. 38-year-old from the Dominican Republic and his 13th Major League. 38 years old now. He made a career high 90s fastball at its peak. He was triple digits couple years ago at the Padres’s. So 38 and still playing. He retired at 23. Five years in the minors. Hadn’t made it above a ball. So he retired and started working for a moving company and training to be a barber. Baseball had my chance. It didn’t work. About a year later though, a friend shows up at his door one morning and says, “I had a dream last night. You were pitching in the big leagues.” And Luis is like, “What are you talking about? That stage of life is done.” Friend said, “No, believe me, you got to give another shot.” So Luis eventually relents, lands a spot in an indie ball where he got rocked, but he kept working at it, kept adding velocity. Here’s a grounder to short. It’s going to keep the runner put. Bets over to first for the first out of the 10th. Soon he had a minor league offer from the Phillies. Signs with them. By the end of that season, less than a year after he was moving boxes and training to cut hair, he was in the majors. And he’s been there now for more than a decade. 3-3 in the 10th. Habanz little high off of the bench. He walked looking for his first hit of the year. takes a strike. One and one. That’s still 97 for Garcia, 38 years old. That’s some really good arm speed at an age when you should be losing it. Baltimore chop. Garcia low throw and a pick by Freeman. Not an easy play, right, when you’re standing on the front slope of that mound. You know, he’s laughing about it right now, but it is really hard to have a good baseball clock when you are waiting for that ball to come down. There’s a man on second. The game’s tied. You’ve been watching the game out there in the bullpen for nine innings. And now you’re in there and he’s like quick. He did a nice job catching it about shoulder high and having a very quick exchange, not bringing the ball all the way down to his waist. Freddy picked him up. Well, one run feels almost like a foregone conclusion in an extra inning. So, trying to do something really tough to do here. Yeah, but the Dodgers swing away from game ending with a base hit. Green’s at third. One ball, no strikes on Mckenry. Zach has struck out a couple times today. He’s also walked for the Dodgers in the 10th. Their free runner will be Tommy Edmond. Bottom of the order doo up with Conorto, Pahz, and Barnes. They’re going to put McKenry on here and go righty righty with Dylan Dingler. Mckistry is being intentionally walked. Bringing up the catch here. Number 13, Dylan Dingler. Righty, righty. Garcia, he’s a five pitch guy, but he will throw a lot of sweepers. That’s what he threw mostly when he was in Tokyo with the club. But between the sinker, splitter, slider, and fast ball, sweeper sometimes becomes his out pitch to right-handers. [Music] Tigers with solo shots in the second and the third. Dodgers tied it with a home run from Freddy Freeman in the six. Took the lead on a Bets home run in the eighth. Tigers tied it down to their last out in the ninth. 3-3 here in the tenth. First and third, two out. First one to Dingler. In on him, fly to left. Confto coming on. Can’t get there. Two runs are going to score. Dingler’s at third. He’s knocked in three of the Tigers five. [Applause] That’s Dodger defense that’s trying to play for the win. You can play it short and take the one hop and what would feel like a tie because of the man on second that you get in extra innings. But Michael trying to make sure he posts a zero and he is inches from catching this ball. So the Tigers back in front. Ball on Trey Sweeney. one ball. One strike. Tigers getting these three runs late with two outs. Two outs in the ninth and now two outs in the tenth. Dylan Dingler bouncing ball to Freddy Freeman. Charges, takes it himself. To the bottom of the tenth we go with a free runner out there immediately. Tied run coming up. Michael Conforto set to lead off this tenth for the Dodgers. Trailing the Tigers 53. Trying to come back for the second time tonight. Bo Brisky on for the save. He got it together at the end of the year to really help these Tigers with their playoff push. Fantastic with the change up in the fast ball at the end of the year. Just the top end speed and the bottom end speed. League after July, especially with the change up. Only hit 129. He’s toggled between being a starter and a reliever, but has found a home now in the Tiger bullpen. There goes Edmond. Made the last out of the ninth inning. So, he’s the runner at second. Long time ago, Jack Flity. He took a no hitter into the fifth inning. Freddy Freeman broke that up with a two-run home run. Looked like Betts had him on the verge of a nice comeback late win, but the Tigers trying to steal it right back away. Strike one on Conorto. Conorto in his first game at Dodger Stadium with LA 0 for three. [Applause] 0 and two. So much attention in a one-run game or a tie game with that runner on second. But now with the two-run lead with the Tigers, they can just concentrate on the hitter at the plate. [Applause] Prrisky to Conorto. Drifts away after Conorto. Pahz then Barnes. [Applause] Series wraps up tomorrow. 610 first pitch. Reese Olsen for the Tigers and Roki Sasaki makes his Dodger stadium debut [Applause] on one two Conforto fouls it off stays alive. Were you surprised when you saw the Dodger schedule this year and that a Sunday was off? I think it’s the first time in my baseball life they’ve had a Sunday off. A little Goodwill after the trip to Japan. A chance for them to catch up. actually have another Sunday off I think later this summer some point. After I saw one I quit looking. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? It’s like take what you can get. You know, you you never have July 4th off Memorial Day weekend. You just And every Sunday it’s like day game of Sunday night baseball. Back at it on Monday when the Braves come in for three. [Applause] still doing in this one. Down 5-3 in the bottom of the tenth. Another one-two from Boiski. Conforto leading off and lofting one down the line. It is sinking and fair. Riley Green gave up on it. It’s a ground rule double and it’s five to four. And there’s the Freddy. He knows how to do it. He watched it from the other side the last couple years. He’s got his first Dodger Stadium hit in Dodger blue. Left field and left fielders having some issues out there. Conforto earlier tried to make a game-saving catch and that ended up being two runs and now he’s in a celebration mode. Did he give up? He gives the in between. That was odd. Yeah. So now the tying run is in scoring position. Nobody out. Pah fouls it off. And in the on deck circle, the birthday boy celebrating his 30th, Will Smith. [Music] And then Otana Pahz grounds one left side. Not going to do the trick. Sweeny throws him out. One away. Big first out right there. for keeping Conorto put and now Smith. [Music] [Applause] Will has hit in all three games so far. He’s reached base eight of his 12 times up. He’s picking the ball up very well at the plate. Had great plate discipline and then he’s gotten strikes. He’s barreled it up and Pah is out just to the wrong side of the field with no outs to move up Conorto. this at bat be a lot easier for Will Smith if he got him over who by the way leads the majors in sacrifice flies the last three years. So this would be a perfect guy to have up there had you been able to get Conforto up to third [Applause] sacrifice fly or not. Will Smith has always been a good clutch hitter. 292 in his career with runners in scoring position. Tie it with a base hit. Could win it with a long ball. 54 bottom of the tenth. Otani Lumin on deck fouls off the first pitch. See that with a lot of pinch hitters. Guys come off the bench and they want to get into the game emotionally and physically hacking at that first pitch. [Applause] On his birthday, the Dodger catcher Will Smith takes strike two. [Applause] bouncing ball. Base hit left field. Here comes Conforto. It’s tied at five. Will Smith with a pinch hit base hit to even the issue in the 10th. [Applause] They started him out with the high fast ball and Will got loose on that one. Then they went with low cheese at the knees and got the called strike. He’s in a hole. 0 and2. The Dodgers are down a run. But he didn’t panic, Joe. Otani takes a ball. Ground ball, base hit right field. Third hit of this 10th inning. Winning run is 90 ft away as Otani sends Smith to third. The base hit. He finds a hole. Dodgers looking for their third comeback win of the year in only four games. Tried to do it twice in this game. Trailed two to nothing. Came back to lead 3-2. trailed 5-3. They’ve come back to tie it at five. And the guy that gave him the lead with a home run back in the eighth could win it right here. Mookie Betts swing and a miss as Otani takes second. Here’s Bets home run. Fast ball that had to feel so good when it cleared the fence. [Music] First base now open. One away. 01 pitch. Taken inside. I think AJ Hinch has seen the uh replay of Freddy Freeman’s Grand Slam one too many times this season or this weekend to even think about it. [Applause] Mookie bets couldn’t lay off. One and two. [Applause] He just got caught in between. You could see he was thinking about taking and then just let the back go through. Infield stays in. One ball, two strikes on bats. Here it comes. Taken away and the count evens up. Good discipline after that swing that he had on the ball in the dirt right there. Two-2 bats. Look out for count. [Applause] [Music] Dodgers have shown they are good two strike hitters in this inning. Two of the three hits with two strikes [Applause] on a payoff. Betts grounds it. Foul. Do it again. Double from Conorto. Single from Will Smith. Single from Otani. And of the seven pitch coming from Boiski to Muki Betts. Hit away from a 4-0 start. Betts skies it. Foul that’s going to reach the seats. [Applause] Luki who’s got three walk-off RBI’s in his Dodger career. It’s been 5 years since they traded for him from Boston. The eighth pitch. Betts golf one left field and turns out the lights. He rings the bell with a three-run walk-off home run. [Applause] Gold. Gold. That blue heaven on earth. This team, this place insane. We are watching something special. Night in night out. Mookie Betts with a two home run game. Thought he had won it in the eighth. Knows that he won it in the 10th. Golfing a three-run walk-off home run. They rally from down two to nothing. They rally from down 53. They start the season 4 and0. What a party. What a team.
FULL GAME: March 28, 2025 – Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Mookie Betts launched a pair of go-ahead home runs in a Dodgers’ 8-5 win, including a three-run blast to walk off the Tigers in a 10-inning thriller the night the team received their 2024 World Series Championship rings.
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8 comments
I can't wait to watch the 2026 LA Dodgers
1:38:40 – First Home Run at bat
2:11:00 – Second Home Run at bat
I miss Conforto😢
Appoint MB as Dodgers captain👍💙
whos here before 1 hr 👇👇
ムーキー来期は右打ちを覚えようね！
2:09:33 So what's the Detroit player doin'?
MLB finally uploading full games of the same season. Better late than never I guess