Yamamoto chased after 1st inning of debut as Padres beat Dodgers 15-11 for 2-game South Korea split
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, second from left, speaks with interpreter Will Ireton, second from right, as catcher Will Smith, left, and second baseman Gavin Lux during the first inning of a baseball game at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: AP/Lee Jin-man
SEOUL, South Korea — Yoshinobu Yamamoto was chased after one inning of a nightmarish major league debut and the San Diego Padres outlasted the Dodgers 15-11 on Thursday night after Los Angeles fired Shohei Ohtani's interpreter following allegations of illegal gambling.
Mookie Betts had four hits and six RBIs for the Dodgers, including the first home run of the major league season.
Jake Cronenworth tied a career high with four hits and had four RBIs for San Diego, which gained a split in the opening two-games series, Major League Baseball's first games in South Korea. After the Dodgers rebounded from a 9-2 deficit and closed to 12-11, Manny Machado hit a three-run homer in the ninth off J.P. Feyereisen.
San Diego outhit the Dodgers 17-16. Luis Campusano had three hits and 20-year-old center fielder Jackson Merrill got his first two major league hits.
Ohtani hit three deep flyouts on a 1-for-5 night and was 3 for 10 with one RBI in the series. Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.
Los Angeles made three errors that led to a pair of unearned runs.
Yamamoto (0-1) signed a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record amount for a pitcher that created high expectations. San Diego batted around against the two-time Pacific League MVP, and he left with a 45.00 ERA, allowing five runs, four hits, one walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: AP/Ahn Young-joon
Cronenworth's two-run triple, Ha-Seong Kim's sacrifice fly, Campusano's RBI double and Tyler Wade's run-scoring single built a 5-1 lead. Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run single in a four-run third off Michael Grove.
Michael King (1-0) won in his Padres debut following his acquisition in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. King allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Robert Suarez got four outs for the save.
Padres starter Joe Musgrove gave up five runs, seven hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings.
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring on a triple by Jake Cronenworth during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: AP/Ahn Young-joon
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy allowed Campusano’s first-inning bouncer to get under his glove and down the line for an RBI double, had Fernando Tatis Jr.’s third-inning grounder kick off his glove into left for an error as a run scored, then allowed José Azocar’s seventh-inning grounder to bounce off his glove for a run-scoring error. Muncy hit an inning-ending popup that stranded two runners in the eighth.
In the second season of the pitch clock, the game took 3 hours, 42 minutes, a day after the opener lasted 3:05. Bogaerts struck out for the final out in the eighth when a pitch clock-violation was called by plate umpire Andy Fletcher with a 1-2 count.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Bogaerts jammed the ring finger of his left hand while sliding into second base when tagging up in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: They host the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday and Monday, then play at Anaheim on Tuesday in the annual exhibition Freeway Series. They resume the season March 28 in their home opener against St. Louis.
Padres: They are home against Seattle in exhibitions at Petco Park on Monday and Tuesday, then resume the season hosting San Francisco in a four-game series starting March 28.
