A 33-hit blowout, a hot night at Gocheokdome, and Machado is done.
The second game of the opening two-game set of the first Major League Baseball series to be played in South Korea was a hotly contested offensive affair. In a game that saw both teams’ highly-anticipated starters get pounded, the two teams combined for 33 hits and 26 runs.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the game tied at one after each team had scored double-digit runs, San Diego’s No. 4 hitter, Manny Machado, crushed a three-run shot to center field.
San Diego took Game 2 of the MLB World Series. After suffering their first loss of the season to the Dodgers, 2-5, the previous day, the Padres won 15-11 in a fearsome batting battle to earn their first win of the season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) started the game with a bang. The top ace in Nippon Professional Baseball, who joined the Dodgers this year after signing a massive 12-year, $325 million contract, gave up five runs on four hits, one walk and two strikeouts in one inning in his major league debut.
After retiring the first four batters he faced on a single, walk, triple and double, he was shaky enough to get his first out before giving up a sacrifice fly to Kim Ha-seong in the fifth. After Yamamoto, who threw 49 pitches in the first inning alone, was removed, the Dodgers turned to their bullpen in the second.
San Diego also lost starter Joe Musgrove after 2.2 innings. After scoring a run in the top of the first on a single, walk and double, Musgrove gave up a run in the top of the second on back-to-back singles and a sacrifice fly to Shohei Ohtani. San Diego scored four more runs in the top of the third, but Musgrove was removed with two outs in the bottom of the inning and a 9-4 lead. Musgrove threw 60 pitches in 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
The bullpen battle began and a batting duel ensued. The Dodgers cut the deficit to 8-10 in the bottom of the fifth, but San Diego scored single runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to go back up 12-8 after five.
The Dodger bats didn’t stop chasing down the stretch. In the bottom of the seventh, No. 4 hitter Will Smith singled in a run, and in the top of the eighth, Mookie Betts doubled with two outs. It got to 11-12, but the rally ended when Ohtani grounded out to second base with two outs.
Machado was the answer to the big inning. In the top of the ninth, leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a walk and Jake Cronenweth singled to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Stepping to the plate, Machado saw a four-pitch changeup from Dodgers’ sixth pitcher J.P. Pejereisen right down the middle and pulled it for a three-run shot to left field. It was the game-winning home run that made it 15-11.
For San Diego, Jake Cronenweth went 4-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored, while No. 5 hitter Ha-Sung Kim went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
For the Dodgers, leadoff hitter Mookie Betts went 4-for-5 with a home run and six RBIs. Yamamoto suffered his first loss in his major league debut.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “It was a good experience. We had a good two-game series with no injuries. We’ll take care of business and get back to the regular season. I think we did a good job of raising the profile of Major League Baseball in Korea. We were able to have a great opening game thanks to the fans and officials in Seoul who welcomed us.”
St. Louis head coach Mike Schildt said, “I’m thankful for Korea. It’s been a great experience and we’ve had a great time, thanks to the hospitality of Seoul. There were a lot of things that happened, but the guys were able to have a good opening series. We’re grateful to everyone in Seoul for helping us with our journey so we could focus on the game.”
San Diego and the Dodgers, who arrived in Seoul on Sept. 15 and spent a week in the city, will depart for the United States on Sept. 22.