Sax wasn't able to make it to Opening Day ceremonies @ Dodger Stadium this year, but I did get some great shots from the seats thanks to a trusty stringer in the family. Enjoy!
JT at the plate:
Muncy at the plate:
The new scoreboards wre "very difficult to read"--perhaps more difficult in the daylight?
Here's the new 2020 World Championship flag (no room for the California state flag now!):
Thanks, trusty stringer!
Fri 4/9 1p: Walker Buehler vs. J Ross Sat 4/10 6p: Julio Urias vs. TBD Sun 4/11 1p: TBD vs. TBD
Happy Home Opening Day! Your World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers make their first appearance at Dodger Stadium with crowds since the 2019 season, which ended with a difficult playoff series loss to...the Nationals. This time, the Nationals come to town with a depleted lineup, having been racked by a COVID-19 outbreak in their ranks that has sidelined starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Jon Lester, catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila, first baseman Josh Bell, infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer, left fielder Kyle Schwarber, and reliever Brad Hand: all of whom are on the injured list with unspecified injuries.
So it's totally understandable that we've got, at time of writing this Game Thread on Thursday morning, two of this weekend's starters as TBD. Heck, the Nationals might be holding tryouts in the parking lot before the game (right next to the COVID-19 vaccine distribution center; might not be such a bad idea!).
For those of you going to the Stadium on Friday--and, cross your fingers, at least one SoSG family member should be in attendance!--be careful around all those parking cones! The Stadium might be at 25% capacity, but the parking is (as always) still going to be nuts!
GO DODGERS!
Monday 4/5 6.30p: Dustin May vs. Frankie Montas Tuesday 4/6 6.30p: Clayton Kershaw vs. Chris Bassitt Wednesday 4/7 12.30p: Trevor Bauer vs. Jesús Luzardo
Four games into the season, and we're already neck and neck with the Padres, a theme we'll probably hear all season long. And while San Diego gets to feast on a 1-2 Giants team for their next series, we get our 1988 World Series opponent A's (who are 0-4 this season, having been swept by the Astros). Boy, the Bay Area is off to a poor start this year.
Dustin May gets his first start of the year, having earned the spot over Tony Gonsolin and David Price (the latter of whom looked awful in a relief appearance against Colorado). I'm sure Kershaw will be itching to get back in the win column after his frustrating Opening Day loss.
Thurs 4/1 1p: Clayton Kershaw vs. Germán Márquez Fri 4/2 5.30p: Trevor Bauer vs. Antonio Senzatela Sat 4/3 5p: Walker Buehler vs. Jon Gray Sun 4/4 12n: Julio Urias vs. Austin Gomber
This is the first Game Thread for your WORLD CHAMPION LOS ANGELES DODGERS! And yes, even though many of the players who got us here last year have returned (most notably, Justin Turner at third base), some have departed (Kiké Hernandez, whose jersey outsells Mike Trout's!; Joc Pederson; and Pedro Baez, among others). And then there's that Bauer guy that we picked up and have slotted him in at the #2 spot in this season-starting rotation.
And this re-stocked team has some pundits predicting the Dodgers will win 118 games this season, en route to a World Series.. Which will never happen, mind you, even if it may be fun to speculate. No, the Dodgers will face more difficult opposition this year from a investment-happy Padres team (adding Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, and locking up Fernando Tatis Jr. for 300 years); a bitter and hungry Braves team who narrowly lost the 2020 NLCS; and a new entrant Mets team who just plunked down $341M for 10 years of Francisco Lindor..
And then there's the whole American League, by the way--even if this year's wackball schedule doesn't have us playing anyone beyond the AL West during the regular season.
Me, I'd love to see the 2021 season be incredible again for the Dodgers, so we can put an end to the 156-day drought since our last World Championship. I won't be there for Opening Day this year, but I know I'll be gunning for the Dodgers for all 162 regular season games this year.
And this time: as reigning World Champions!
GO DODGERS!
