Post-Game 6 Thread: No Freeman, No Cry

$15 at Home Depot could have prevented this.

DODGERS 6, BRAVES 1

With the pre-game news that Freddie Freman was out for this game due to a weekend mishap slipping in the shower (keep your imaginations out of the gutter, Dodger fans!), the Dodgers entered with a little bit of concern, maybe? But to be fair, the Braves found out over the weekend that the Braves would be without new signing Jurickson Profar for 80 games, maybe we caught the Braves at the right time. And even with Freeman out, the Dodgers rolled to a 6-1 victory that was never in doubt.

Teoscar Hernandez opened up with a first-inning two-run HR. Michael Conforto had a RBI double and Tommy Edman added a sacrifice fly in the second, to make it 4-0. Will Smith added a RBI single in the fourth, and then Kiké Hernandez hit a solo shot in the fifth to make it 6-0 LA.

Sure, Tanner Scott gave up a solo HR to Michael Harris III in the eighth to lose the shutout. But that was all the damage Atlanta could do tonight.

So, rest up, Freddie! You recover. We're okay.

Game 6 Thread: March 31 vs. Braves, 7p

Ulysses S. Grant's Home, in Galena, IL. Admission is $5 for adults.

Tyler Glasnow vs. Grant Holmes.

After a quizzical Sunday off-day, the Dodgers get back to work against an Atlanta Braves team, picked before the season as one of the teams that has the best chance to stop the Dodgers in 2025. Not yet at full strength with the returns of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr., the Braves have opened the season 0-3 (getting swept by the Padres).

They send a guy to the mound who almost has as much hair as our starter, Tyler Glasnow. Can we go 6-0 to start the season and match the 1981 Dodgers?

P.S.: Is SoSG really going back to individual Game Threads?! (More on this, later.)

Post-Game 4 Thread / At-Game Recap: Mookie Walks It Off

DODGERS 8, TIGERS 5 (10)

Ever since the 2024 postseason, the Dodgers seem to have picked up a flair for the dramatic. The comeback series victory over the Padres in the 2024 NLDS. Defeating the Mets in the 2024 NLCS behind Tommy "Tanks" Edman's offensive outburst. Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam to win 2024 World Series Game 1. Vanquishing the rival Yankees in Game 5 following an epic collapse by New York, and an unrelenting, never-say-die Dodger tidal wave.

The second game of the home opener homestand was also fit for the dramatic, with a pre-game World Series Ring Ceremony that was special, followed by one hell of a great game on the field.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto notched a career-high 10 Ks, but was also a little inefficient, racking up 91 pitches to get through five innings of work and yielding solo HR to Dillon Dingler and former Yankee Gleyber Torres. On the other side, 2024 Dodger Jack Flaherty (who will receive his World Series ring at today's game) was carving up the Dodgers through five, on what seemed to be half the pitch count (I remember it being in the 30s during the fourth inning), one-hitting the Dodgers through five frames.

And then, a peek at the drama to come. Mookie Betts reaches with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Freddie Freeman takes the next pitch yard, tying the game at 2. The Dodgers take the lead in the eighth on a Mookie Betts home run that was so close, it needed to be reviewed to be confirmed. And then new Dodger reliever Tanner Scott looked largely ineffective in letting Detroit tie the game in the ninth, which could have been worse if not for Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman relaying a throw to Austin Barnes, who barely got the third out at home (also reviewed, with the call on the field overturned).

In the 10th, the Tigers look to be done with two on and two out, but Dillon Dingler triples home both baserunners and the Tigers take a daunting two-run lead (5-3) into the bottom of the inning. Not good for Dodgers fans, but no fans seem to be leaving their seats.

And then, it's like the Dodgers just flipped a switch and decided to go back to Dominate Mode, opening up the video game cheat codes on a poor Tigers reliever, Beau Brieske, who was up to some Brieske business. Michael Conforto, whose ill-advised dive in the top of the inning led to Dingler's two-RBI triple, atones for his defensive error with a run-scoring double (Edman was the ghostrunner starting on second). Andy Pages, still looking overwhelmed at the major league level, grounds out for the first out (Pages was 0-for-3 and is batting .182 on the season). And that brings up Austin Automatic-Out Barnes (0-for-3 with 2 Ks in this game).

But in a stroke of brilliance, Dave Roberts pinch hits Will Smith for Barnes, which gives us a chance to win. Smith singles to left, scoring Conforto and tying the game at 5. Shohei Ohtani singes to right for his only hit of the game (1-for-4 with a walk and a K).

And that brings up Mookie Betts, still 15 pounds underweight due to this stomach illness. Mookie takes the count full and then unloads on a home run to left that wins the game with a dramatic walkoff HR. Betts, 3-for-5 with 4 RBI during this game, was exuberant and emotional rounding the bases in a way that one would have thought this was a World Series game. It certainly was dramatic.

But the Dodgers have a flair for the dramatic of late, right? Amazing to see in person (and even better that I could see the whole ring ceremony before, and then get out of the parking lot quickly thanks to a post-game drone show that I skipped).

Clayton Kershaw gets his World Series ring.

The last two games I have seen at Dodger Stadium have been Freddie Freeman's walkoff grand slam in 2024 WS G1, and now Mookie Betts' walkoff home run in the first homestand of 2025. I dont know how it gets better than this!

We're 4-0 for the first time since 1981. Let's keep it rolling, Dodgers!

Kirsten Watson, likely asking Mookie Betts post-game how he is feeling

Post-Game 3 Thread: Dodgers Win Home Opener, 5-4

DODGERS 5, TIGERS 4

For all the talk about the Dodgers' formidable, stacked, dominating lineup: today's Opening Day win was a squeaker that showed a lot of vulnerabilities in the armor.

Blake Snell only lasted five innings and earned the win despite leaving the mound with a 2-1 lead through five frames (Teoscar Hernandez' three-run HR in the bottom of the fifth rescued Snell from the loss column, putting the Dodgers ahead 4-2). Snell struggled his third time through the order--which we've obviously seen before--and needed 92 pitches to get through his five innings (Tigers starter Tarik Skubal needed only 80, and both starters ended up with 2 Ks each).

The Dodgers' bullpen was also kind of shaky, with Ben Casparius working out of a jam in the sixth; Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott each yielding a run in their innings of work; and closer Blake Treinen needing 23 pitches to sneak his way out of the ninth inning by getting Colt Keith to foul out to Freddie Freeman for the final out.

Hernandez' shot was the big bopper, bookended by Tommy Edman's second-inning solo shot and Shohei Ohtani's homer in the seventh. But Freddie Freeman was 0-for-4 and Max Muncy was 0-for-3 with 2 Ks (he is batting .100 on the year). And even with the three homers, we just eked out the one-run victory over the Tigers, who aren't a bad team, but aren't stacked like the Dodgers.

But a win is a win, I guess. Credit to my uncle for taking this photo and for staying the whole game, obviously. He'll probably be in Dodger Stadium traffic through midnight.

Games 3-5: March 27-29 vs. Tigers (Home Opening Series)

Thu 3.27 4p: Blake Snell vs. Tarik Skubal
Fri 3.28 7p: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. TBD
Sat 3.29 6p: Roki Sasaki vs. TBD

Those first two games in Japan didn't seem fully real, right? The artificial turf of the Tokyo Dome; the impossibly difficult time zone difference from Los Angeles; the lack of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in the lineup. Luckily, the Dodgers came away with two wins to start the season--and now we can open the season the right way, back at home in Chavez Ravine.

At least, we're hoping this is the right way, with the right lineup--Betts (suffering from a stomach ailment that had him lose 15-18 pounds) played in some of the Freeway Series exhibition games versus the Angels this week, though he (understandably) didn't look great.

Mookie Betts, now with his skinnier frame.

But the Dodgers' re-tooling for 2025 starts with the man on the mound Thursday, as two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell takes the mound for the Dodgers (man, that is really weird to type, and I'm sure will be even weirder to witness!). Snell, who signed a five-year, $182M deal with Los Angeles this offseason, was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA this spring across 4.2 IP. He faces Tarik Skubal, a front-runner for the 2025 American League Cy Young award. Skubal was 2-0 this spring with a 2.33 ERA across 19.1 IP.

I have been too accustomed to seeing Blake Snell's pouty demeanor on opposing teams (Rays in the 2020 World Series; Padres 2021-2023; Giants 2024) that I am going to have trouble rooting for him as a Dodger. He had better show up Thursday.

On Friday, I will be at the Stadium for the game. It might be one of the few times I can attend a game this season, so I'm really looking forward to this one. Let's go, Yoshi! (And you too, Roki, on Saturday.)

Archiving the 2024 SoSG Attendance Record, For Posterity

It's that time again, to archive the prior season's attendance record: this time, the World Championship 2024 season. It was the first season ever that the Sons were below .500 for the regular season--and look how this turned out! (To be fair, we were .500 if you include the postseason games.)

SoSG 2024 record: 5-6; 2-1 postseason

4/3 vs. SF (W, 5-4): Sax
4/15 vs. WSH (L, 4-6): Dusty, Orel, Sax
5/6 vs. MIA (W, 6-3): AC, Sax
5/16 vs. CIN (L, 2-7): AC, Sax
6/12 vs. TEX (L, 2-3): Sax
7/5 vs. MIL (W, 8-5): Sax
7/21 vs. BOS (W, 9-6): Sax
7/24 vs. SF (L, 3-8): Sax
8/24 vs. TB (L, 8-9 (10)): Sax
8/29 vs. BAL (W, 6-3): Orel, Sax
9/9 vs. CHC (L, 4-10): Sax

10/5 NLDS G1 vs. SD (W, 7-5): Sax
10/6 NLDS G2 vs. SD (L, 2-10): Orel, Sax

10/25 WS G1 vs. NYY (W, 6-3 (10)): Sax

I still get chills thinking about that last attended game, World Series Game 1. Wow.

Prior SoSG attendance records: 2008 (18-15), 2009 (21-10), 2010 (9-8), 2011 (10-7), 2012 (24-18), 2013 (24-16), 2014 (22-12), 2015 (27-13), 2016 (10-5), 2017 (27-13) 2018 (12-9), 2019 (10-5), 2020 (0-0), 2021 (4-3), 2022 (4-4), 2023 (5-5).

Post-Game 2 Thread: Dodgers Sweep Cubs in Tokyo Dome

DODGERS 六, CUBS 三

Though they scheduled these contests way too early for me to watch either of the Tokyo Series games, the Dodgers still prevailed with a series sweep over the Cubs, following a 6-3 victory in the second game that featured a Shohei Ohtani home run, which followed taters from Tommy Edman (first MLB HR in 2025!) and Kiké Hernandez. All three of those Dodgers now lead the majors in HR.

Other crazy stats from the disparate number of games played (which reminds me of when Adrian Gonzalez led the majors in stolen bases, following the 2014 Opening Series in Sydney, Australia): Kiké Hernandez leads RBIs (3); Landon Knack co-leads Wins (1), along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto; and Will Smith is tied for the batting title at .500 (along with Chicago's John Berti).

More importantly, the Dodgers--sans both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in this series--still opened up a dominant two-game lead in the NL West with only 160 games to play. Let's get the team back together here in Los Angeles, and hopefully get Betts and Freeman back to health.

Games 1-2 Thread: Tokyo Series vs. Cubs (March 18-19)

Lots of open mouths here. Whatever happened to nose breathing?

Tue 3.18: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Shota Imanaga, 3a
Wed 3.19: Roki Sasaki vs. Justin Steele, 3a

It's finally time for Dodger Baseball, and it's awful early in the day here in Los Angeles. But I'm totally excited to get up and watch the Dodgers defend their World Series Championship by facing off against the Cubs in the Tokyo Dome. And just in time, Spectrum is finally allowing a subscription streaming service, which should open the Dodgers up to all those cord-cutting fans in the Los Angeles market.

The only bad news? Mookie Betts' recent diet plan (drop 15 pounds in short notice!), a.k.a. the flu he's been fighting since leaving for Japan last week, has knocked our new shortstop off the roster for these two games in Japan. I guess that puts more pressure on that other guy to carry the load. (No, not Freddie Freeman; he did his part during the 2024 World Series!).

I'm going to try and get up at 3a and watch this puppy. Come join us on this GT!

LET'S GO, DODGERS!