As Linkin Park once sang, “In the end, it doesn’t even matter.” The San Diego Padres emerged victorious in an electric contest over the Los Angeles Dodgers. With an overdose of offense to offer, the Gocheok Sky Dome looked like a hitter’s heaven. In the center of that was Mookie Betts. The former MVP exploded on all cylinders in a performance that rocked the Korean fanbase. However, despite the heroics, multiple factors led to the Dodgers’ fall.

The game was already marred by Shohei Ohtani’s controversy. However, the Blue Crew hoped to move past it easily, but then the Seoul Series further increased the pain. The heartbreaking loss also revealed some difficult truths for the Dodgers – something that they’ll have to figure out quickly.

The heroic Mookie Betts rekindles memories of his MVP season

The Dodgers were in the doldrums after the Padres scored 5 runs in their first inning. Betts remained quiet in his first at-bat as he flew out to the center. However, things started changing for the superstar soon, as Betts took it upon himself to keep the Dodgers firmly in the race. In a scary display of consistency, the slugger went 4-for-5 in the game.

The most impressive feat, however, was that Betts was remarkably close to completing a full cycle. The superstar hit a single in his second at-bat, then hammered a double off the wall in left field. Finally, in the fifth inning, Mookie Betts hit the first home run of the 2024 season. With a blast over the left field, Betts gave the Dodgers a much-needed chance in the game.

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However, by the eighth inning, the Padres had 12 runs to Dodgers’ 9. There was little to no hope for the Blue Crew until they rallied once again. With James Outman and Jason Heyward on bases, Betts hit a two-run base hit that got the Dodgers within touching distance of the Padres. Overall, the former MVP produced 6 RBIs – per Dodger Insider, this is the 4th time Betts has done that in his career.

However, despite such heroics, the Dodgers couldn’t get the job done. The concerning parts for them were Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s failure and a newfound habit of the Dodgers.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Dodgers journey starts on a bad note

Fans always wondered whether Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be quick to adjust to MLB or not. They got their answers in this game. Yamamoto’s very first pitch was a base hit and from then on the ace lost control and some confidence. In his first innings, Yamamoto threw 42 pitches and gave away 5 runs. Such was the disappointment that the skipper took him out of the field after the first inning.

On the other hand, in a case similar to game 1, there were multiple occasions where the Los Angeles Dodgers stranded their runners. So despite Betts’ heroics and Will Smith’s 4 hits, the Dodgers couldn’t jump ahead of the Padres. Though this is just the beginning of a long season, it’s still a concerning issue to have. One wonders how will Dave Roberts adjust.

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