For the second time in three years, the Padres and Dodgers squared off at Dodger Stadium in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. What was once a tale of Big and Little Brother is now a heavyweight battle on the national stage.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto toed the slab for the Dodgers against Dylan Cease for the Padres.

The former Sawamura winner and Japan Series champion was making his first playoff start in MLB, and despite the similarities between those stages and the MLB Postseason, the right-hander started very erratically. Yamamoto clearly had the adrenaline going, leaning heavily on the fastball and splitter, but Padres hitters looked to be hunting those pitches.

Luis Arraez reached on a single and would reach third during Fernando Tatis Jr’s plate appearance on a wild pitch from Yamamoto and a passed ball from Will Smith. Tatis ended up with a walk, and that brought Jurickson Profar to the plate.

Yamamoto previously allowed seven runs in the first innings of his starts against the Padres this season, and while the Dodgers hoped to buck the trend, the Padres had other plans. Jurickson Profar chopped a ball to first to put San Diego on the board, bringing Manny Machado up to the plate. Yamamoto had only allowed two home runs on his splitter all season, and against Machado, that number went up to three as the Padres’ captain launched one into the left-center field seats, putting San Diego up 3-0 after one inning and prompting the boos from the home crowd.

Welcome to Mannyopolis. pic.twitter.com/Pcdjn6rYgh

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 6, 2024

Tasked with holding onto that lead, Dylan Cease retired Shohei Ohtani, but the next two batters reached.

It looked like Los Angeles was one swing away from tying the ballgame, but that swing didn’t come in the first, as Cease punched out Max Muncy on a blistering 99 mph fastball to strand the runners. The game was far from over, as the second inning saw Cease greeted by a walk by Will Smith and a single from Gavin Lux. The Padres’ right-hander was able to retire Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas but left a high fastball catch too much of the plate, and Shohei Ohtani turned it on deep to right field, tying up the game with his first career postseason home run.

Knotted up at three, the Padres immediately delivered a counterpunch, as Fernando Tatis scalded a baseball 118.9 mph for a double, and Jackson Merrill worked a seven-pitch walk after going down 1-2 in the count. Xander Bogaerts took advantage of a hanging curveball from Yamamoto, lining it down the left-field line. The ball got past a sliding Teoscar Hernandez, allowing both Tatis and Merrill to score, and San Diego now led 5-3.

X marks the spot. pic.twitter.com/DqTUXn644V

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 6, 2024

While the Padres chased Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the third inning, the Dodgers made life difficult out on the mound for Dylan Cease, as Cease failed to escape the fourth inning. Cease got the first out, but back-to-back singles from Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas spelled the end of the day for Cease, as Mike Shildt called upon Adrian Morejon to face Ohtani. The left-hander had been called upon to face Ohtani earlier in the season but surrendered a single before a wild pitch on a splitter inside scored Tommy Edman from third. While Morejon induced a forceout at home off the bat of Freddie Freeman, he was relieved by Jeremiah Estrada to face Teoscar Hernandez. Shildt’s move did not work this time, as Hernandez lined a middle-middle fastball up the middle to give the Dodgers the lead.

Estrada returned to the mound for the fifth inning, but a fielding error put runners on the corners with no outs. The Padres traded the run for two outs on a ground ball off the bat of Tommy Edman, and the score was now at 7-5. Unfortunately for the Padres, their offense fell quiet against Dodgers relievers from the fifth through seventh innings, securing only one baserunner against Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, and Evan Phillips.

San Diego pushed for the tie in the eighth inning against Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech. The right-hander has been electric for the Dodgers but also erratic with his command. Jurickson Profar and Jackson Merrill worked walks off Kopech, and Dave Roberts turned to veteran Blake Treinen. While Treinen walked Jake Cronenworth to load the bases with two outs, Padres first baseman Donovan Solano struck out against Treinen, stranding the bases loaded. The Padres’ bullpen held firm in the later innings, as Jason Adam, Bryan Hoeing, and Tanner Scott fended off the Dodgers’ offense from the seventh through ninth innings, with Adam striking out Shohei Ohtani and Scott punching out two.

With the Padres down by two, Blake Treinen recorded the first two outs on Elias Diaz and Luis Arraez. However, these Padres never go down without a fight. Fernando Tatis grounded a sweeper sharply through the left side, and Jurickson Profar drew a walk on six pitches. Manny Machado now stood at the plate as the go-ahead run. With Tatis on second base and Brandon Lockridge pinch-running at first base, Machado stared down Treinen, and while the Padres’ captain had plenty of signature moments this season, he was unable to add to the list here, striking out on a fading sweeper to end the game.

The Padres aim to even up the series in Game 2 on Sunday night. Yu Darvish takes the mound for the Padres.

Game time is 5:03 pm Pacific.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.