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 Shohei Ohtani dazzles in playoff debut, Dodgers win Game 1

Shohei Ohtani dazzles in playoff debut, Dodgers win Game 1

LOS ANGELES — In his postseason debut, Shohei Ohtani smashed a three-run homer, while Teoscar Hernandez's two-run single gave the Los Angeles Dodgers their first playoff lead in two years, resulting in a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday.


Manny Machado's two-run homer off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, also making his postseason debut, put Los Angeles in an early 3-0 deficit.


Ohtani, however, quickly erased the Padres' lead with a two-out, three-run homer in the second inning, tying the game at 3-3. The Japanese superstar's 372-foot shot to right field, hit with Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in attendance, had the sellout crowd of 53,028 chanting "MVP! MVP!" as fans captured the moment on their phones.


San Diego regained a 5-3 lead before the Dodgers mounted a comeback with three runs in the fourth inning. Tommy Edman scored on a wild pitch by Padres reliever Adrian Morejon, who took the loss. Ohtani followed with a broken-bat single, and both he and Mookie Betts crossed home plate on Hernandez's clutch two-run single off Jeremiah Estrada, putting Los Angeles ahead 6-5.


This marked the Dodgers' first postseason lead since the seventh inning of Game 4 in the 2022 NLDS against the Padres. Last year, they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series.


In the ninth inning, the Padres threatened to tie the game with two outs and runners on base. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled off Blake Treinen, and Jurickson Profar walked, bringing Machado to the plate. However, Treinen struck him out swinging, securing the save.


The Padres had another chance in the eighth when Michael Kopech walked Profar and Jackson Merrill, a Rookie of the Year contender, drew a 10-pitch walk. Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas made a crucial over-the-shoulder catch on Xander Bogaerts' shallow pop fly to prevent a run. Treinen then walked Jake Cronenworth to load the bases but struck out Donovan Solano swinging, ending the inning and preserving the Dodgers' lead.


Los Angeles now holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.