Dodgers Edge Tigers 5-4 in Thrilling Home Opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a thrilling home opener, Blake Snell secured a win in his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers as they edged the Detroit Tigers 5-4 on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The game featured impressive performances from Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, each contributing to the Dodgers’ season start.

Snell, who joined the Dodgers after signing a five-year, $182 million contract, pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits. The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out two batters while walking four.

The game’s offensive highlight came in the fifth inning when Hernández connected off Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal for a three-run homer with two outs, turning the tide in favor of the Dodgers after they had fallen behind 2-1. Ohtani had reached first on a fielder’s choice, and Mookie Betts walked before Hernández’s powerful hit.

Ohtani continued to shine, hitting a solo home run in the seventh that pushed the Dodger’s lead to 5-3. This marked Ohtani’s second home run of the season and contributed to his overall strong performance, which included scoring twice.

Tommy Edman also made his mark with a solo home run in the second inning, contributing to the Dodgers’ tally. By the end of the game, the Dodgers improved to 3-0, having previously secured two victories over the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.

Despite the win, the Tigers put on a strong fight. Snell’s wild pitch led to Spencer Torkelson scoring the Tigers’ first run in the fourth inning, allowing Detroit to stay competitive.

In the fifth inning, after Snell loaded the bases with back-to-back singles to Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene followed by a walk to Torkelson, Manuel Margot‘s sacrifice fly allowed the Tigers to reclaim the lead temporarily at 2-1.

In the seventh, Torkelson struck back, homering to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3. The Tigers made it a one-run game again in the eighth with Kerry Carpenter‘s sacrifice fly off Tanner Scott. But Blake Treinen entered in the ninth with the game on the line, managing to hold off the Tigers, retiring Trey Sweeney and Colt Keith to secure the save.

Skubal, last year’s AL Cy Young Award winner, had a tough outing, giving up four runs and six hits over five innings while striking out two and walking one.

The sellout crowd of 53,595 at Dodger Stadium celebrated the home opener with excitement, witnessing the Commissioner’s Trophy arrive on the field in a blue convertible driven by rapper Ice Cube prior to the game.

As the season progresses, the Dodgers look to build on their early momentum, with RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected to take the mound for Los Angeles in the next game.