Dodgers a perfect 5-0 for the first time since ‘81

The Dodgers backed up Roki Sasaki’s disappointing Dodger Stadium debut with three home runs to win 7-3 over the Tigers.

The Dodgers wrapped up their home opening series against the Detroit Tigers with a 7-3 victory, earning two consecutive series sweeps to begin the regular season.

Prior to the start of the series finale, the Dodgers did their part to honor Jack Flaherty, who served as the ace of a three-man postseason rotation. The Dodgers gifted a gold lettered championship jersey with his no. 0 and his 2024 championship ring after he made his first start back at Dodger Stadium on Friday.

The Dodgers individual silver sluggers and the team silver slugger awards were presented with their hardware before the start of Saturday’s game.

Roki Sasaki made his Dodger Stadium debut against Detroit after tossing three innings in his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.

In similar fashion to how Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s major league debut went last season, Sasaki struggled with his command and failed to limit opposing hitters off the bases in the first inning, while seeing his pitch count climb to 41 after just one inning of work.

In the first inning alone, Sasaki loaded the count full four times, setting down Riley Greene with a strikeout before allowing a single and a pair of walks in those situations.

Sasaki’s command issues continued in the second inning, as he walked another pair of batters while tossing 20 pitches, prompting an early departure after allowing two runs on two hits, striking out two while walking four in just 1 ²⁄₃ innings. Sasaki has now thrown 4 ²⁄₃ innings at the big league level, where he has allowed three runs on three hits with five strikeouts and a whopping nine free passes.

The Dodgers quickly answered back against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson with a Freddie Freeman home run, his second in as many games. Olson should’ve taken notes from Nestor Cortes on not serving a first pitch fastball on the inside part of the plate to Freeman.

The Dodgers got Sasaki off the hook for a decision in the second inning, as Michael Conforto drove in the tying run on his second RBI double in as many at-bats.

Teoscar Hernández was the hero of the home opener against Tarik Skubal, and he played the same role in the fifth inning against Olson, lining a go ahead two-run double down the left field line past a diving Zack McKinstry to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead, the same exact score after Hernández’s three-run shot off of Skubal on Thursday.

The Dodgers bullpen was nearly unhittable against Detroit after Sasaki’s early exit, with rookies Jack Dreyer and Ben Casparius combining for 2 ¹⁄₃ innings of scoreless work, with each reliever picking up a strikeout. Anthony Banda tossed a perfect fifth inning, and was seemingly the only pitcher this series outside of Yamamoto that could keep Spencer Torkelson off the base paths.

Will Smith is off to a blistering start this season, and it continued with his first home run of the season off of left-hander Brant Hurter in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tommy Edman greeted old friend Kenta Maeda rudely on his first pitch of the night, launching his first home run from the left side of the plate and his team-leading third home run of the young season.

Right handers Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen each notched a scoreless inning to cap off 7 ¹⁄₃ innings of one run ball from the bullpen, adding 11 strikeouts after Sasaki’s pair to begin the game.

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The Dodgers are now 5-0 to start the season for just the fourth time in franchise history and for the first time since 1981 when the team started the season 6-0. That same 1981 squad also went on to win the World Series.

Game particulars

• Home runs— Freeman (2), Smith (1), Edman (3)
• WP— Anthony Banda (1-0): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
• LP— Reese Olson (0-1): 4 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers have an off day on Sunday before opening up their second series of this homestand against the Atlanta Braves on Monday (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow makes his season debut for the Dodgers while former Dodgers prospect Grant Holmes starts for Atlanta.