The box score lists Friday night’s game time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in downtown Atlanta at 2:19, but it also included a 1:13 rain delay, which the eight-year-old ballpark is famous for.
(Atlanta Braves)
But in the end, the (now) 22-10 National League West first-place Dodgers walked away with the 2-1 win over the (now) 14-17 National League East third-place Braves.
It was also a homecoming of sorts for 35-year-old Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who spent 12 seasons in a Braves uniform before signing his lofty six-year/$162M free agent contract with the Dodgers in 2022.
The still very popular former Brave received a warm welcome from the 41,201 on hand at Truist Park, although that welcome became a little less warm after his sensational diving stop of what would have otherwise been a base hit to right by Braves right fielder Eli White in the bottom of the third, and even more so after his infield single in the top of the fourth. Then again, those are exactly what made Freeman the fan-favorite he was in Atlanta and is in LA.
(SportsNet LA)
And then there’s that Mookie Betts fellow, whose sixth-inning solo home run to left-center field in the top of the sixth proved to be the eventual game-winner, rain notwithstanding.
(SportsNet LA)
On the other side of the ball, 26-year-old Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was outstanding in his seventh start of the season, tossing six shutout innings and allowing only one hit. The Bizen, Japan walked two and struckout six of the 21 Braves batters he faced, doing so on 91 total pitches of which 60 were strikes.
“I think today the split(er) was fantastic, the command was back to being who he is,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame of Yamamoto, who is now 4-2 on the season with an MLB-best 0.90 ERA. “I think the last one he just wasn’t as sharp, but today he got back the command and then the split really played tonight,” added the Dodgers skipper.
“Tonight I was able to locate my curve ball in a good spot,” Yamamoto told reporters postgame through an interpreter.
With the win, the Dodgers increased their lead over the San Diego Padres to 1.5 games in the NL West.
Play Ball!
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