Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a stolen base in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-2 win Wednesday over the San Diego Padres as Major League Baseball opened its season with its first game in South Korea.
Ohtani, a two-time American League MVP who joined the Dodgers over the winter on a 10-year, $700 million contract, chipped in with an RBI as Los Angeles produced a four-run eighth inning at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome.
Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, the Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs, and Enrique Hernandez tied it with the Dodgers' second sacrifice fly of the night. A fielder's choice put Los Angeles in front before back-to-back RBI singles by Mookie Betts and Ohtani capped the rally.
Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish started for the Padres. He allowed an unearned run on two hits and three walks while striking out three in 3-2/3 innings.
The game was preceded by MLB's first Korean player, former pitcher Park Chan Ho, throwing the ceremonial first pitch to Padres shortstop Kim Ha Seong, MLB's first South Korean Gold Glove winner.
San Diego scored twice off new Dodger right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who allowed two hits and four walks while striking out three over five innings.
Both runs came via leadoff walks to Tyler Wade in the third and Manny Machado in the fourth.
Wade, whose two-base throwing error from third set up the Dodgers' run in the top of the fourth, scored on a Xander Bogaerts single, while Machado scored San Diego's go-ahead run on a double play.
Yuki Matsui, San Diego's fourth pitcher, made his MLB debut after recording 236 career saves in Japan, protecting a 2-1 lead by getting two sixth-inning outs. The lefty walked one and struck out one.
