Dodgers have historic Opening Day in win over Diamondbacks

It was home runs galore on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers hit a major league record of eight home runs on Opening Day in their 12-5 win over the Diamondbacks. That’s right. Eight. This also ties their franchise record of home runs hit in a single game.

Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernandez lead the team in home runs, with two a piece. Corey Seager also hit one deep in his MLB comeback, along with Austin Barnes, Cody Bellinger, and Max Muncy. Justin Turner was the only starting position player who didn’t reach base on Thursday.

On the pitching side of things, Hyun-Jin Ryu took care of business in his first Opening Day start as a Dodger. In six innings pitched, he struck out eight batters while allowing four hits, one run and zero walks.

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At one point in his start, Ryu retired 13 batters in a row, striking out six in that streak. Despite giving up a home run, he earned the first win of the 2019 season.

Zack Greinke allowed seven earned runs in his Opening Day start against his former team. He exited the game after 3 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing seven hits, two walks, four home runs and three strikeouts. For the record, Greinke currently has a 17.18 ERA.

The Diamondbacks got in on the home run fun, with Adam Jones and Chris Walker each hitting one out. Jones hit one off of Ryu, while Walker earned his off of relief pitcher Yimi García.

The Diamondbacks made their attempt at a comeback in the ninth inning when they scored three runs on Brock Stewart, but it wasn’t enough to get them above the 12-run threshold.

If this game is any indication of how well the Dodgers will be playing this season, it’s going to be a fun one.

Player of the game:

Joc Pederson, 3 for 5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored

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Look ahead:

Ross Stripling gets the start for the Dodgers tomorrow, as they play game two of the series against the Diamondbacks at 7:10 pm PDT.