Mookie Betts hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers an 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The win improved the Dodgers to 4-0, their best start to a season since 1981, when they also went on to win the World Series.
Betts’ game-ending home run came off Detroit reliever Beau Brieske, who took the loss and dropped to 0-1. With one out and runners on first and second, Betts sent a drive to left field that scored pinch-hitter Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani, breaking a 5-5 tie and securing another comeback victory for the defending champions.
Los Angeles entered the game as a firm betting favorite, with most sportsbooks listing them at approximately -200 on the moneyline. The Tigers were underdogs around +170, and the projected run total 8.5 was surpassed in extra innings following several late rallies by both teams.
Earlier in the evening, the Dodgers held a pregame ceremony to celebrate their 2024 World Series title. In front of a sellout crowd of 52,029, the team received championship rings. The team then walked a blue carpet to the infield stage, where players and staff received commemorative boxes containing their rings.
On the field, the game saw several lead changes and late drama. Detroit took an early lead in the second inning on Dillon Dingler’s solo home run off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Dingler, making just his second big-league appearance, later added a two-run triple in the top of the 10th inning to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead. Riley Greene, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base, and Zach McKinstry, who was intentionally walked, scored on the play when Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto could not make a play on the ball.
Los Angeles responded quickly in the bottom half of the 10th. Conforto drove in a run with a ground-rule double to cut the deficit to 5-4, setting up Betts for his game-winning swing. Betts had already tied the game earlier in the eighth inning with a solo home run, his second of the season.
Freddie Freeman also contributed offensively, tying the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning with a two-run home run off Detroit starter Jack Flaherty. Flaherty pitched into the sixth inning, striking out seven and allowing three runs in his return to his hometown of Burbank, California. The Dodgers crowd gave him a standing ovation upon his exit, recognizing his role in the team’s 2024 championship run.
Dodgers starter Yamamoto recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over five innings, giving up two runs. Luis Garcia earned the win in relief for Los Angeles, improving to 1-0 despite allowing the go-ahead runs in the 10th.
The series concludes Saturday, with right-hander Roki Sasaki scheduled to make his Dodger Stadium debut for Los Angeles. Sasaki enters with a 0-0 record and a 3.00 ERA. Detroit is set to start right-hander Reese Olson, who will debut in season. Both teams will look to close out the series on a strong note before resuming regular schedules next week.
