The Los Angeles Dodgers remained unbeaten to open the 2025 season, defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-4 in their home opener Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. A solid outing by Blake Snell in his debut and home runs from Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani helped lift the Dodgers to their third consecutive win.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who joined Los Angeles on a five-year, $182 million contract during the offseason, made his first regular-season start in a Dodgers uniform. The left-hander allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings while walking four and striking out two. He earned the victory, supported by a crowd of 53,595 that gathered to celebrate the team’s return from Tokyo and its 2024 World Series championship.
The Dodgers entered the matchup as -175 favorites on most betting markets, while the Tigers were listed as +150 underdogs. The projected total runs opened at 8.5, and the teams combined to meet that figure, with Detroit’s late push.
Snell encountered some early trouble, including a wild pitch in the fourth that allowed Spencer Torkelson to score the Tigers’ first run. In the fifth inning, Snell allowed consecutive singles to Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene before walking Torkelson to load the bases. A sacrifice fly from Manuel Margot gave Detroit a brief 2-1 lead.
That advantage did not last long. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ohtani reached on a fielder’s choice and Mookie Betts followed with a walk. On the first pitch he saw from Tigers starter Tarik Skubal, Hernández launched a three-run home run to left field, swinging momentum back to Los Angeles with a 4-2 lead.
Skubal, last season’s American League Cy Young Award winner, allowed four earned runs on six hits across five innings. He struck out two, walked one in his 2025 debut, and was charged with the loss.
Ohtani later added to the Dodgers’ lead with a solo home run in the seventh, his second of the season, extending the margin to 5-3. Torkelson responded in the top half of the same inning with a solo shot of his own, narrowing the deficit to one run. The Tigers made another push in the eighth, bringing in a run on Kerry Carpenter’s sacrifice fly off Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott to make it 5-4.
In the ninth, Los Angeles turned to veteran reliever Blake Treinen to close the game. Treinen allowed two baserunners but was able to retire Trey Sweeney and Colt Keith in succession, earning his first save of the year and preserving the Dodgers’ perfect start. It marked a steady finish for a bullpen tested late in the game.
The two teams will continue their series on Friday. Detroit is expected to send right-hander Jack Flaherty to the mound for his first start of the season, while the Dodgers will counter with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who holds a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA through two outings.
