On October 6th, the San Diego Padres showcased an impressive performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, launching six home runs and soundly defeating them 10-2. The Padres’ starting pitcher, Yu Darvish, allowed only one run over seven innings, leading this game to even the series at one win each. Notably, Shohei Ohtani struggled at the plate, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and found himself outmatched in all three of his at-bats against Darvish.
The excitement kicked off with Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting a solo home run in the first inning, followed by David Peralta’s two-run blast in the second, giving the Padres a commanding 3-0 lead.
Darvish faced some challenges in the second inning after Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy hit singles, followed by a walk to Will Smith, loading the bases. However, the Dodgers could only muster one run from a sacrifice fly by Gavin Lux, as Tommy Edman’s line drive was snagged by Luis Arraez at first base to complete a double play.
Despite the Dodgers’ attempts, their lineup struggled against Darvish’s dominant pitching. In the sixth inning, Jackson Merrill added to the scoring with a hit that brought the lead to 4-1.
Things took an unexpected turn in the seventh inning when Jurickson Profar, the Padres’ left fielder, made a sensational play to rob Mookie Betts of a home run. A skirmish ensued between Profar and Dodgers fans, with objects being thrown onto the field, causing a brief suspension of the game. Remarkably, Darvish remained unfazed, finishing the day with only three hits allowed and one run over seven innings, striking out Ohtani once and getting him out on two ground balls.
After the fan disruption, the Padres quickly returned to business, with Merrill hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning, followed by back-to-back homers from Xander Bogaerts. The ninth inning saw Kyle Higashioka and Tatis contributing further with a solo and a two-run homer, respectively, pushing the Padres’ run total into double digits and quieting the raucous Dodgers crowd.
On the Dodgers’ side, they struggled with pitching as four of their six pitchers allowed home runs. Starter Jack Flaherty pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs and two homers, ultimately taking the loss in the game.
The game had its share of drama, but the Padres’ explosive offense and Darvish’s solid performance set the stage for an exciting series.
