Dodgers fall to Hanshin Tigers in final tuneup before start of season
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TOKYO — Maybe the Hanshin Tigers are baseball’s real evil empire.
One day after the Japanese team, which plays in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, shut out the Chicago Cubs in an exhibition contest at the Tokyo Dome, they did the same Sunday with a 3-0 win over the defending World Series champion Dodgers — and their nearly $400-million roster — in what was the Dodgers’ final tuneup before their season-opening series here against the Cubs.
The Tigers were led by a superb start from right-hander Hiroto Saiki, a six-year NPB veteran with a career 2.41 ERA in the Japanese league. Over five scoreless innings, he struck out seven batters, starting with the first at-bat of the game against Shohei Ohtani. He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, when Max Muncy led off with a single.
By that point, the Tigers had also surged out a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a fourth-inning blast from Teruaki Sato off of Dodgers starter Blake Snell — setting off a raucous celebration from the heavy contingent of Tigers fans that made the 2½-hour train ride from Osaka.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was complimentary of both Saiki and Sato, saying they both looked like MLB-caliber players.
“They’ve clearly showed they can play at the top level,” he said.
Snell, who was making his final spring outing before a likely start in the Dodgers’ domestic home-opener back at Dodger Stadium on March 27, started his day with three flawless innings, retiring his first nine batters while striking out five.
But in the fifth, he issued a leadoff walk, surrendered a single, then threw an elevated two-strike fastball that Sato deposited into the right-field seats.
Tyler Glasnow finished the game with three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while striking out six.
For the Dodgers, however, the real focus came before the game, when shortstop Mookie Betts, who is questionable for the team’s season-opening contests Tuesday and Wednesday because of an illness, went through pregame hitting and fielding drills.
Years from now, people who weren’t here will claim they were. The people who actually were here won’t be complaining about the outrageous ticket prices.
On several occasions, Betts looked fatigued taking ground balls. After the game, Roberts acknowledged Betts “really showed some fatigue, understandably so” as he continues to recover from an illness that has kept him out of spring action since March 9.
Asked the likelihood that Betts is in the opening day lineup, Roberts didn’t sound optimistic.
“We’re really trying to be mindful of not just Opening Day but not putting him in harm’s way,” Roberts said. “Not to put him in a position where he potentially could get hurt.”
Betts is expected to participate in the Dodgers’ off-day workout Monday. But, Roberts noted, if he continues showing signs of fatigue, “I just don’t think the training staff would feel good about that.”
