Dynasty Dodgers flash juggernaut form in Cactus League opener

TEMPE, Ariz. –– Saturday might have only been a symbolic first step in their quest for a third straight World Series title.

But the dynasty Dodgers already looked like a juggernaut. 

Even in a meaningless spring training contest that included only a few of their big-name stars, the Dodgers kicked off their 2026 campaign with a 15-2 rout of the Angels in their Cactus League opener, hanging nine runs on the Tempe Diablo Stadium scoreboard before nine outs had even been recorded in the game.

“It was a very good overall day for us,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Scored a lot of runs and got a lot of guys at-bats.”

The last time the Dodgers were in action, they were lifting the Commissioner’s Trophy after their Game 7 win in the World Series against the Blue Jays.

In 112 days since then, expectations have only been raised.

The team once again boasts a $400 million payroll, easily leading the sport and raising the spectre of a lockout next season. It added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz to its collection of superstar talent over the winter, making anything less than another World Series this year a failure for the two-time defending champions.

For now, however, the Dodgers’ task is simple: try to get their aging, but also rejuvenated, roster through this spring unscathed.

And on a sunny Arizona afternoon Saturday, they made a positive first impression in their return to the diamond.

While Tucker, Díaz and most of the team’s other stars weren’t in the lineup, Shohei Ohtani was still leading off as designated hitter, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto was back on the mound after a quick offseason turnaround.

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Ohtani began the game by chopping an infield single to third base, his lone hit in three at-bats. That sparked a three-run first inning, which was also keyed by a single from Teoscar Hernández (who went 3 for 3), walks from Santiago Espinal and Alex Freeland, and a two-run bases-loaded knock from Hyeseong Kim at the end of an eight-pitch battle.

Yamamoto then retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the bottom of the first, before the Dodgers struck for six more runs while batting around in the top of the second. That rally was highlighted by another RBI single from Kim, whose swing has looked improved in the early days of camp this spring, and a two-run double from outfield prospect Zach Ehrhard.

When Yamamoto returned to the mound for the second inning after a long break in the dugout, he didn’t look as sharp, allowing two runs on three hits and a dropped ball from Hernández at the wall in left field that got lost in the sun.

Yamamoto said the layoff between innings affected him but still came away pleased with how he felt over his 30-pitch performance –– a good sign for a pitcher who led the team in innings last year and was pushed especially hard during their elongated postseason run.

“I thought he looked good,” said Roberts, who pulled Yamamoto with two outs in the second. “Thirty pitches was enough. I didn’t feel like we needed to push him today.”

Afterward, Yamamoto also noted that he’ll have one more spring outing with the Dodgers next Friday before leaving camp to join Team Japan for next month’s World Baseball Classic. 

That evidently came as news to Roberts, who told reporters this week that Yamamoto would only make Saturday’s start before departing –– and even wished his pitcher luck in the WBC as he took him out of the game.

“At first, I didn’t know what he was talking about,” Yamamoto said with a laugh in Japanese afterward. “But as I was coming off the mound, I thought, ‘He must think this is my last game.’”

So go things for the Dodgers right now, balancing ever-changing workloads and ramp-up schedules in preparation for the regular season.

It’s still early days, and there remains a long way to go this spring. But they’re officially off and running, looking dominant as ever just one game in.

Dodgers make claim

The Dodgers added to their outfield depth Saturday, claiming 27-year-old Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pirates. Suwinski is only a .199 career hitter in four MLB seasons, but he hit 26 home runs in 2023. He has also been a surprise Dodgers killer, batting .314 with five home runs in 15 games against the team.

Suwinski joins Ryan Ward and Michael Siani as left-handed-hitting outfield options on the 40-man roster. In a corresponding move, the team placed Kiké Hernández on the 60-day injured list.