Dodgers' 3 MVPs live up to the hype in home opener

LOS ANGELES -- From the moment the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani this offseason, manager Dave Roberts couldn’t wait to fill out a lineup card that was going to include three former Most Valuable Players.

In the two games against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani each had individual moments of brilliance. But in their first game together at Dodger Stadium, a 7-1 win over the Cardinals on Thursday, they showed why, together, they can be one of the most feared trios in Major League history.

The Dodgers’ three superstars each reached base at least twice, combining to go 5-for-8 with two homers and four RBIs. They combined to reach base safely in nine of their 12 plate appearances.

“I think in any discussion, you can argue that they’re the best hitters in baseball,” Roberts said. “I think when you talk about those three guys and you lump up another handful or 10 players in baseball, they’re in that conversation. We’re fortunate to have three at the top of the order. … The first word that comes to mind is ‘daunting,’ for me, when you look at those guys.”

Showing off in front of their home crowd didn’t take long. Betts, who is off to a torrid start at the plate this season, led off the game with a walk. Ohtani, in his first official at-bat at Dodger Stadium while wearing blue, hit a double into the right-field gap. The two-time unanimous AL MVP was thrown out at third in another rare baserunning mistake to start the season.

Luckily for Ohtani and the Dodgers, there was a third former MVP ready to right the wrongs. Freeman stepped up and calmly shot an RBI single to center field to open the scoring for the Dodgers. It took three batters to put stress on Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas, something that will be said early and often against most starters that face the Dodgers this season.

“You just never know in the first game. Everyone’s excited,” Freeman said. “Mookie starting it off with a walk, Sho hit the double, so you just want to keep it going. We scored quite a few runs today.”

In the third, the trio took it to even another level. This time, Betts opened the frame with a no-doubter, his second homer in three games this season. Ohtani, who joked he was “the only one who couldn’t hit a homer,” then followed with a walk, setting it up for Freeman to hit his first homer of 2024, a two-run shot off Mikolas.

“It seems like we’re just up there doing our jobs, having fun and playing the game,” Betts said. “I think there’s been a lot of expectations on the outside, but internally, nobody expects anything more than what Freddie, Mookie, Shohei and everybody down the lineup can do. We’re just going to do what we can.”

Having Betts, Ohtani and Freeman is what will drive the Dodgers’ championship hopes. What could separate them, however, is the help the three superstars will get from the rest of the roster.

Tyler Glasnow, who was one of the Dodgers’ top acquisitions in their $1 billion winter, struck out five and allowed just one run over six strong innings of work. Offensively, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández and James Outman also chipped in with key hits.

"It's the third game of the season. It's just good to get some runs, score some runs, get some hits,” Freeman said. “Everyone's going to make a lot of it. I get it. But you got to give credit to Will, Max, everyone throughout the course of this lineup. We scored runs not just from us at the top."

There’s always a different buzz at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day. This year, though, it all hit different.

It was a long Spring Training for the Dodgers. They all had to get acquainted with the added attention surrounding the team which naturally came with adding Ohtani. It was also a spring that involved lengthy travel to South Korea and a lot of tough conversations. Roberts called it the longest and most difficult spring of his managerial career.

But on Thursday, the stars reminded everyone why the Dodgers believe this has the potential to be one of the most rewarding seasons in franchise history.

“I’m very grateful, now being part of the Dodgers, and being received by the Dodger fans,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Obviously, I’ve been here before as an opposing player, so it was a little intimidating. I’m very grateful for the fans -- and there were a lot of them.”