Dodgers 8, Tigers 5: Mookie Betts walks it off in extras with a 3-run shot to keep the Dodgers perfect on ring ceremony day

Chad Moriyama 03/28/2025 Game Recaps 12 Comments

Hello and welcome to the fourth game of the season for the Dodgers, but most importantly it was ring ceremony day. They also made another comeback win (a tad more dramatic) after going down early against an old friend, as Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts homered for the lead, but Tanner Scott and Luis Garcia both struggled late and coughed it up. Yet the Dodgers continued to battle, and Mookie walked it off with a three-run shot to make it 8-5 in the end, because of course he did.

Ovations for Dave Roberts, Clayton Kershaw, and Freddie.

The rings themselves looked tight.

A happy occasion, indeed.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto started today’s game for the Dodgers and looked unhittable at times, generating 17 whiffs and a career-high 10 strikeouts.

Unfortunately, the long ball did get to him.

After he worked around a pair of singles in the 1st, Dillon Dingler homered on a hung split in the 2nd and Gleyber Torres yanked a two-seamer way off the plate inside for a homer in the 3rd.

Those were the only runs he gave up, but they did make him work, knocking Yoshi out after five: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K, 91 Pitches.

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On the other side was old friend, Jack Flaherty, who looked motivated facing his old team. He had a no-hitter through four innings and also faced the minimum after a walk to start the game was erased by a double play.

While the no-no was broken up by a Tommy Edman flare with one-out in the 5th, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the inning to keep the shutout intact. Fortunately, the game changed in the 6th, when on back-to-back pitches Mookie provided a bloop and Freeman’s first homer of the year supplied the blast to tie things up at 2-2.

That was the end of the road for Flaherty, Tyler Holton entered to get the final out, and Jack harassed Freddie after the inning.

Holton continued with a scoreless 7th, giving way to Will Vest in the 8th, who looked dominant with a pair of strikeouts to start. However, Mookie ambushed a first-pitch fastball to get it barely over the wall in left for his first dong of the year and a 3-2 lead.

For the Dodgers pen, it was Anthony Banda in the 6th, who was stellar with two strikeouts in his clean frame. Kirby Yates was equally impressive in the 7th, also striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning.

In the 8th, Alex Vesia started well with a pair of outs, but a double and a pair of walks loaded the bases. Fortunately, he settled in and got a key strikeout to end the threat.

Now with the lead, Tanner Scott entered in the 9th and was greeted with a lined single on the first pitch from Trey Sweeney. Then Tommy Edman played hero, picking a tough hop on a throw from Max Muncy for the first out and making a stellar backhanded play for the second out.

Scott was on the verge of being bailed out, but then gave up a ripped single to Manuel Margot to tie the game at 3-3.

He then immediately gave up a double to Riley Greene, but again it was Edman who helped on the relay with a great tag from Austin Barnes at home.

After Tommy Kahnle cruised through a 1-2-3 frame in the 9th, that was the end of regulation.

Bonus baseball!

Garcia took over in the 10th, getting a pair of grounders, but then issuing an intentional walk. Dingler then came back to bloop a ball in front of a diving Michael Conforto in left that scored two runs and led to a triple. Things ended 5-3 Tigers.

To close the game for the Tigers was Beau Brieske, who started by giving up a bloop double to Conforto to cut the lead to 5-4.

After a groundout didn’t advance the runner, pinch-hitter Will Smith grounded a single to left to score Conforto and tie things at 5-5.

Shohei Ohtani followed with a single to corner the runners, and he then stole second to take the force away.

Mookie then stepped up and … well.

Magic.

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The Dodgers get to 4-0 and the 162-0 dream is alive!

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