The Los Angeles Dodgers (77-52) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (64-64) 7-3 late Friday night to win the opener of the three-game series in Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani joined the 40-40 club, stealing his 40th base in the second and hitting his 40th homer (a grand slam) to win the game in the ninth inning.
The Rays took a 3-0 lead in this game thanks to a Junior Caminero solo homer in the first and Christopher Morel hitting a two-run homer in the third inning. The Dodgers answered with one big swing in the fifth inning, when Enrique Hernandez tied the game 3-3 with a three-run blast.
That would remain the score until the bottom of the ninth inning, when the Dodgers were able to load the bases with two outs in the ninth. It was the great Shohei Ohtani who came through, hitting a walk-off grand slam to lift the Dodgers to a 7-3 win with his 40th homer of the season.
The Rays will now look to even the three-game series with the Dodgers on Sunday night. Taj Bradley (6-8, 3.55) is scheduled to start for the Rays against Clayton Kershaw (2-2, 2.63) for the Dodgers. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 9:10 PM - Chris Adams-Wall begins pregame coverage at 8:30 PM on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620, your Home of Rays Baseball.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES