The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their season with an 8-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, raising their 2025 World Series banner beforehand. Andy Pages hit a go-ahead three-run homer and made a key defensive play. Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a quality start in his debut.
The Dodgers celebrated back-to-back championships by hoisting their 2025 World Series flag before Thursday's game, then overcame an early 2-0 deficit to score eight unanswered runs against the Diamondbacks. Center fielder Andy Pages, who struggled in last year's playoffs with a .211 OPS, erased doubts by crushing a 1-2 curveball from Zac Gallen for a three-run homer in the fifth inning. He also made a slick sliding catch earlier. Pages had slugged 27 home runs during the 2025 regular season, second among Dodgers to Shohei Ohtani. His blast marked the first long ball at the newly renamed UNIQLO Field. “It’s certainly a big boost to his confidence,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even coming into this spring, he was in great shape, and his mindset was in a good spot.” Pages responded through interpreter Juan Dorado: “I was really happy to hit the home run, for sure.” The Dodgers tacked on more in the fifth with a Will Smith RBI single after Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández opened with hits, chasing Gallen. In the seventh, new addition Kyle Tucker doubled in a run, Mookie Betts singled home another, and Smith added a two-run homer. Yamamoto allowed just a two-run homer over six innings. Eight of nine starters recorded hits; Freddie Freeman went hitless but contributed defensively. “It’s 27 outs. We’re never out of it,” Betts said. Roberts had named Pages his spring training “pick to click.” Pages added: “I’m focused on what I’m doing right now, and my confidence is really high.” The win highlighted the lineup's depth in their three-peat pursuit.
