Will Smith went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, James Outman homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2 on Thursday in their season opener.
Mexico’s Julio Urías (1-0), who led the National League in ERA at 2.16, picked up the win on his first career opening day. The southpaw allowed four hits and two runs in six innings. He withdrew six.
Smith’s three hits went to right field in a game that lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes under new rules put in place this season that are designed to make games shorter.
Frankie Mercado, a Sinaloan, brings joy to children with cancer. For him, this work is a way of giving without expecting to receive, as his grandmother taught him.
The temperature during the competition was 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius), about nine degrees below March’s average of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius).
Batting practice was interrupted by rain and the diamond was covered. But the clouds lifted before the first pitch, revealing unusual snow atop the San Gabriel Mountains that adorn the field.
The Dodgers won a franchise-record 111 games last season but lost to local rival the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series. They parted ways with Trea Turner, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger during the offseason, which helped rejuvenate the roster a bit.
For the Diamondbacks, the Dominican Ketel Marte 3-1 with a point scored. Cuba’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 4-1. Venezuelan Gabriel Moreno 2-1.
For the Dodgers, Venezuelans David Peralta 4-2 with an RBI and Miguel Rojas 4-2 with a run scored. Cuban Miguel Vargas 2-0 with a point scored.