The Dodgers spent the offseason building a juggernaut, and they quickly bulldozed through the Padres in the first inning on the opening day of spring training.
Los Angeles scored eight runs in the opening frame as 11 batters came to the plate.
Second baseman Mookie Betts began the inning with a walk and scored on one of two ground-rule doubles.
First baseman Kevin Padlo capped the scoring with a two-run blast in his Dodgers debut.
With 54 career MLB at-bats, Padlo was one of the less heralded additions to L.A.’s roster this offseason. The Dodgers, coming off a 100-62 2023 regular season, signed two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and Japanese pitching ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and traded for former Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
Those moves made the Dodgers (+375) the favorite to win this year’s World Series, per ESPN Bet. While it’s only the opening day of spring training, they look as scary as advertised.