Shohei Ohtani’s walk-off homer gives Dodgers historic 8-0 start

LOS ANGELES — Even with a five-run deficit tied behind their back, the Dodgers fashioned an escape in order to keep their season-opening win streak alive.

All it took in the end was Shohei Ohtani’s walk-off home run in the ninth inning on his bobblehead night after Max Muncy delivered a game-tying two-run double with two outs in the eighth.

With cars gridlocked around the Elysian Park streets four hours before first pitch, it was an Ohtani toy that built the excitement. When it was over it was Ohtani toying with another opponent that provided the thrill.

“Overall, not just tonight, there is a really good vibe within the team,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “So I just think that’s allowing us to come back in these games to win.”

Ohtani took the modest approach to describing his heroics, while giving credit to both Muncy and the bullpen for the victory. Blake Snell, whose rocky four innings were further exacerbated by some wayward defense, was more to the point as he avoided taking the loss thanks to his new teammate.

“When he was coming up (in the ninth inning) and it’s his bobblehead night – everyone knew,” Snell said. “We knew. It’s just what he does.”

Teoscar Hernandez is watching Ohtani up close for the second season now.

“He’s pretty good, huh?” Hernandez said. “It’s Shohei. He’s going to do that. He’s going to do things better than that. And hopefully he can stay healthy and help the team to keep winning.”

Yet for all of the big moments, it was just Ohtani’s second game-ending home run with the Dodgers. The other one, though, was last season’s grand slam against the Tampa Bay Rays that vaulted him into the 40/40 club.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows the first defeat is coming at some point, but his players continue to fight off the inevitable.

“I guess if you say that, if every single night we take the field, do I feel like we’re going to win? Yeah,” Roberts said before the game. “So I know that the math says that we’re not going to go 162-0, but each night we take the field, I feel like we’re going to win. And so, you know, whatever that means.”

Ohtani’s heroics also helped the Dodgers set the record for consecutive victories to open a season by a defending World Series champion. They had been tied at seven with the 1933 New York Yankees.

The wins – six of which have involved comebacks – keep coming even after the Dodgers already have played on two continents to open the season and participated in home opener and championship ring ceremonies.

Now comes the first domestic road trip to Philadelphia and Washington beginning Friday.

“I think we start in Philly. They’ve always got a good, hostile environment,” second baseman Tommy Edman said. “… I know that whenever we go on the road, it’ll kind of bring some excitement to the stadium we’re traveling to. Should be a good road trip.”

With their defeat, the Braves dropped to 0-7 as they head to Atlanta for their home opener Friday.

While the Dodgers’ early-season defensive work has been lauded, even with first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Mookie Betts and utility man Kiké Hernandez all missing games, it almost cost them Wednesday.

Muncy made two throwing errors in the first two innings. Center fielder Andy Pages misplayed a long drive toward the wall. Starting pitcher Blake Snell was far from sharp, but because of the shaky defense all five runs he allowed in four innings were unearned.

Muncy’s two-out throwing error in the first inning on a Bryan De La Cruz grounder allowed Atlanta to score its first run. With Freeman out again Wednesday with right ankle soreness, Hernandez was unable to come up with Muncy’s low throw. Nick Allen followed with an RBI double.

Muncy’s second throwing error came in the second inning on Suart Fairchild’s leadoff grounder. Ozzie Albies doubled in a run when Pages got turned around while retreating to the warning track and Matt Olson added a two-out, two-run double for the early 5-0 deficit.

“That’s pretty frustrating for me because I felt like me personally, I got Blake out of rhythm and that’s never what you want as a defender,” Muncy said. “Mistakes are going to happen but when you feel like you get your pitcher out of a rhythm, it’s a tough one to swallow.”

The Dodgers chipped away, getting a two-run home run from Tommy Edman in the second inning and a solo shot from Conforto in the fourth. They even had runners on first and third with nobody out in the fifth before Betts lined into a double play to derail the threat.

The Dodgers even committed a third throwing error in the seventh inning when Kirby Yates threw a pickoff attempt into center field, but Atlanta did not score.

On offense, Muncy tried his new torpedo bat to open the game, after it arrived from the manufacturer earlier in the day, but he went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He returned to his regular bat in the eighth.

Muncy’s two-run double tied the score at 5-5 and set the stage for Ohtani’s dramatics as he hit a first-pitch changeup from Raisel Iglesias just over the wall in left-center.

“Tonight I was a little dumbfounded,” Roberts said. “I was dumbfounded with the way we were playing. I didn’t recognize that club in the first couple innings. And then just dumbfounded we found a way to win that game. We had no business winning that game. But to our guys’ credit, we just kept fighting.”