Freddie Freeman hit his 100th home run for the Dodgers during a 3-1 victory over the Braves. The game featured timely hitting and a strong performance from pitcher Emmet Sheehan.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES — The party started before the first pitch ever crossed the plate Friday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. By the end of the night, it had turned into another October-feeling win in May for the Dodgers.
On Miguel Rojas bobblehead night, the Dodgers leaned on timely hitting, a bounce-back outing from Emmet Sheehan and a milestone swing from Freddie Freeman to beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, in the series opener.
And fittingly, it was Freeman, facing his former team, who delivered the signature moment.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Freddie Freeman has hit 100 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers won the game against the Braves with a score of 3-1.
Emmet Sheehan was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers in the game.
The game featured a Miguel Rojas bobblehead night as a special event.
Adrianna Siedenburg of Metuchen has been named Central Jersey Softball Player of the Week after an outstanding performance, going 11-for-15 and driving in eight runs. She is batting .530 for the season with impressive stats, including five home runs and 35 RBIs.
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Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Freeman launched his 100th home run as a Dodger in the sixth inning, a 413-foot no-doubter to center field off Braves ace Chris Sale that gave the Dodgers breathing room and capped one of their cleanest wins of the season.
“Facing a Cy Young Award winner,” Freeman said afterward. “We’re playing the team with the best record, we obviously put up a great game plan.”
Freeman later revealed he recently made a subtle adjustment to his batting stance, slightly turning his front foot inward in an effort to keep his hips closed longer and drive the baseball again. The results finally showed up Friday night.
It was Freeman’s first home run since April 6.
Before the baseball game started, however, the night belonged to Rojas.
Fans packed Chavez Ravine early to collect the bobblehead, and the emotional pregame ceremony reflected just how much he has come to mean to this clubhouse and fan base. Rojas’ son threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and moments later the infielder walked into center field during stretching, dropped to one knee and soaked in a standing ovation from the crowd of 51,255.
“I can’t really put it into words on how grateful I am of this fanbase and the love I’ve been receiving these past couple of months,” Rojas said.
Then the game began, and the Dodgers immediately needed a strong response from Sheehan.
After struggling through his previous outing in St. Louis, allowing four runs on eight hits while watching his velocity dip into the low 90s, Sheehan looked much sharper against one of baseball’s top teams in the league.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Sheehan again lasted 4⅔ innings, but the quality of the outing was vastly different. He allowed just one run on six hits while striking out seven on 88 pitches. More importantly, his fastball velocity returned, sitting around 96 mph early in the game.
“Felt good,” Sheehan said. “Definitely wish I was a little more efficient and could go deeper in the game.”
The Braves scratched out their lone run in the second inning on an Austin Riley RBI single, but the Dodgers answered immediately.
After Teoscar Hernández singled, Kyle Tucker hooked a left-on-left slider from Sale down the right-field line for an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.
Tucker’s recent offensive surge continued, even if the swing itself looked more survival mode than highlight reel. Against Sale, survival counts.
Tucker is now batting .254 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in this season.
The game stayed deadlocked until the fifth inning when Shohei Ohtani finally broke through after two difficult at-bats against Sale. On the first pitch of his third plate appearance, Ohtani turned on a pitch and lined an RBI single into right field, scoring Rojas from second base for a 2-1 Dodgers lead.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits an RBI double during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits an RBI double during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
That set the stage for Freeman an inning later.
Against the organization he once anchored for more than a decade, Freeman reminded everyone exactly why the Dodgers brought him to Los Angeles in the first place. The sixth home run of his career against Atlanta also pushed him into triple digits in Dodger blue.
Freeman now owns a .312 career average against the Braves, going 29-for-93 with six home runs in 24 games against his former club.
The Dodgers bullpen handled the rest.
Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Will Klein and Brock Stewart combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings, though Stewart had to escape the game’s biggest jam in the eighth. Entering with a runner aboard, Stewart allowed a walk before stranding two runners with back-to-back outs to preserve the lead.
Tanner Scott closed the door in the ninth for his third save of the season.
At 24-14, the Dodgers continue to stack wins against elite competition, and now they will hand the ball to Blake Snell on Saturday night for his season debut, appropriately enough, on his own bobblehead night.