Spring Training is fully underway. There is a lot of excitement for the remainder of the games at Camelback Ranch before the Boys in Blue head to Korea.
For fans of baseball, the last few months have been a journey. The Dodgers were busy bolstering the team with big-name additions and stacking the roster with international and homegrown talent.
Now that Spring Training is in full swing, the players, and fans, are finally finding their groove after a wild winter. Newly acquired two-way player Shohei Ohtani and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto made their Cactus League debuts in separate games last week. Much to the delight of fans, Wednesday was their first game where they got to play together.
Second baseman Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman are also shaking things up as this new season gains momentum. Betts is currently sitting on a .409 batting average after 22 at-bats including one home run and three RBI. Freeman is also hitting his stride with two home runs and 11 RBI in 20 plate appearances, including a grand slam in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
There was a small contingent of fans who held out hope that they would be reunited with utility player Kiké Hernández. They were not disappointed when he broke the news himself in a post on the social media platform, X, that he would be returning yet again to play for Los Angeles. Most people were aware of his double-hernia surgery at the end of last season, but many did not realize that he had been suffering through this injury over the last two seasons. This impacted both his defense and offense on the field and the hope is that he will return to regular season form now that the issue has been corrected.
The team only has seven more games to play in Arizona before heading to Korea to participate in two international spring training games. The official start of the regular season will be on March 20th, in Seoul, Korea. The Dodgers will open against the Padres in a two-game series and then travel back to the United States and play in a three-game exhibition series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Once the Freeway Series is complete, the Boys in Blue will get one day off before the US home opener on March 28th, against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.
Here’s to enjoying the rest of Spring Training as the team continues to find their footing before jetsetting across the Pacific Ocean. There is a lot to look forward to in the weeks to come. Especially fans coming back “home” to Dodger Stadium to see their beloved team on the field and getting to greet the newest editions to this year’s team.