Dodgers Suffer Historic Defeat to Astros
In a night to forget, the
Los Angeles Dodgers experienced their worst defeat in the history of Dodger Stadium, falling heavily to the
Houston Astros with a score of 18-1. This encounter, which opened the series between the division leaders, left an indelible mark on the memory of the fans.
The 17-run difference represented the biggest beating suffered by the Dodgers at home since they moved to Dodger Stadium in 1962. In addition, this defeat becomes the worst suffered at home since July 3, 1947, when Brooklyn lost 19-2 to the New York Giants.
The Astros’ star player, José Altuve, had a spectacular night, hitting two home runs, reaching base five times, and driving in five runs. Houston’s offense was relentless, while the current World Series champions, the Dodgers, could only manage five hits, including a solo home run by Will Smith.
The Dodgers fans did not hesitate to express their discontent, booing Altuve in each at-bat and chanting “Cheater! Cheater!”. Altuve is one of the two players, along with McCullers, who still remain on the Houston team since the 2017 World Series, where the Astros defeated the Dodgers.
The Astros’ offense exploded in the sixth inning, scoring 10 runs, highlighted by a grand slam from Victor Caratini and a three-run homer from Altuve. This number of runs is the most allowed by the Dodgers in an inning since April 23, 1999, when they allowed 11 runs to St. Louis.
The Astros pitcher, Lance McCullers Jr., had a solid performance, allowing one run and four hits in six innings, in his second start since returning from a right foot injury. McCullers struck out four batters.
Isaac Paredes hit a home run in the first inning, on the first pitch of the game, against rookie Ben Casparius. Altuve also contributed with a double, scoring thanks to a run-scoring single by Walker, putting the score at 2-0 in favor of the Astros.
Jake Meyers hit a double in the start of the third inning and scored thanks to Altuve’s second home run. Cam Smith also hit a double and scored thanks to a hit by Walker, extending Houston’s lead to 6-1.
The Astros solidified their dominance in the sixth inning. Smith drove in a run with a single with the bases loaded, while reliever Noah Davis hit Walker with two strikes, forcing a run. Caratini hit a grand slam with no outs, and Meyers added a run batted in with a single, followed by Altuve’s second home run.
Casparius allowed six runs and nine hits in three innings, with three strikeouts.
