Dodgers' Japanese rookie pitcher homers, Padres' scoreless start reaches record
The first #Dodgers home run of the season goes to....KENTA MAEDA. #WeLoveLAhttps://t.co/Bf7cR4ypJ7
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 7, 2016
SAN DIEGO — So much joy and so much agony in one game.
Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda homered in the second at-bat of his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night and beat the Padres 7-0, making San Diego the first team in major league history to be shut out in its first three games.
"I'm just very happy that I got a `W' in my major league debut," Maeda said through a translator.
There wasn't anything for the Padres to celebrate. They were outscored 25-0 in the opening three games by their biggest rivals and set MLB marks for futility.
"There is still perspective here, not to be lost," rookie manager Andy Green said. "We still do have 159 games left and we will score runs this year. And we will win series this year."
But this was bad.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda scattered five hits in six innings, struck out four and walked none.
The Padres were outscored 25-0 in being swept in three games by the Dodgers. They set the MLB mark with 27 straight scoreless innings to open a season. The old mark was 26 by the 1943 St. Louis Browns, according to STATS.
The Dodgers joined the 1963 Cardinals in winning their first three games by shutouts. Clayton Kershaw and Scott Kazmir had strong performances in the first two games before Maeda responded with six shutout innings of his own.
The right-hander signed an eight-year deal with the Dodgers in January after spending eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Central League.
His delivery bears some resembles to that of former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo, with a pause at the top. He threw a full repertoire of pitches: two- and four-seam fastballs, sliders, curveballs and a changeup. Nomo, the first Japanese player to permanently join the majors, is now a special adviser to the Padres' baseball operations.
Maeda scattered five hits in six innings, struck out four and walked none.
"I was a little bit nervous at first but my teammates scored four runs for me so that relaxed me a lot," Maeda said. "I was able to get on the mound the way I usually do and pitch the way I usually do."
Roberts said Maeda was "very efficient and they didn't really stress him at all. It was clean. Obviously for him to hit a homer, he got a lot of firsts out of the way. He got his first strikeout, hit, homer, win, so it was a good night."
With one out in the fourth, Maeda drove an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Cashner (0-1) into the seats in left field.
Maeda (1-0) waved to the crowd as he rounded third base and at first got the silent treatment in the dugout from his teammates, who then mobbed him.
"I didn't know that the ball's going to go in, so I was running really hard. That's all I thought about," he said.
And the silent treatment?
"I was surprised but then everybody moments later came. I was very surprised at first."
Dave Roberts' mom, Eiko, congratulates Kenta Maeda after his debut. #マエケン
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 7, 2016
?: @JonSooHooPics pic.twitter.com/ESeiMDL6fl
Said manager Dave Roberts: "It was fun to see the guys react to Kenta. They had a big team hug."
The right-hander signed an eight-year deal with the Dodgers in January after spending eight seasons with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japanese Central League.
His delivery bears some resembles to that of former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo, with a pause at the top. He threw a full repertoire of pitches: two- and four-seam fastballs, sliders, curveballs and a changeup. Nomo, the first Japanese player to permanently join the majors, is now a special adviser to the Padres' baseball operations.
Maeda scattered five hits in six innings, struck out four and walked none.
"I was a little bit nervous at first but my teammates scored four runs for me so that relaxed me a lot," Maeda said. "I was able to get on the mound the way I usually do and pitch the way I usually do."
Roberts said Maeda was "very efficient and they didn't really stress him at all. It was clean. Obviously for him to hit a homer, he got a lot of firsts out of the way. He got his first strikeout, hit, homer, win, so it was a good night."
Hold on to that ball, Kenta Maeda. You'll remember this game for a while. (via @Dodgers) pic.twitter.com/eBl6clFpfB
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) April 7, 2016
Yasiel Puig also homered for the Dodgers, his first.
The Padres thought they'd ended their scoreless streak in the sixth. Although Cory Spangenberg was called out trying to score on a grounder to first, the Padres appealed. A replay appeared to show Spangenberg got his foot across the plate before being tagged by A.J. Ellis. After a review of 3:02, the call was upheld.
"The reality is this: we had ample opportunities to score runs and I'm not going to cry about a call that is made in New York," Green said. "We had two chances with a guy on third base and we hit two soft ground balls. That is our opportunity."
The Padres had runners on first and third with one out in the fourth before Maeda retired Yangervis Solarte and Derek Norris.
Cashner labored in the first, throwing 43 pitches, and the Dodgers jumped on him for four runs on four hits.
Chase Utley tripled on Cashner's sixth pitch and scored on Justin Turner's one-out RBI. Adrian Gonzalez drew the first of his three walks and scored on Carl Crawford's two-out double. Joc Pederson followed with a two-run single.
TRAINERS ROOM
Dodgers: C Yasmani Grandal (forearm) and 2B Howie Kendrick (calf) will play in simulated games Friday. Both are expected to join the team for Tuesday's home opener. ... 3B Justin Turner, who is coming back from knee surgery, might sit on Thursday in San Francisco. Roberts said he's being cautious with Turner in day games after night contests.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood begins his second season with L.A. with a scheduled start against RHP Jake Peavy and the Giants in the opener of a four-game series at San Francisco.
Padres: After a day off, the Padres begin a three-game series at Colorado with RHP Colin Rea (0-0, 9.00) scheduled to start against RHP Jordan Lyles. Rea pitched one inning Monday in the Padres' 15-0 loss to the Dodgers.
