Opening Series in Australia a Success

by Sam Nipatnantaporn 3-25-14

© Steve Christo/Steve Christo Photography/Corbis

© Steve Christo/Steve Christo Photography/Corbis

Baseball season came a little early this year when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks played each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 22nd and 23rd.

The two game series was the first time Opening Day was played in Australia and the seventh time in 16 years that Opening Day took place abroad. It was also the first proper baseball match on Australian soil since the White Sox played the Giants in 1914. The hope for this series was to bring baseball to popularity down under, and with nearly 80,000 fans in attendance over two days, it would seem as though it was a success.

The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks, winning 3-1 in the first game and 7-5 in the second. In game one, ace and Cy-Young winner Clayton Kershaw allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Scott Van Slyke had a double and a two-run homer. Losing pitcher Wade Miley gave up three runs on three hits while striking out eight with two walks. The Diamondbacks scored in the 6th on a Paul Goldschmidt double and Kershaw wild pitch. The wild pitch moved Goldschmidt to third and Mark Trumbo brought him in on an infield out.

In game two, breakout star Yasiel Puig proved ready for the 2014 season. He had three hits and two RBIs to help support a scoreless outing by Hyun-Jin Ryu. Juan Uribe and Jim Gordon both had three hits each, capping it off with 13 for the Dodgers. It took Arizona until the 8th inning to score a run after committing three errors, two by catcher Miguel Montero. The losing pitcher was Trevor Cahill.

After a weekend of America’s favorite past time, baseball fans are itching for the 2014 season to resume. The Opening Series in Australia was only the beginning of excursions for Major League Baseball. There’s a whole world out there waiting for more MLB adventures.