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It wasn't smooth sailing, but the Los Angeles Dodgers took Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres with a 5-3 scoreline.
The Dodgers jumped to an early 5-0 lead through the first four innings before the Padres rallied back with three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans were excited about the team's victory. However, they remained cautious and conscious of the team's areas of improvement, especially with the short turnaround time for Game 2.
One fan wrote on Twitter:
"That game was stressful but a win is a win"
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Another tweeted:
"1 down, 10 to go"
Here are some more reactions to the Dodgers' close win over the Padres:
Trea Turner started the scoring for the Dodgers with a solo home run in the first inning. Max Muncy added one to the lead with an RBI single. Will Smith and Gavin Lux pushed the Dodger's lead to four with RBI doubles of their own in the bottom of the third inning.
The Dodgers finally added one more to their lead courtesy of a wild pitch by Padres pitcher Steven Wilson.
With Los Angeles' leading 5-0, San Diego went on a mini comeback run that was initiated by Wil Myers with his solo blast in the fifth inning. Trent Grisham followed this up with an RBI grounder and Austin Nola cut the Dodger's lead to two with a sac fly in the same inning.
Julio Urias earned his first postseason win this year for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a five-inning performance that saw him give up three runs on four hits with six strikeouts. His San Diego counterpart Mike Clevinger, meanwhile, was pulled after just 2 2/3 innings.
Clevinger gave up four earned runs on six base hits with two walks and just three strikeouts.
Yu Darvish returns to face the Los Angeles Dodgers
Memories of the 2017 World Series are still vivid in the minds of Los Angeles Dodgers fans. It can be remembered for two things: the eventual scandal that will taint the validity of that year's Houston Astros title, and the disaster of a series that Yu Darvish had.
Darvish, who played for the Dodgers in 2017, had a nightmare against the Astros in the World Series. The Japanese superstar entered the Fall Classic with a 2-0 postseason record that year. But it all went up in flames when he faced the Astros in Game 3 as he was pulled after just 1 2/3 innings, having surrendered four early runs.
The then-four-time All-Star got the nod to start the deciding Game 7 in front of a packed Dodger Stadium. Darvish once again crumbled once again after surrendering five earned runs. He was pulled after 1 2/3 innings once more.
The five runs that Darvish gave up was all the firepower that the Astros needed to claim the World Series title.
On Wednesday (Oct. 12), he will make his first postseason appearance in his old stomping ground. Darvish will carry a 3-5 record with a 4.50 ERA across eight MLB postseason games.
He will hope to exorcize the nightmares of his past playoff appearances at the venue and help the San Diego Padres tie the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
