The San Diego Padres played a quality game against the talented Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Opening Day in the Seoul Series saw San Diego jump out to an early 2-1 lead. Shohei Ohtani and Los Angeles utilized a four-run 8th inning to end up earning a 5-2 victory, however. A Jake Cronenworth glove malfunction played an important role in LA's big inning.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the 8th inning and runners on first and second, Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux rolled over on a ground ball to first base. Cronenworth, San Diego's first baseman, ranged to his right to field what might have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball seemingly went off the glove of Cronenworth.
The replay showed that the ball actually went right though his glove.
Video via Talkin' Baseball:
omg the Dodgers just scored the go-ahead run because the ball went through Jake Cronenworth's glove pic.twitter.com/eXrPDQr8g3
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 20, 2024
The Dodgers did not look back after Cronenworth's glove malfunction.
Dodgers, Padres react to Cronenworth's glove malfunction
Cronenworth is a versatile infielder who has emerged as a respectable defensive first baseman. This unfortunate mistake wasn't his fault by any means. He addressed the incident following the game, via Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
“Jake Cronenworth said tonight was the first time he's ever had a baseball break through the webbing of his glove. ‘It sucks,' he said. ‘I don't know what else to say,'” Lin wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Lux, who hit the ground ball, made an honest admission after learning of the Padres infielder's glove malfunction, via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
“I saw him running to the dugout and was like, ‘Oh s**t.' I’d rather be lucky right there than good,” Lux said.
Cronenworth added that he thought it was going to become a double play, via ESPN.
“It could have gone through innings before that,” Cronenworth said. “It just happened at that situation, and it sucks. I thought it was an easy double play.”
Cronenworth was reportedly charged with an error, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted that it was a “tough error” without question.
“That's a tough error for Cro,” Roberts said, per ESPN. “Fortunate break for us. You got to take them when you can get them.”
How did San Diego perform overall in loss?
Overall, aside from the 8th inning, the Padres performed fairly well.
Padres star Yu Darvish lasted just 3.2 innings but did not allow an earned run. He surrendered just two hits and struck out three. Darvish did battle some control issues on the mound, walking three hitters.
San Diego's pitching staff only allowed three total earned runs. Two Padres errors, one which was obviously just unlucky, provided a significant portion of the damage.
Offensively, Xander Bogaerts led the charge with two hits and an RBI. Jurickson Profar added a hit and a walk, while Tyler Wade went 1-2 with a run scored and a walk.
It was a quiet game from an offensive standpoint overall. Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow did not have his best stuff but still found a way to contain the Padres lineup. LA's bullpen was excellent following Glasnow's departure, as they did not allow a single run across four innings pitched.
When is the next Padres-Dodgers game?
The Padres and Dodgers will run it back once more in South Korea. They will go head-to-head in the second game of the regular season and final contest of the Seoul Series on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 AM EST.
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