Suzuki drives in three runs to lead Cubs past Dodgers
CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki had three RBIs and Michael Busch homered against his former team, helping the Chicago Cubs beat Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-7 on Friday.
Dansby Swanson also connected as Chicago earned its fifth consecutive win after dropping its first two games of the season. Ian Happ added a key two-run triple on a windy, sun-splashed afternoon, and Nick Madrigal had two hits.
Suzuki got the better of Ohtani in the opener of a weekend series that features four of the majors' best Japanese players.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer in his first career game at Wrigley Field, but Suzuki lined a two-run double during Chicago's five-run second and a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches for Los Angeles on Saturday, and Shota Imanaga makes his second start for Chicago on Sunday.
“The great players around the world competing on the same field, that's awesome,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Teoscar Hernández had three hits and four RBIs for Los Angeles, which had won four in a row and six of seven overall. Freddie Freeman walked three times and scored three runs in the Dodgers' first true road game of the season.
Los Angeles right-hander Bobby Miller (1-1) was tagged for five runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings on his 25th birthday. Miller grew up in McHenry, Illinois, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.
Drew Smyly (1-1) worked 2 2/3 innings for the win. Adbert Alzolay got three outs for his first save of the season.
Busch's solo drive to right lifted the Cubs to a 6-2 lead in the third. Busch was acquired in a January trade with Los Angeles.
The Dodgers responded with three runs in the fifth against Kyle Hendricks. Ohtani homered for the second straight game, and Will Smith added an RBI double.
The Cubs got some breathing room when Happ's sinking sixth-inning liner to right went under the glove of a charging Hernández, driving in Nico Hoerner and Yan Gomes. Happ then scored on Suzuki's sacrifice fly.
BLUE JAYS 3, YANKEES 0
NEW YORK (AP) — Pinch-hitter Ernie Clement had a tiebreaking solo home run off Caleb Ferguson leading off the seventh inning, and the Blue Jays beat the Yankees in New York's home opener.
Juan Soto went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts in his pinstripes debut, slamming his bat and helmet after making the final out of the eighth.
He bowed to fans in right field in the top of the first and was greeted with a standing ovation when he came to the plate in the bottom half. Soto is in a 1-for16 slide after a 9-for-17 start.
Marcus Stroman matched Yusei Kikuchi with shutout ball before the bullpens took over.
Clement, a 28-year-old who appeared in just 35 major league games over the previous two seasons, drove the second pitch from Ferguson (0-1) into the left-field seats for his first career pinch homer.
Nick Burdi threw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches in the ninth, prompting boos from the sellout crowd of 47,812.
Yimi García (1-0) got the final two outs of the sixth and Génesis Cabrera retired two batters in his first appearance since a three-game suspension for causing a benches-clearing incident at Tampa Bay last weekend.
Chad Green got his first save since 2022 with the Yankees as Toronto pitched a six-hitter to start the last leg of an opening 10-game trip.
After beginning 6-1 on the road, New York dropped to 81-40-1 in home openers. The Yankees were shut out in a home opener for the first time since 1967.
Giancarlo Stanton was 0 for 4 and is hitting .120 (3 for 25) with 13 strikeouts.
An earthquake about three hours before game time wasn't felt by most of the Yankees on the field for batting practice.
Stroman allowed three hits in six innings. He has not
allowed an earned run in 12 innings this season.
A day after playing catch in Central Park, Kikuchi gave up four hits in 5 1/3 innings.
TIGERS 5, ATHLETICS 4
DETROIT (AP) — Gio Urshela's two-out double in the eighth inning brought in the go-ahead run and the Tigers defeated the Athletics in their homer opener.
Matt Vierling and Mark Canha hit solo homers for Detroit. Spencer Torkelson doubled twice, scored two runs and drove in another for the Tigers, who are off to a 6-1 start.
Detroit starter Tarik Skubal gave up four runs and struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings. Jason Foley (2-0) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief and Alex Lange got the last out to record his first save.
Brent Rooker and Abraham Toro homered for the A's, who have lost seven of eight.
After Oakland tied the game at 4-all with two runs in the seventh, Urshela delivered his decisive double off Lucas Erceg (0-1) to bring in Torkelson, who led off with a double.