LOS ANGELES -- Kyle Tucker has had a slow beginning to his Dodgers career, but on Monday night, he came through when his team needed him.
After trailing following an uncharacteristic start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers mounted a comeback in the ninth inning. Tucker finished the rally with a walk-off two-run single, sending L.A. to a series-opening 5-4 victory over the Marlins at Dodger Stadium,
Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks walked back-to-back hitters to open the bottom of the ninth. Ohtani, who already had a pair of base hits in the contest, came to the plate after nine-hole hitter Miguel Rojas bunt popped out to the catcher.
Ohtani fouled off his first two pitches, then took two, before slicing a double to right field that skipped over the wall. That drove in one run and put the tying and winning runs in scoring position.
Fairbanks followed by throwing three straight balls to Freddie Freeman before intentionally walking the Dodgers' first baseman. Fairbanks then exited with an apparent injury, pressing Miami right-hander Tyler Phillips into duty.
Will Smith struck out on a foul tip, bringing Tucker up with two outs. Tucker got two straight splitters from Phillips, slapping the second one into the outfield to bring home a pair of runs and win the opener for the Dodgers.