On Thursday and Friday night at Dodger Stadium, a common refrain echoed from the home plate escalators as the crowd was filing out.
“One-hundred-sixty-two and 0!” one fan shouted Thursday, while administering two-handed high-fives to passers-by.
“One-hundred-sixty-two and 0!” another yelled Friday, soliciting a chorus of cheers back in response.
In a 162-game baseball season, such perfection is virtually unattainable. But for now, Dodgers fans can keep on dreaming.
Because six games in, their team has been, well, perfect.
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In a 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the Dodgers continued their unbeaten start to this year’s World Series title defense — going wire-to-wire in a game dominated by starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who threw five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts; and a Dodgers lineup that, despite missing Freddie Freeman after he slipped in the shower this weekend and aggravated his surgically repaired right ankle, struck for four early runs and never looked back.
“I didn't know what to expect going into spring, but it just seemed like the atmosphere was even hungrier than last year,” Glasnow said. “I think it's been from Day 1, everyone has just been super motivated to come out strong and win it again. The focus, it's very high this year. It's really good."
Making his first start of 2025, and his first outing overall since sustaining a season-ending elbow injury last August, Glasnow set that tone from the start Monday.
He struck out the first two batters he faced, snapping off a nasty curveball to Michael Harris II before blowing a 98-mph fastball by Austin Riley. He worked around a temporary lapse of command in the second, stranding a pair of leadoff walks without further stress. And he didn’t give up his first hit until the fifth inning, flashing the same overpowering arsenal that had him on track to be the Dodgers’ postseason ace last year before elbow tendinitis sidelined him for all of October.
"He's one of the best pitchers in the game,” catcher Will Smith said. “We're fortunate to have ...
