Jake Cronenworth’s glove breaks at key moment, costing Padres in season opener vs Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, top, is forced out at first by San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth during the seventh inning of an opening day baseball game at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Jake Cronenworth’s glove gave the All-Star first baseman a hole lot of trouble.
Cronenworth was about to glove Gavin Lux’s one-out chopper to start what appeared to be an easy-inning double play. Instead of the eighth inning ending with the score 2-2, the ball went through a hole in the webbing of Cronenworth’s big first base mitt as Teoscar Hernández crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.
Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani followed with RBI singles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers went on to a 5-2 opening win Wednesday night in the first major league game in South Korea.
“It could have gone through innings before that. It just happened at that situation and it sucks,” Cronenworth said. “I mean I thought it was an easy double play, I caught it on the first bounce.”
Watching from the dugout, Padres manager Mike Shildt was thinking the Padres had gotten out of the inning.
“I felt pretty confident it was a 3-6-1,” he said. “But it goes through his webbing and the rest is history.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged his team’s luck.
“A fortunate break for us,” he said. “You have to take them when you can get them.”
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