Dodgers Outlast Padres in 10-Inning Thriller to Open 2025 Showdown
What a way to kick off the 2025 chapter of one of baseball’s fiercest rivalries. The Dodgers and Padres met for the first time since their dramatic NLDS clash last fall—and if Monday night at Petco Park was any preview of what’s ahead, we’re in for a wild ride this season.
This one had all the makings of a classic. It was intense, emotional, unpredictable, and, as always when these two collide, absolutely electric. The Dodgers edged out the Padres 8-7 in extra innings, and it truly felt like October baseball—despite the calendar reading early June.
From the very first inning, you could feel the rivalry energy. Both offenses came out swinging, putting up two runs apiece in the opening frame. By the third, the game had already seen a 6-5 lead swap, highlighted by a three-run blast from Will Smith for the Dodgers and an emphatic, two-out, two-strike triple from Padres’ Tyler Wade. That one swing was not only a career milestone for Wade but a moment that flipped the stadium into a frenzy.
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But things quieted down after that chaotic start—until the 10th inning. Andy Pages came up big for L.A., lining a double to left that brought home the go-ahead run. Tommy Edman followed up with a grounder that took a fortunate bounce off the second base bag, bringing Pages home for what would be a crucial insurance run. Baseball can be a game of inches—and inches mattered here.
The bottom half of the 10th brought its own drama. Jackson Merrill doubled in the Padres’ automatic runner to cut the deficit to one. Then came the pivotal moment: Manny Machado versus Tanner Scott. A full count, a borderline backdoor slider, and a called strike three. Machado wasn’t ejected, but he wasn’t happy either, and let the umpire know it.
Scott held firm and picked up the save, his 12th of the year, sealing an emotional win for the Dodgers.
Both teams may have downplayed the series before first pitch, but the effort, urgency, and intensity said otherwise. These teams know every meeting could matter when October comes around—and they played like it. The Dodgers leaned on clutch hitting, a resilient bullpen, and just a bit of luck. The Padres showed grit, but came up one bounce short.
This was just Game 1 of seven matchups in the next 11 days between these NL West rivals. With only two games separating them in the standings and the Giants close behind, every pitch and every inning will count.
If this was just the appetizer, I can’t wait to see what the main course looks like.
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