Los Angeles Dodgers face off against St. Louis Cardinals for Opening Day 2024. What to know about the game.
It is opening day for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will be facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals. The first pitch will be at 1:10 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. Auto and stadium gates will open at 10 a.m.
Pregame ceremonies will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will include a flyover by a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County and three F-15s from the Fresno Air National Guard Base. A United States Armed Forces Joint Color Guard will present the nation's colors and Josh Groban will sing the national anthem.
The game will be televised by SportsNet LA. Changes to Dodger Stadium since last season include the move of the Japanese stone lantern originally gifted to the organization in 1965 to the stadium's Top Deck.
It was previously located along the edge of the Dodger Stadium property beyond the former 76 station now used as an event space.
The 8-foot tall, 3,921-pound Kasuga-style stone lantern was presented to the Dodgers organization by Japanese sports columnist Sotaro Suzuki, who had worked with team president Walter O'Malley on the Brooklyn Dodgers' 1956 Goodwill Tour to Japan.
Suzuki wanted to give the Dodgers and O'Malley a gift for inviting him and his wife, Toku, as guests to the Dodger' first game at the stadium on April 9, 1962. In 1965, Suzuki contacted the Shimizugumi Stone Works Co. to build the lantern, which was sculpted in Okazaki City. The lantern was then shipped to Los Angeles in six sections in the winter of 1965.
LA Dodgers Three MVPs
Expectations are high for the LA Dodgers this season after they signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million, 10-year deal, giving the Dodgers three MVPs at the top of their lineup.
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Tyler Glasnow, whom the Dodgers signed to a five-year contract extension for $136.5 million after they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-player trade Dec. 16, will make his second start for the Dodgers, opposing fellow right-hander Miles Mikolas.
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Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts was the 2018 American League MVP when he played for the Boston Red Sox. Ohtani, the unanimous selection as AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 when he played for the Los Angeles Angels, will bat second, followed by Freddie Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP when he played for the Atlanta Braves.
Ohtani gambling scandal
The Dodgers' home opener comes eight days after the team fired Ohtani's interpreter amid allegations that he stole millions of dollars from the Japanese slugger to place bets with a purported illegal bookmaker.
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In his first comments since the scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara became public, Ohtani said Monday he was "beyond shocked," Mizuhara stole money from his accounts without his knowledge to pay off massive gambling debts, and he only learned about the theft last week while the team was playing in Korea.