LOS ANGELES, CA — It was youngster vs. youngster on the mound Saturday night in Los Angeles as the matchup between the Rangers and Dodgers, the middle game of a three game series, featured LA’s Emmet Sheehan, 26, and Texas’ Jack Leiter, 25.
The pair of young right-handers have had opposite starts to their 2026 regular season campaigns with Sheehan giving up eight earned runs in his first two outings, while for Leiter, the Rangers’ first round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft (No. 2 overall), and the son of former MLB left-hander Al Leiter, he had an ERA of 2.45 across his first two times out, and allowed three earned runs.
The Rangers wasted no time getting on the board when lead-off hitter Brandon Nimmo stroked a 405-foot home run to center field on the second pitch he saw.
But the Dodgers would have something to say about that in the bottom half of the first inning as Shohei Ohtani led off with a towering 390-foot home run into the right field pavilion, his fourth of the season, which was followed by a Will Smith single and a walk to Freddie Freeman.
Then Teoscar Hernández, Cotui, Dominican Republic, hit a 393-foot three run homer into the left field pavilion, his third of 2026, giving LA a very early 4-1 lead.
Los Angeles would add another run on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-1 in the third inning, making it seem like it would be clear sailing from there on. But in the sixth inning, Nimmo, who the Rangers acquired from the Mets in a trade this past offseason, smacked his second home run of the night with a runner on board to make it a two-run game at 5-3.
The Dodgers would tag on another run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Hernández doubled and a hot-hitting Andy Pages, Havana, Cuba, singled to left for an insurance run.
The 25-year-old right-handed swinging outfielder is batting .442 this season with an OPS of 1.232 to go along with four home runs and 17 RBI.
Every baseball pitched to him must look like a basketball with those statistics out of the gate for 2026!
Andy Pages has credited the Dodgers’ coaching staff and his work ethic in batting practice to his hot start to 2026 at the plate – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
Final Score: Los Angeles 6 – Texas 3. Easy as pie.
Youngsters On The Mound
Jack Leiter (L, 1-1): 3.2 innings pitched, 5 earned runs allowed, 5 hits (2 HRs), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts—93 pitches, 54 for strikes
Emmet Sheehan (W, 2-0): 6.0 innings pitched, 3 earned runs allowed (4 total), 4 hits (2 HRs), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts—77 pitches, 50 for strikes
“Whenever he’s slotted into pitch, I think it’s just going to keep getting better,” LA’s manager Dave Roberts said of Sheehan and his outing. “Really efficient, that’s who he is. It’s not surprising but it’s just good to get him back out there.”
LA’s right-hander Emmet Sheehan reached the six inning mark vs. the Rangers Saturday night for the first time since September 21st of last season – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Off the field and around the ballpark, the Dodgers have now drawn 417,227 in their first eight games combined this season at Dodger Stadium, resulting in an average of 52,153 per game. Can Los Angeles top four million again in 2026, an unbelievable mark the Dodgers reached for the first time in franchise history a year ago at approximately 4,012,470?
The quick answer would be yes. All signs point to another record-breaking year in attendance.
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