Dodgers' eighth-inning rally sparked by ground ball going through Jake Cronenworth's glove

The 2024 Major League Baseball season began in strange fashion Wednesday.

A ground ball that could have resulted in an inning-ending double-play instead opened the door for a Dodgers rally en route to a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

It's a play that Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth won't forget for some time.

During the eighth inning of the opening game of the Seoul Series, Gavin Lux came to the plate with runners on first and second base with one out and the score tied at two.

Lux hit a chopper to the right of Cronenworth, and when Cronenworth went to glove it and begin the double-play attempt, the ball went through the webbing of his glove and into the outfield.

Teoscar Hernández then scored to give the Dodgers the lead for the first time in the game.

“It could have gone through innings before that. It just happened at that situation, and it sucks,” Cronenworth said afterward. “I thought it was an easy double-play.”

“That’s a tough error for Cro,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Fortunate break for us. You got to take them when you can get them.”

James Outman advanced to second and scored on Mookie Betts' single. Lux then came home on Shohei Ohtani's second hit of the game and first RBI as a Dodger as L.A. took control with a 5-2 lead.

In the span of 20 pitches, the Padres went from being six outs away from a win to losing their lead for good. They then couldn't put together their own rally in the ninth, as Evan Phillips closed out the game for the Dodgers.

Earlier this week, Cronenworth sounded off about the hype surrounding the star-studded Dodgers, who have won the NL West in 10 of the past 11 seasons, reaching three World Series and winning one in that stretch. Their offseason additions, which included Ohtani and pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have only put a bigger spotlight on them, and they're the favorites again in many people's eyes.

The Dodgers and Padres will play the second and final game of the Seoul Series from Gocheok Sky Dome on at 6 a.m. ET Thursday. Yamamoto and Joe Musgrove are the expected starting pitchers.