Dodgers Top 24 Moments of the 2024 Season Part 1 (24-19)
12/31/2024 12:46 PM
The 2024 season was one to remember for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers opened their season early with a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea, and were the final team standing in October when they took down the New York Yankees in five games in the 2024 World Series.
With the 2024 calendar year officially coming to a close, Dodgers Nation wanted to recount the top 24 moments from the Dodgers’ 2024 season. Here’s Part 1 of this four-part series.
24. Decoy “Throws Out” The First Pitch on Shohei Ohtani Bobblehead Night
Shohei Ohtani’s dog, Decoy, “threw out” the first pitch on Ohtani’s bobblehead night in one of the most fun moments of the 2024 season. Ohtani said he spent a few weeks training Decoy for the moment, and was happy it went so well.
"It's a really special night,” Ohtani said after the game. “I hope to buy some special snack for him.”
While Decoy kicked off the festivities, Ohtani quickly stole the show by leading off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run, his 42nd of the year at the time. He also stole his 41st and 42nd stolen bases later in the game.
23. Dodgers Win Season Opener vs. Padres in Korea
The first of 109 wins has to make the cut, right? The Dodgers traveled all the way to Korea to take on the division rival San Diego Padres, and beat them, 5-2, in come-from-behind fashion thanks to a four-run eighth inning. Not bad for Shohei Ohtani’s first game in Dodger blue, in which he recorded his first RBI with L.A.
22. Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dominates Yankees as He Introduces Himself to MLB
The Dodgers got a lot of heat for paying Yoshinobu Yamamoto an MLB-record for a starting pitcher $325 million before ever throwing a pitch in MLB. Yamamoto struggled in his Korea opener, then was up and down for a few months before making his first statement against the Yankees in New York in June.
Yamamoto had the best pitching performance of his young MLB career, throwing seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. The Yankees didn’t want to make Yamamoto the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history over Gerrit Cole. Yamamoto made them pay for that decision.
21. Shohei Ohtani Delivers Heartfelt English Speech at World Series Parade
After capping off one of the greatest seasons in MLB history, Ohtani had a simple message for Dodger fans at the World Series parade at Dodger Stadium.
"This is such a special moment for me," Ohtani said. "I'm so honored to be here and to be part of this team. Congratulations, Los Angeles. Thank you fans."
The entire speech was in English. Dodgers fans loved it.
20. Dodgers Score 7 Runs in 9th Inning to Come From Behind and Beat Rockies
In one of the wildest games of the season, the Dodgers, who entered the ninth inning down 9-4, scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Rockies. Jason Heyward hit a pinch-hit grand slam. Teoscar Hernández capped it off with a three-run home run. The Dodgers stole a victory from the Jaws of defeat in Colorado.
19. Jack Flaherty 7 Shutout Innings in NLCS Game 1
When the Dodgers acquired Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline, he was expected to aid a starting rotation full of aces. Instead, he was the ace in October.
Flaherty had an up and down postseason, but came through in NLCS Game 1 with the team’s best starting pitching performance of October. Flaherty threw seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six. He set the tone for the NLCS with this shutout.
Stay tuned on dodgersnation.com for Parts 2-4 of this series.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
