Ohtani welcomed, helps Betts, Freeman drive win
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani was pleased with the quality of his at-bats and “grateful” for the warm reception he received from the sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd on Opening Day — but he came away from it all with one regret.
“I was the only guy who couldn’t hit a homer,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said with a slight chuckle after the Los Angeles Dodgers breezed to a 7-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon.
Ohtani was referring to the superstar trio atop the Dodgers’ lineup, of which he is at the center. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the two hitters who flank Ohtani, each homered off Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas in the third inning. But all three of them placed their imprint on the Dodgers’ home debut, combining for 5 hits, 4 walks and 4 RBIs while scoring each of the Dodgers’ first six runs.
Through the season’s first three games — the team opened with a two-game series against the San Diego Padres in South Korea last week — Betts, Ohtani and Freeman are slashing .455/.578/.788 while driving in 13 of the Dodgers’ 23 runs.
“There’s been a lot of expectations on the outside,” Betts said, “but internally nobody expects anything more than what Freddie, Mookie, Shohei and everybody down the lineup can do. We’re just going to do what we can.”
Betts, Ohtani and Freeman mark the fifth time in major league history that three players who finished within the top three in voting for the previous year’s MVP have begun the ensuing season on the same team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Ohtani was the unanimous choice in the American League for the second time in three years in 2023; Betts and Freeman finished second and third, respectively, in National League voting.
Betts began the game with a walk, then moved to third on a double by Ohtani — who thought Betts would attempt to score but instead got caught between second and third base — and scored on Freeman’s single. Two innings later, Betts smacked a homer to left, Ohtani drew a walk and Freeman homered to right-center field, giving the Dodgers five runs before recording their seventh out.
“I think in any discussion you can argue that they’re the best hitter in baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Betts, Ohtani and Freeman. “When you talk about those three guys, and you lump another handful or 10 players, they’re in that conversation. We’re fortunate to have three at the top of the order. The first word that comes to mind is ‘daunting.'”
“Daunting” can also be used to describe the events of the past week for Ohtani, amid a betting scandal centered on at least $4.5 million in wire transfers from his bank account to a bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation. Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and good friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after Ohtani’s camp alleged that he transferred the money without Ohtani’s knowledge, which Ohtani repeated while addressing the matter Monday. Three days later, Ohtani emerged from the center-field fence and strolled down a long blue carpet to punctuate opening ceremonies. He was cheered more loudly than any of his teammates. A similar reception awaited him as he prepared to take his first at-bat.
“Obviously I’ve been here before as an [opposing] player, so it was a little intimidating,” Ohtani said through his new interpreter, Dodgers manager of performance operations Will Ireton. “But I’m very grateful for the fans. And there were a lot of them.”
Dodger Stadium was stuffed with 52,667 fans for one of the most anticipated home openers in recent memory, a reaction to an offseason spending spree that totaled more than $1.2 billion. The focus was on Ohtani and his place within what has been casually referred to as the Big Three. But Tyler Glasnow, another major addition this winter, pitched six innings of one-run ball. And other hitters — specifically Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez and James Outman, making up the 4 to 7 spots — also made contributions.
Freeman, speaking from a home clubhouse overflowing with media largely because of Ohtani, wanted to make that clear.
“It’s not just the top of the order,” Freeman said. “There’s nine guys in this lineup. I will deflect that for every single question from here on out. It is nine guys in this lineup. We did a good job today.”
The latest AP poll is out.
With some enormous matchups next week, Week 4 was light on ranked matchups. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgia Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies were off this week.
The Oklahoma Sooners, now ranked No. 7, opened their SEC schedule with a 24-17 win over the Auburn Tigers. The Sooners’ defense was outstanding, finishing with 10 sacks and holding the Tigers to just 67 yards rushing.
In the Big 12, the now-No. 12 Texas Tech Red Raiders pounded the Utah Utes to stake an early claim as the best team in the conference. Texas Tech backup QB Will Hammond was exceptional while filling in for an injured Behren Morton. Hammond went 13-of-16 passing and had 230 total yards and two scores in the 34-10 win.
The week’s only other ranked matchup was the No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers crushing the then-No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini. In the win, QB Fernando Mendoza became the first Indiana player with at least four passing touchdowns in three straight games.
What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
All times Eastern
Previous ranking: 1
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday at Washington
Previous ranking: 4
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Florida 26-7
Stat to know: Miami had both more rushing yards and passing yards than Florida had total yards.
What’s next: Oct. 4 at Florida State
Previous ranking: 2
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Oregon, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Previous ranking: 3
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Southeastern Louisiana 56-10
Stat to know: LSU has held all four of its opponents this season to 10 points or fewer, its longest such streak to start a season since 2006.
What’s next: Saturday at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 5
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Alabama, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 6
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Oregon State 41-7
Stat to know: Oregon has had consecutive wins by at least 30 points against Oregon State for the third time in series history (2018-19, 1898-99).
What’s next: Saturday at Penn State, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Previous ranking: 11
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Auburn 24-17
Stat to know: OU sacked Auburn QB Jackson Arnold 10 times, the most in a game in program history.
What’s next: Oct. 4 vs. Kent State, 4 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 7
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Kent State 66-10
Stat to know: FSU had eight rushing touchdowns against Kent State. The Seminoles had eight rushing scores in 2024.
What’s next: Friday at Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 10
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 8
2025 record: 3-1
Week 4 result: Defeated Sam Houston 55-0
Stat to know: The 55-point win was Texas’ largest margin of victory since its 58-0 win over Rice in 2021.
What’s next: Oct. 4 at Florida
Previous ranking: 19
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Illinois 63-10
Stat to know: Indiana’s 63 points against Illinois was its most ever against a ranked opponent.
What’s next: Saturday at Iowa, 3:30 p.m., Peacock
Previous ranking: 17
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Utah 34-10
Stat to know: This was Texas Tech’s first win as a ranked team since 2008, and the Red Raiders have started the season 4-0 for the first time since 2013.
What’s next: Oct. 4 at Houston
Previous ranking: 13
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Tulane 45-10
Stat to know: Trinidad Chambliss, who had 307 yards passing and 112 yards rushing against Tulane, became the fourth player in school history with 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game, joining Archie Manning, Chad Kelly and Jordan Ta’amu.
What’s next: Saturday vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 12
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Arizona, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 15
2025 record: 3-1
Week 4 result: Defeated UAB 56-24
Stat to know: Joey Aguilar, who had 218 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, has had at least 200 passing yards in all 28 of his career starts, the longest active streak in the FBS.
What’s next: Saturday at Mississippi State, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 18
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Temple 45-24
Stat to know: This is Georgia Tech’s first 4-0 start to a season since 2014.
What’s next: Saturday at Wake Forest, noon, ESPN
Previous ranking: 14
2025 record: 2-1
Week 4 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday at Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 20
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Georgia State 70-21
Stat to know: This is Vanderbilt’s first 4-0 start since 2018.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Utah State, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 21
2025 record: 3-1
Week 4 result: Defeated Nebraska 30-27
Stat to know: Justice Haynes, who rushed for 149 yards and a score against Nebraska, is the first Michigan player in the past 30 seasons with a rushing score in each of his first four games.
What’s next: Oct. 4 vs. Wisconsin
Previous ranking: 23
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated South Carolina 29-20
Stat to know: Missouri held South Carolina to minus-9 rushing yards, the fewest it has allowed since 2009 when it held Colorado to minus-14 rushing yards.
What’s next: Saturday vs. UMass, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Previous ranking: 25
2025 record: 4-0
Week 4 result: Defeated Michigan State 45-31
Stat to know: USC has scored 210 points through four games, the fourth-highest total in program history.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Michigan State, 11 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 24
2025 record: 1-2
Week 4 result: Defeated Purdue 56-30
Stat to know: Notre Dame has scored 122 points in its past two games against Purdue. That’s the most over a two-game span against a single opponent in the AP poll era (since 1936).
What’s next: Saturday at Arkansas, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 9
2025 record: 3-1
Week 4 result: Lost to Indiana 63-10
Stat to know: The loss to Indiana was its worst-ever loss as an AP-ranked team.
What’s next: Saturday vs. USC
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Defeated SMU 35-24
Stat to know: Against SMU, wide receiver Eric McAlister became the second player in school history to record 250 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in a game.
What’s next: Friday at Arizona State, 9 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 3-0
Week 4 result: Defeated East Carolina 34-13
Stat to know: BYU has allowed 16 total points through the first three games of the season, its fewest since 1948.
What’s next: Saturday at Colorado, 10 p.m., ESPN
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