Jackson Merrill Opens Up About Crucial Misplay That Led to Padres Dropping Game 1

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 6, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres found themselves in a familiar position on Saturday night – trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In what set out to be a pitcher's duel, the two teams ended up in a slugfest with Los Angeles pulling out a 7-5 win to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

It was Teoscar Hernández who put the Dodgers ahead with a two-run single to center, just beyond the reach of Jackson Merrill's outstretched glove. The ball bounced over the rookie's glove in an unusual error for him.

After the loss, he clarified what developed during that play.

“Tough play, but you’ve got to play the game [situation],” Merrill said. “We were up one at that point, bases loaded. I’d rather not dive for a ball, let it go past me, and let the bases clear.”

The @Dodgers lead! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/XeOACxyxj2

— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024

The play resulted in the Dodgers' first lead of the night and they held on, even as the Padres managed to put the tying runs on base in both the eighth and ninth innings. Manny Machado struck out against a fatigued Blake Treinen, who secured a five-out save, sealing another thrilling matchup between the Padres and Dodgers.

Padres starter Dylan Cease struggled on Saturday night, giving up five runs over 3.1 innings. He allowed six hits, issued two walks, and gave up Shohei Ohtani's game-tying three-run homer in the second inning.

“I just didn't execute well, and I never found a rhythm,” Cease said. “I've got a couple days to prep, and hopefully another shot. But it's definitely disappointing. … It's definitely got to be better.”

The Padres will turn to Yu Darvish to carry them in Game 2 on Sunday night. Darvish wasn't in the Wild Card rotation and didn't make an appearance in the best-of-three series against Atlanta.

“We've just got to go out there and try to win tomorrow,” said third baseman Manny Machado, who launched a two-run, first-inning homer to give the Padres an early lead. “We've been having that mindset all year. We'll put this one behind us, and come back tomorrow and compete. Twenty-seven outs tomorrow.”

Those 27 outs will be critical. In the Division Series format currently used (excluding the 2020 neutral-site series), teams have previously split the first two games 44 times. Of those instances, the team returning home for Games 3 and 4 has advanced 29 times, resulting in a 66 percent success rate.