In a tense, back-and-forth game, the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled out an 8-7 victory over the San Diego Padres. Tommy Edman‘s single in the top of the tenth inning proved to be the decisive blow in the first of a three-game series between these two rivals.

Will Smith homered and drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who improved to 40-27 and solidified their lead in the National league West after this initial contest of what mirrored last year’s heated divisional clashes.

After the Dodgers jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, Manny machado responded with an RBI double, bringing home Fernando Tatis Jr. and putting the Padres on the board.

Teoscar Hernández tied the game at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, allowing Mookie Betts to score from third base.

Will Smith’s two-run home run in the same inning then gave the Dodgers a 5-3 advantage.

However, the Padres quickly answered, with Tyler Wade clearing the bases with a triple to put the home team ahead 6-5. The seesaw battle continued, highlighting the competitive nature of this rivalry.

Hyeseong Kim then delivered an RBI double to tie the game once again, this time at six runs apiece. In extra innings, Andy Pages hit an RBI double to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead, followed by Edman’s crucial single that extended the lead to 8-6.

Dominican Player Highlights

For the Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández went 0-for-4 with one RBI.

For the Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. was 1-for-3 with one run scored and two walks, while Manny Machado went 2-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI. Wandy Peralta took the loss, allowing two hits and one earned run in the tenth inning.

“It was a hard-fought game. Both teams battled, and we were fortunate to come out on top.”