SEOUL, South Korea — The Kiwoom Heroes had a secret weapon.
Right-hander Ariel Jurado started for the Korean team in Sunday’s exhibition game (Saturday night PT) against the Dodgers at their home stadium, Gocheok Sky Dome. The Heroes were overmatched, losing 14-3 and getting outhit 17-6.
But Jurado faced Shohei Ohtani twice and struck him out both times. Ohtani came out of the game after those two at-bats.
“I faced him when I was with Texas,” Jurado said afterward. “He’s great. He’s the best player in the major leagues.
“I think I used the same sequence like when I was in the major leagues – some fastballs up. He swung – thank you for me.”
Jurado’s major-league career consisted of 44 games with the Texas Rangers in 2018 and 2019 and one with the New York Mets in 2020. During that time, Jurado faced Ohtani more times than any other batter and held him to a .182 (4 for 22) batting average.
“He’s one of the best players in the major leagues every year,” Jurado said.
FIFTH STARTER
The Dodgers have apparently found their fifth starter.
Right-hander Michael Grove got the start against the Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday and pitched the first two innings, retiring all six batters he faced. That is an indication of the role Grove will assume to start the regular season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged.
“I think so,” Roberts said. “I mean, Michael, to be able to go one inning, two innings, three innings, to be sort of a bridge guy right now makes a lot of sense given the construction of our pitching.
“He is certainly a viable option for the ’pen for us to start the season.”
That leaves Gavin Stone to assume the fifth starter spot until Walker Buehler is ready to make his return from Tommy John surgery (most likely in May). Stone has pitched well this spring, allowing just one run on five hits and walk while striking out nine in 9⅔ innings.
It’s a far cry from last season, when Stone found it rough going in his first taste of the big leagues. He posted a 9.00 ERA in eight games (four starts) and hitters took advantage of his tipping pitches.
Stone has cleaned that up this spring and also added to his pitch mix since his major-league debut last May, incorporating a cutter and a two-seam fastball to keep hitters off his best pitch, the changeup.
“I think with Gavin, like a lot of our young pitchers, just kind of sharpening up the command,” Roberts said of the difference in Stone this spring. “I use that word a lot because it’s important. For Gavin Stone in particular, the low dart, the fastball down at the knees, the changeup off of that, the cutter to the lefty. I just think for me, there’s just a lot less arm-side misses. He’s been able to repeat his delivery. So for me, that shows a lot of growth for him.”
HURT BID
Right-hander Kyle Hurt retired the final seven batters in order on Sunday, striking out five of them. It was another sign of Hurt’s potential usefulness as a reliever though Roberts said “we see him as a starter.”
Hurt is “a very good possibility” to be on the active roster for the two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul and would be considered for the bullpen when the Dodgers return to Dodger Stadium for the rest of the regular season.
“Nothing is definitive yet,” Roberts said. “But given the need of the team, his ability to get left and right out certainly makes a lot of sense.”
FIRST PITCH
Before the first regular-season game in Seoul on Wednesday, former Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park will throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
“I think Chan Ho is gonna really embrace it,” Roberts said. “Chan Ho is a very good friend of mine, a former teammate. I think that it’s sort of a culmination for him, I would assume, because he was a pioneer as a Korean-born player to come to the States, and to be a star player. And then to now have his former teammates and team that he played with come to his homeland, I think it’s come full circle. So it’s only fitting that he throws out the first pitch.
“For him to get to show off his country is really exciting.”