DENVER — It started as a snow globe and ended as a statement. Flurries fell steadily over Coors Field on Friday night, the kind of cold that seeps into your hands before first pitch even arrives.
Behind a locked-in Tyler Glasnow and a thunderous night from Max Muncy, the Dodgers rolled to a 7–1 win over the Rockies, their 15th victory of the young season. It marks the franchise’s best start in 49 years, dating back to 1977. And they did it in conditions unlike any they’ve ever faced.
First pitch temperature: 35 degrees. The coldest game in Dodgers history.
The day began with snow falling through the sky of Colorado, and by night’s end, baseballs were falling just as frequently but most of them off Dodgers bats.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Glasnow, who has had his share of uneven outings in cold weather before, showed no signs of discomfort this time.
“I felt pretty sharp today,” Glasnow said.
Sharp might even undersell it. Making his first career start at Coors Field, Glasnow carved through the Rockies lineup with authority, holding them hitless until the fourth inning. By then, he had already established full command of the game, and the conditions.
“I threw a little bit more sliders maybe, but it was a lot of four seams, a lot of curveballs, some sliders to put some guys away,” Glasnow said.
Cold air, he suggested, might not be the disadvantage it appears to be.
“It’s kind of an advantage for the pitcher, I think,” Glasnow said. “Whenever there is a cold game, I kinda think about that, like, they're gonna be a lot colder than I am, so it worked out.”
It certainly did. Glasnow finished with one of his best outings in a Dodgers uniform: seven innings, two hits, one run, two walks, seven strikeouts. 92 pitches. Total control, outside of a brief fourth-inning wobble that resulted in the Rockies’ lone run.
Dave Roberts has seen the evolution up close, not just in stuff, but in mindset.
“I think in years past, things affected him, and he’ll admit that,” Roberts said. “I think that right now, where he’s at, he’s just put the blinders on and he’s performed.”
While Glasnow handled the mound, Muncy handled everything else.
Muncy accounted for much of the offensive damage, launching two solo home runs, giving him six on the season, all of them solo shots, and adding an RBI double for good measure. His first homer, a towering drive off an 88 mph cutter in the second inning, opened the floodgates. His second, in the fifth off reliever Zach Agnos, effectively ended the night.
For Muncy, it's now 21 career multi-homer games, who looks increasingly locked in at the plate.
“I think his swing is in a good spot,” Roberts said. “He likes hitting here. He's taking good at bats. Like I've said before, even when he was not getting hits... I like his at-bat quality. Tonight he elevated a couple of balls, took some good swings with double and a couple of homers.”
The Dodgers didn’t need much more, but they got it anyway.
Shohei Ohtani opened the game by extending his on-base streak to 49 games with a leadoff double, continuing his dominance against fellow Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. Ohtani is now 6-for-6 against Sugano across their combined MLB and NPB, including a couple of home runs last season in Baltimore.
Will Smith brought Ohtani home with a sacrifice fly in the first. Muncy followed with his early blast. In the third, Muncy struck again with an RBI double to make it 3–0.
Andy Pages continued his breakout season with a sacrifice fly, his MLB-leading 21st RBI, and later scored again as the Dodgers piled on. By the fifth inning, the game was effectively out of reach.
Sugano, making the start for Colorado, couldn’t find an answer. He was tagged for nine hits and five runs across four innings, throwing 91 pitches before turning things over to the bullpen, where Muncy promptly added more damage.
Even in the cold, the Dodgers’ offense never cooled. And yet, this night belonged just as much to Glasnow. He conquered Coors Field. He conquered the weather. And maybe most importantly, he showed just how far he’s come.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, keep stacking wins in every possible condition. Snow falling. Bats cracking. History building. And no signs of slowing down.
Emmet Sheehan gets the ball Saturday night with perhaps slightly warmer air waiting.