New Padres Reliever Focused on Beating Division Rival Dodgers
Over the last few seasons, the two biggest goals for the San Diego Padres have been to win the World Series and beat the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego accomplished the second goal in the postseason in 2022, but now L.A. has a new target on its back.
In the aftermath of the Dodgers’ offseason spending spree, the Padres appear to have fallen even further back in the division race. Games aren’t won on paper, but the Dodgers are loaded.
New reliever Yuki Matsui made some comments about the Dodgers that should fire up the San Diego fan base. He is focused on spoiling the Dodgers’ parade, especially over in his home country of Japan.
The Dodgers signed both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, giving Japan two big reasons to root for L.A. in 2024. Matsui wants to change the narrative.
It’s not going to be easy, but the Padres still have a lot of talent on the roster. They’ve taken down a juggernaut Dodgers team before, and maybe they can do it again.
Matsui will be key for this Padres team in the late innings, potentially helping to close games out. San Diego may use a closer-by-committee approach this season, and Matsui is expected to factor in.
