Hunter Pence hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, while Joe Panik drove in three runs to key San Francisco’s comeback as the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-6 in their home opener on Thursday.
The Dodgers’ 31-innings shutout streak ended in the fifth, one inning shy of the record to begin a season set by the 1963 St Louis Cardinals.
Chris Heston (1-0) worked the sixth in relief of Jake Peavy for the victory as San Francisco erased a 4-0 deficit. Bruce Bochy bested his former outfielder and now-Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in their first matchup.
Photo: AFP
In the fifth, Los Angeles finally gave up their first runs of the year when the Giants got to Alex Wood (0-1).
Joc Pederson hit a two-run home run for the Dodgers in the eighth inning.
YANKEES 8, ASTROS 5
In New York, Mark Teixeira sliced a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning and Starlin Castro connected again, sending New York past Houston.
The Yankees took two of three in the season-opening series against the team who beat them in the American League wild-card game in October last year.
Castro kept up his torrid start with a solo home run and a single off the wall, making him seven for 12. The former Cubs infielder has eight RBIs, the most by any player in his first three games for the Yankees since the statistic became official in 1920, STATS said.
Brian McCann also homered for the Yankees and Jacoby Ellsbury doubled twice. Alex Rodriguez made it 5-5 with his first hit of the season, an RBI single in the fifth.
Tyler White hit his first homer in the majors, drove in four runs and got three hits for the Astros.
White and Preston Tucker lined consecutive home runs off Nathan Eovaldi in the second.
Chasen Shreve (1-0) was the winner and Andrew Miller earned his first save. Will Harris (0-1) took the loss.
MARLINS 6, NATIONALS 4
In Washington, Miami reliever David Phelps entered after a rain delay and shut out Washington for four innings while delivering his first career RBI at the plate, as the Marlins spoiled the Nationals’ sloppy home opener in front of a dwindling crowd.
While Phelps (1-0) replaced Adam Conley following a 1 hour, 25 minute break because of a thunderstorm in the second with the score 3-3, Nationals starter Tanner Roark (0-1) surprisingly remained in the game. Roark allowed four runs — three earned, all in the first — and nine hits in four innings.
Bryce Harper was presented with his 2015 National League MVP and Silver Slugger trophies at pregame festivities and hit his second homer of this year in the seventh, a solo shot off Bryan Morris.
Harper flied out to deep center to open the ninth against A.J. Ramos, who worked around a walk for his first save, striking out Daniel Murphy looking to end it.
REDS 10, PHILLIES 6
In Cincinnati, Ohio, Jay Bruce homered twice and matched a career high with five RBIs as Cincinnati made a winner of top pitching prospect Robert Stephenson in his major-league debut by beating Philadelphia to complete a season-opening sweep.
Eugenio Suarez hit his first career grand slam and Bruce connected for a three-run shot as the Reds scored eight times in the fourth inning, ruining the big-league debut of reliever Daniel Stumpf. Bruce capped the 13-batter outburst with an RBI single.
Stephenson (1-0), a first-round draft pick in 2011, allowed six hits and four runs — three earned — in five innings. He was optioned back to Triple-A Louisville after the game.
Cedric Hunter, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz homered for the Phillies.
In other games on Thursday, it was:
‧ White Sox 6, Athletics 1
‧ Orioles 4, Twins 2
‧ Cubs 14, Diamondbacks 6
‧ Angels 4, Rangers 3
‧ Red Sox, Indians (postponed)
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