The long-awaited return of fans finally happened on Friday at Dodger Stadium, as spectators were in the building to see the Dodgers unveil their World Series Championship banner.
Players also received their championship rings. The Dodgers ring boxes also included a mini screen that showed individual player highlights.
There was also a pregame tribute to the late, great Dodger legend Tommy Lasorda.
After the Dodgers raised the 2020 World Championship banner, there was still baseball to play, as the last two World Series champions faced off. The Dodgers eventually edged the Nationals 1-0 in what would turn out to be a duel between both pitching staffs.
Walker Buehler was great during the home opener, throwing six full innings and allowing six hits with four strikeouts. His counterpart, Nationals right-hander Joe Ross, pitched well, going five innings while allowing just two hits.
The lone run of the game came on a Justin Turner solo home run in the sixth inning off of old friend Luis Avilan. Turner has now reached base in 38 consecutive games. He went 3-for-3 on the afternoon.
The Nationals out-hit the Dodgers eight to four, but the Dodgers did a nice job of pitching out of a traffic jam late in the game.
Los Angeles reliever Blake Treinen ran into a bit of trouble in the eighth, but he got some crucial outs to keep a runner stranded at third base.
After Kenley Jansen’s blown save in Oakland earlier this week, Corey Knebel got the save opportunity in this one, looking quite effective in the process.
Knebel struck out the side en route to his second save of the year. Los Angeles moves to 6-2 on the early season.
Both Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger missed the home opener. Betts missed his second straight game with back stiffness. Bellinger was placed on the 10-day injured list and is eligible to return next Friday against the Padres.
Luke Raley was called up to take Bellinger’s place on the active roster.
The Dodgers will be back at it on Saturday in the second game of a three-game series against Washington.
Julio Urias will get his second start of the season, while the starter for Washington has not been announced.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Pacific.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Old Man Turner came through for us today. It was really nice to see. Quite a day for him and richly deserved.
Treinen basically made one bad pitch and showed his potential closer chops by working his way out of it. Knebel’s curve was a thing of beauty today. Between those two and possibly even VGon, we’ve got some good options lined up to replace Kenley when they finally decide to make it official.
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Thankfully Roberts did not continue to force Jansen on the Team and lose another possible win. Watching the broadcast they were talking about how Knebel was pitching where Smith was calling for it. Jansen has been unable to do that the last couple of years. Even when Jansen gets through an inning he does not consistently pitch close to the catcher’s target.
Consistent Control is the most important quality for a major league pitcher. That is why they constantly talk about & teach repeatability with their wind-up and arm slot.
Treinen flashed great pitching getting out of a jam. Knebel with that curve backed up with a very good fastball was un-hittable today. What a pick-up by Freidman.
Dodger bats were fading in Oakland and silent today. Turner saved us. Buehler was terrific. Let’s see if Urias can throw another gem as he did in Colorado. I was surprised they called up Raley and not Peters.
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