Apr 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is greeted at home after hitting a walk off solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
By Ben Axelrod on

The 2025 MLB season may only be a week old, but the Atlanta Braves have already emerged as arguably the league’s most disappointing team.

Despite entering the season with an over/under win total of 93.5 wins, the Braves remained winless entering Wednesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And although Atlanta appeared poise to pick up its first victory of the 2025 campaign while jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning, the reigning World Series champions had other ideas, with Shohei Ohtani’s ninth-inning walk-off home run capping a 6-5 victory for the Dodgers.

It’s one thing to fall to 0-7 but another to do so in such heartbreaking fashion. And the pain of the Braves’ rough start was certainly felt in Brandon Gaudin’s call of Ohtani’s game-winning home run for FanDuel Sports Network South and Southeast.

“Out to center field. Harris is back. At the wall. And the heartache has hit a new level for the Atlanta Braves,” a clearly dejected Gaudin said. “Ohtani and the Dodgers walk it off with a homer.”

Unsurprisingly, Gaudin’s call sounded a lot different than the enthusiasm and excitement that Joe Davis expressed on behalf of Dodgers fans for Spectrum SportsNet.

“High fly ball to center. Harris is back — Ohtani! Inevitable!” Davis shouted.

With the Dodgers advancing to 8-0 on the season and the Braves falling to 0-7, Ohtani’s walk-off home run — his third homer of the season — likely felt “inevitable” fall all involved. Albeit, as the two local broadcast calls showed, for very different reasons.

Now winless through the first week of the 2025 season, the Braves will look to pick up their first victory of the year when they host a three-game series with the Miami Marlins this weekend. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are set to head to Philadelphia for a three-game set with the Phillies, who have gotten off to their own strong start this season sitting at 4-1 as they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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