Past Dodger greats, the Beach Boys and a sold-out stadium full of fans gathered in Elysian Park on Tuesday for the team's victorious home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, however, couldn't make the game.
The 84-year-old was "resting at home with a bad cold and (missed) Opening Day at Dodger Stadium," according to the team's Twitter account.
In his place, Charley Steiner and Steve Lyons called the game on Prime Ticket, while Rick Monday handled the game on the radio, City News Service reported.
This year marks Scully's 63rd season voicing the Dodgers, a broadcasting record, according to Major League Baseball.
Last year's NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw got the start, giving up four hits and one earned run over seven innings. He had seven strike outs in the no-decision.
Following back-to-back strikeouts from A.J. Ellis and Matt Kemp in the 8th inning, Andre Ethier -- who celebrated his 30th birthday Tuesday -- sent a home run to deep right, breaking the 1-1 tie.
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Kenley Jansen got the win. Javy Guerra got the save.
The Dodgers started the home opener by honoring the 1962 ball club, with appearances from NL MVP Maury Wills and Tommy Davis during a pregame ceremony.
Related: Dodgers List Players' At-Bat Music
Terry Seidler -- whose late mother, Kay O'Malley, threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium in 1962 -- was tapped to throw out Tuesday's ceremonial first pitch.
Drew Drysdale, whose late father, Don Drysdale, was the 1962 Cy Young Award winner and led the league with 25 victories and 232 strike outs, was scheduled to sing "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch.
The Beach Boys performed the national anthem.
Magic Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers star who fronts the group that reached an agreement last month to purchase the team from Frank McCourt for $2.15 billion, a record for a sports franchise, could not be at the game. He is in New York City in connection with Wednesday's opening of the Broadway play about his rivalry with former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, "Magic/Bird."
Johnson, who has declined to substantively discuss his plans for the team, told a New York television interviewer, "We want to restore the Dodger pride. We take over the first of May and we'll see what we can do."
Fans who showed up for Tuesday's home opener at Dodger Stadium seem to share Johnson's optimistic outlook.
"Things are looking better. The fans are here. They're here to have a good time," Chris Carlin said.
"We have somebody that's invested in LA, that cares about LA, that's going to bring some heart to LA," Boris Gamez said.
After the game, the attention turned to the parking lot, where a large police presence responded to a report of someone breaking into cars. It came as the team implemented new security measures for the 2012 season.
Taking a cue from successful decoy operations at other sporting events, the LAPD is putting undercover officers in shirts from the opposing team. It's a response to the near-fatal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow during the 2011 home opener.
Stow, a paramedic from Santa Cruz, suffered severe brain damage and continues to undergo rehabilitation.
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