WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Elias Lindholm tied it on a tip with 1:38 left in regulation and JJ Peterka scored at 3:21 of overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
David Pastrnak set up both late goals, with goalie Jeremy Swayman off for an extra attacker on Lindholm's goal.
Peterka also had the winner Tuesday night against the New York Rangers in the Bruins’ opener.
Hampus Lindholm and James Hagens also scored, and Swayman made 30 saves.
Dylan DeMelo, Kyle Connor and Mario Ferraro scored for Winnipeg in the Jets opener. Stuart Skinner stopped 26 shots.
Connor and Ferraro scored in the second period to give the Jets a 3-2 lead.
Max Muncy praises Tarik Skubal's demeanor in the clubhouse.
There’s an elephant in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, and it’s sitting in Tarik Skubal’s locker.
While the Dodgers are on a quest to capture their third consecutive World Series title in October, everyone knows that starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is set for a massive payday this offseason.
Well, except for maybe Skubal.
Max Muncy says Tarik Skubal hasn’t been focused on free agency, but rather on helping the Dodgers improve. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
According to teammate Max Muncy, Skubal has not peeped a word about his impending free agency to his teammates.
“I’ve never heard him mention one thing about free agency,” Muncy said after the Dodgers’ Tuesday team practice. “All he’s talked about is pitching here or competing with us, making it through this playoff run.”
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy praises his teammate Tarik Skubal for his demeanor with the team amid impending free agency. Wally Skalij for CA Post
Muncy said Skubal’s clubhouse demeanor is rare and called it “pretty special.”
“He’s looking at a big payday coming up, for sure,” Muncy said. “For him to not even mention it once. We’ve had a lot of guys come over here, and they’re free agents the next year, and they talk about it, and it’s not a bad thing; you’re supposed to talk about it.”
As Muncy mentioned, Skubal has been focused on what the Dodgers have been building since he was traded to them ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Max Muncy praises Tarik Skubal’s demeanor in the clubhouse since being traded to the team. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Skubal has started 10 games with the Dodgers this season and has been as good as advertised, going 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA and punching out 70 batters.
“He’s been focused on what we’ve got going on this year. I think that speaks to him, but that also speaks to the culture we’ve got in here,” Muncy said. “…Whatever happens in the future is going to happen. But we can control what we’re doing right now.”
Dončić’s two daughters, Gabriela and Olivia, live in their home country of Slovenia with their mother, Dončić's former fiancée.
“Nothing is more important to me than my daughters,” Dončić said in a statement to The Athletic. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure they have both parents present in their lives.”
Dončić and his longtime girlfriend ended their engagement in March, leading to an ongoing custody battle over the daughters.
The two began dating in 2016 and were engaged in 2023.
His then-fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, had filed for child support from Dončić last March, but later withdrew her suit. According to The Athletic, Dončić filed his petition in Slovenia, where he lives in the offseason, but local laws prevent it from being made public.
In August, Dončić hosted his teammates for a minicamp in an attempt to build team chemistry after the team overhauled the roster during the offseason. The All-NBA player’s decision to have the minicamp in the home country allowed him to remain close to his two daughters.
He did not compete with the Slovenia national team this summer, as he focused on the legal matters while also recovering from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.
“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life,” Dončić wrote in a post on Instagram in May. “As I continue working toward joint custody of my daughters, I have been forced to make a difficult decision between traveling and playing for the Slovenian national team and being with my daughters this summer. Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months.”
The 2026-27 Winnipeg Jets are certainly something to behold.
No, they might not win every game, but they will certainly leave you entertained.
In Friday night's season-opener, the Jets produced two NHL debuts, multiple Winnipeg firsts, Kyle Connor's ninth-straight year scoring in the first game of the season (an NHL record), Mario Ferraro's first goal as a Jet, Tyrel Bauer's first NHL fight (in his first shift), an appearance in the crowd from former Jet Jonathan Toews, a boatload of "STUU" chants for new goaltender Stuart Skinner and sudden-death overtime.
Photo by James Carey Lauder/Game On Magazine
Oh right, and there was a hockey game played - Winnipeg's first of the season, the Boston Bruins' second.
The Jets ultimately left with a loss, falling 4-3 to the Bruins in overtime.
“Honestly, I just think it was a pretty solid game," Skinner said post-game.
"I think both teams came out to play. There were moments where we had our pushes, moments where Boston had theirs. I thought Swayman and I held both teams in, made some good saves at good times. On my side, what I saw from our guys is a lot of battle, a lot of compete, a lot of speed. We had some big blocked shots at the right times by our D and our forwards.Obviously a great fight by Bowsie. All in all, a good game. Lessons to be learned. When we do that, hopefully that will create a better result."
A highly-entertaining opening frame began with a heavy dose of offence from the hometown team, including the Jets' first goal of the season, but concluded with Boston atop the scoreboard 2-1.
Dylan DeMelo blasted home Winnipeg's first marker on a long-range clapper from the point, before Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves on just his first career shift, getting the better of Bruins' tough guy, Mark Kastelic.
Despite some lopsided shot totals through the first 10 minutes, Boston battled back for two goals before the period came to a close. First, a long-range wrist shot form Hampus Lindholm found its way through a maze of players. Then it was James Hagens, who potted his first career goal, beating Stuart Skinner on a tap in, standing all alone at the side of the Jets' net.
Winnipeg remained ahead 12-9 in the shot tally, but trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard as the two clubs reconvened for the second period.
If the first 20 minutes was not enough, the middle stanza provided even more excitement.
The jumbotron and clock malfunctioned, so public address announcer Jay Richardson was called upon to announce how much time was left in play every 30 seconds as the period wore down.
Connor got his first of the season on the power play, meaning he now has goals in nine-straight season-openers, which extends his all-time NHL record.
“Oh man. It's impressive what that guy can do, impressive what he can do on the ice. The type of teammate that he is, first and foremost," Skinner said. "He's the type of guy that's got a lot of speed, good hands, good IQ level. You know, he's one of those guys that can do it all. Pretty impressive what he was able to do tonight."
And then it was Ferraro who fired home his first as a Jet, before celebrating animatedly in front of his new teammates on the bench.
Winnipeg held off the Bruins' attack through the majority of the third, forcing the visitors to pull Jeremy Swagman for the extra attacker with two minutes left. Boston needed just six seconds to score following a timeout.
With 1:38 to play, the Bruins won the offensive zone face-off, to which newly-minted captain David Pastrnak's centring pass found its way past Skinner, thanks to a high tip from Elias Lindholm, sending the game to overtime.
Moments after the puck hit the skate of a Bruins player on his way off the ice, Boston regained possession, to which JJ Peterka collected the puck and beat Skinner five-hole for the winner with 1:39 remaining.
Skinner finished the night with 26 stops on the 30 pucks fired his way, while Swayman turned aside 30 of 33 shots by Winnipeg.
Winnipeg now heads on the road for two games before heading home for a Wednesday night affair with Colorado. The Jets will face Detroit on Sunday afternoon and Pittsburgh on Monday.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Another eve of a playoff round, another day spent with all eyes on Aaron Judge.
The Yankees’ three-time MVP took batting practice at Tropicana Field on Friday after working out on the grass at the club’s spring training home in Tampa earlier in the day, as he once again tries to show that he and his right calf are healthy enough to be added to the roster for the ALDS.
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Judge’s late push was not enough to be included on the AL wild-card series roster against the Red Sox, but after the Yankees took care of business without him, he seems to have a better shot of joining them against the Rays, even if he is not immediately a full player.
“We’re looking at the days and so it’s more, is he going to be available at some point in this series, potentially, as a player?” manager Aaron Boone said Friday afternoon before the Yankees worked out on the turf. “That’s what we’re kind of weighing and then seeing where he’s at now these last few days having taken live [batting practice].”
The schedule could play into Judge’s favor. There are off days after Games 1, 2 and 4 in the best-of-five series, giving him more time to recover from the moderate right calf strain that he suffered Sept. 16. And while the Yankees may not want him playing on the turf at Tropicana Field — they do not seem inclined to use him at DH either, which would force Ben Rice to first base and Luis García Jr. to the bench — it is possible he could take on the role of Giancarlo Stanton in the wild-card series as a pinch-hit threat in the first two games and then be ready to play right field by Game 3 back in The Bronx.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge takes live batting practice during a team workout day before their Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
But as was the case for the wild-card series — and Judge’s entire comeback from the calf injury — the Yankees were not offering much insight on how they were leaning.
“The trainers will obviously play a big part in this,” Boone said. “As the day unfolds, we’ll see where we’re at and what it potentially looks like for the series.”
Judge took live batting practice for the first time Monday, did some light running in the outfield Tuesday, then took live batting practice on both Wednesday (in Somerset) and Thursday (at Yankee Stadium) before the Yankees flew here. The biggest box left to check appears to be running the bases, but after taking on-field batting practice at Tropicana Field on Friday, he did not do any running or defensive work on the turf.
“Sometimes running the bases, they replicate things in other ways,” Boone said. “We’ll make those calls probably later [Friday night].”
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge takes batting practice during a workout day before their Wild Card Series with the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The amount of off days in the series could also benefit Judge in that it may allow the Yankees to carry more position players than they might if it was condensed. Boone mentioned deciding between 10-12 pitchers, which means 14-16 position players, after carrying 16 position players and 10 pitchers for the wild-card series. It might be risky to carry someone who is not a full player if they were limited in bench options, but with an extra spot or two, it could be worth taking Judge. He only hit 4-for-23 with one home run, one walk and 13 strikeouts in seven games after returning from a three-month absence for a broken rib. But it is Aaron Judge.
The Rays, meanwhile, were doing their prep work as if Judge would be in the lineup — if only because doing so was the best defense mechanism.
“I was thinking that Aaron Judge was going to be there a week ago just so I’m not devastated when he’s on,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I expect him playing right field, hitting third.”
“I’ve done my deep dive on Aaron Judge,” Game 1 starter Drew Rasmussen said with a chuckle. “I think we make the assumption he’s in there until he’s not.”
But Cash offered praise for how the Yankees have played without Judge. They survived his extended absence this summer, going 45-39, but then played their best without him against the Red Sox in the wild-card series, with guys chipping in up and down the lineup.
“It’s incredibly impressive,” Cash said, “the offensive success that they have had missing the best hitter in our sport.”
New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers throws a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, N.Y.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — “The competitor” in Ryan Weathers did not want to throw live batting practice Monday night at Yankee Stadium because he knew it would mean not being on the roster for the AL wild-card series.
Four days later, though, the left-hander was glad he did, because after with the Yankees advanced to in the ALDS, Weathers has a strong chance not only to join the roster but also to pitch more often now that he is slightly more built up after coming back from a left forearm flexor strain late in the regular season.
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“I needed that second live just to sharpen up a little bit more,” Weathers said Friday at Tropicana Field before the Yankees worked out. “I feel super healthy enough to be on [the roster]. We’ll see where it lands [Saturday].”
Aaron Boone was not yet ready to commit to Weathers being on the roster — or any roster decisions, for that matter — though the manager said earlier in the week that the lefty could play a “massive role” out of the bullpen moving forward.
If Weathers had been included on the wild-card roster, he might have been able to throw only one inning the entire series, even if it went to three games.
New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers throws a pitch in the first inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 22, 2026, at Yankee Stadium. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Now, after getting a second live batting practice (on Monday) and an additional bullpen session (on Wednesday) under his belt, he could be in a position to pitch more often in the ALDS, especially with off days after Games 1, 2 and 4.
“Hopefully I can be available for a few games of this series,” he said.
Boone indicated the Yankees were debating carrying 10, 11 or 12 pitchers. That could mean Weathers becoming the 11th pitcher or potentially replacing another lefty in Ryan Yarbrough, though Yarbrough’s length could be valuable, especially with Carlos Rodón no longer expected to be an option out of the bullpen now that he is set to start Game 3 or 4.
The Yankees had a travel snafu getting here during Thursday’s off day, which Boone categorized as “first-world problems.”
New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez during the third inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
They were originally scheduled to fly out of Westchester County Airport and arrived there around 2:30 p.m. But because of a hydraulics issue, according to Boone, they were delayed and then had to get off the plane around 8 p.m. to drive to LaGuardia Airport, where they boarded another charter and did not get to their hotel until around 1 a.m.
“We drove further away from Tampa and then worked our way closer back to Tampa, and then we flew to Tampa,” said Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole, adding that they killed time with “cards, conversations, ribbing each other, video games, doom scrolling.”
“It was a cluster,” Weathers added with a laugh. “It was a long day.”
The Rays are declining to reveal their rotation beyond Drew Rasmussen starting Game 1 on Saturday. Their options to follow him include ex-Met Freddy Peralta, Fordham’s Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and lefty Ian Seymour.
“I feel like our five starters throughout the course of the year deserve to pitch a really big role in this,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “How we’re going to line them up will be dependent on how we get through Game 1.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees’ workout Friday, on the eve of the ALDS, was targeted.
Several Yankees hovered around home plate as Austin Wells rolled a few balls down both foul lines. Brett Weber, the team’s senior director of advance scouting, studied how and in which direction the balls rolled, along with how they interacted with the lip of the turf.
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Afterward, Weber stood at shortstop and infield coach Dan Fiorito at second with bats, taking turns cracking mostly one-or two-hoppers at Wells, mimicking a relay play to help the catcher judge how springy the artificial turf plays.
The Yankees then rolled a machine out behind the plate to fire high fly balls and pop-ups, giving the club a chance to begin figuring out how best to pick out a white baseball against a white fabric backdrop.
After dozens of reps, the group shifted to infield and pitcher-fielding practice, simulating game situations and testing how fast the ball would get to fielders on the synthetic turf.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells hits an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Yes, the Yankees routinely play at Tropicana Field, the home of a division rival that hosted seven of the head-to-head matchups this season. But only two of those were Yankees victories, and Aaron Boone’s bunch has never played a postseason game at The Trop, whose trap doors and booby traps could help decide which AL East power moves on to the ALCS.
New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero (72) celebrates after the final out of the ninth inning when the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. Robert Sabo for NY Post
It is a field that the Rays — baseball’s best team at making contact and most prolific team at bunting, the American League leader in steals and the unofficial regular-season champions in what manager Kevin Cash called “creating some havoc for defenses and pitchers” — clearly have embraced, posting the majors’ best home record at 55-26.
“I know online I always get to see about someone’s complaining about the catwalk, someone’s complaining about the roof, someone’s complaining about something or another,” Rays Game 1 starter Drew Rasmussen said. “Obviously, we’ve adapted to it very well.”
“It’s a different field for sure,” José Caballero, a Ray in 2024 and ’25, said with a smile.
Caballero said he has advised some teammates about what to expect. Neither George Lombard Jr. nor Spencer Jones, who both figure to be in Saturday’s Game 1 lineup, has played a game in the majors’ most peculiar domed ballpark.
New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. reacts after hitting an RBI single in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The ball moves faster on the ground, Caballero said, which is a difference that fielders can adjust to. The bigger adjustment in The Trop, Caballero added, is finding fly balls and preparing for the unknown that often comes at this ballpark.
“It’s really tough to see, with the roof being the same color as the ball,” said Caballero, who has told teammates they need to track balls hit high even if they are not in the vicinity. “… It could hit the catwalk and kick any direction.
“Even if the initial hit was not hit in your direction, you still have to pay attention to the ball.”
It does not help that the Rays — athletic, fast and experienced on their home turf on defense — are also pests on offense, striking out 18.8 percent of the time to lead the majors.
They will do whatever they can to pressure the Yankees, who did their best Friday to prepare for whatever Game 1 brings.
“They put the ball in play. They can run. They push the envelope,” Boone said. “You’ve got to take care of the ball against them.”
LOS ANGELES — Even Shohei Ohtani isn’t sure the extent of injuries to his right biceps, left knee and neck that kept him off the mound after the All-Star break and landed him on the injured list for the first time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this, so I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I’m going have a little bit more time to be able to address it,” he said Friday through a translator. “As of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”
Ohtani’s health is key to the Dodgers’ hopes of winning a third consecutive World Series championship, starting Saturday against Atlanta in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Manager Dave Roberts isn’t sure what Ohtani can deliver.
“I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened,” he said. “I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough for me to forecast it.”
The two-way superstar came off the IL with just five games remaining in the regular season. He was 5 for 21 with eight strikeouts, a walk and a double.
The Dodgers have said Ohtani is feeling better since his return, and Roberts believes his at-bat quality showed improvement.
“(My body) feels really good overall,” Ohtani said. “I do feel like my swing is in a better place — it feels smooth. Just little tweaks here and there and I’ll be ready.”
Ohtani was single when he went on the IL twice during his six years with the Los Angeles Angels. He’s now married and a father of two, with his son arriving in late June to join a daughter born in April 2025.
“If I’d been by myself this time, I probably would have had a lot more time to think about everything, and I imagine it would have been much harder mentally,” he said in Japanese. “But I had a house full of people around me, so that made a big difference in terms of how I felt.”
Ohtani throws right-handed and bats left-handed. He explained that he was better able to use his left arm with his daughter. His infant son, however, requires two arms to hold, which limited him because of the injury to his right biceps.
Ohtani took live batting practice against countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier in the week. The last time they’d faced each other was in 2017 in Nippon Professional Baseball, when Ohtani struck out and singled off Yamamoto.
“I think it was a valuable experience for both of us in terms of getting some game-like repetitions. I got to take a few at-bats and see all of his different pitches,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “It was a lot of fun. It felt fresh and exciting. His stuff also felt quite different from what I remembered.”
Braves’ strained rotation
The Braves’ rotation is seriously strained coming into the Division Series.
Their three-game win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series forced ace Chris Sale into pitching the final four outs on short rest Thursday night. He threw 95 pitches while starting Game 1, leaving his possible start against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS up in the air.
“A lot of it’s going to depend on how Chris feels. Certainly don’t want to jeopardize him and his health,” manager Walt Weiss said Friday. “He’s had to grind here recently, so we’re going to err on the side of giving him more rest, if it’s even close.”
On Thursday, the Braves ruled out starters Martín Pérez (back) and Bryce Elder (knee) for the NLDS.
“There’s a chance we’re going to have to pitch a lot of innings out of our bullpen, especially the first couple games,” Weiss said. “We’ll have to add some arms to the roster.”
The Braves had a late night after eliminating the Phillies and then traveling Friday to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have been resting and preparing for five days.
“My world is spinning right now,” Weiss said.
High heat
Los Angeles is under an extreme heat warning, and it’s expected to continue into late next week.
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high temperature of 100 degrees (38 Celsius) for the day game, when Tarik Skubal takes the mound for the Dodgers. The average high in early October is 81 degrees.
“I know the pitchers are going to have a hard time,” Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani said. “I’m wishing all the best for Scooby.”
Skubal grew up in Kingman, Arizona, where the average July temperature is 96 degrees (35 Celsius). He said he’ll drink plenty of water Saturday.
“You’re just not going to the bathroom because you’re probably sweating it out,” he said.
Sunday’s game begins at 8 p.m. EDT but conditions won’t be much better, with a projected high of 99 degrees.
The highest game-time temperature ever recorded at Dodger Stadium is 103 degrees (39 Celsius), recorded twice. The first time was Oct. 24, 2017, for Game 1 of the World Series against Houston. It was equaled on Sept. 8, 2024, for a regular-season game against Cleveland.
The Dodgers are encouraging fans to wear hats and sunscreen. They’re allowed to bring in non-alcoholic drinks of one liter or less in factory-sealed plastic bottles. Empty refillable water bottles are allowed. Bottle filling stations and water fountains are scattered around the stadium.
As the Dodgers entered the final portion of the regular season this year, manager Dave Roberts gathered some of his hitters to deliver a late-season reminder.
Nine months earlier, the Dodgers had openly proclaimed their ambitions to complete a World Series three-peat this year, stating the goal clearly (and repeatedly) during a parade to celebrate their second consecutive championship last November.
A few months after that, they reported to spring training and were bombarded with questions about the historical significance of such a quest, reminded time and again of a feat no National League team has ever accomplished, and no club in all of Major League Baseball has pulled off since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 02: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (C) celebrates with his team after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 to win the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on November 02, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Thus, shortly before the trade deadline, and with October only barely starting to appear on the horizon, Roberts wanted to make sure his veteran core was in the right headspace.
Yes, the chance for history was within their grasp.
But no, they couldn’t afford to become preoccupied with the magnitude of such a task.
“We had a little conversation with Doc the other day, the position player group, and he’s really into winning this year,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said at the time. “Obviously he cares about winning the last two [years], and it’s really important for him and for us. But he said he doesn’t really care about what happened the last two years. He wants to win this year. So it’s kind of like a pressed button for us to kind of continue to go and not let the rest of the league catch up to our standards. We just gotta keep it up there.”
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Miguel Rojas, left, celebrates with first baseman Enrique Hernández after a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in San Francisco. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Once again, the subject of a third consecutive title has been raised repeatedly this week.
And yet, the Dodgers have brushed it off at every turn, staying hyper-focused on the challenge of simply winning one World Series — and not the larger historical stakes hanging in the balance this October.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, left, talks with manager Dave Roberts during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“When you talk about three-peating, you’re putting that extra pressure on it that doesn’t need to be there,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “Winning a World Series is already hard enough as it is. So for us, we’re just trying to focus on what we have ahead of us and without the added noise to it.”
“I think if you think big picture in this moment, you’re going to lose sight of some things,” first baseman Freddie Freeman added. “You just got to take each day one day at a time. And we do understand the bigger picture. But if you’re looking at the bigger picture, then you won’t be able to get to that big picture, if you’re not focusing on the now.”
Los Angeles Dodgers, from left, Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman, manager Dave Roberts and Dalton Rushing meet at the mound against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
That’s all been music to Roberts’ ears.
Ever since the team set its three-peat aim at last year’s parade, he has been trying to narrow its aperture, emphasizing the need to “put on blinders” and ignore outside noise and be prepared for the adversity the Dodgers will inevitably face during yet another postseason march.
“It’s still a different season. There’s going to be different challenges,” Roberts said. “I understand our guys understand what’s at stake. But I think for me, it’s balancing the importance, the opportunity that we have, versus trying to add more pressure than there is already.”
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks during a news conference ahead of a baseball NL Division Series, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The Dodgers have plenty of practice, of course, handling such weighty expectations.
Over the last decade, they’ve gone from trying to snap a generational title drought, to trying to validate a shortened-season championship in 2020, to trying to cement a modern-day dynasty with back-to-back World Series triumphs.
Each of those boxes has now been checked.
The one that’s left — attempting to join only the Yankees and Athletics as MLB franchises to win three straight World Series — might be the toughest of all.
That much, they know. But as another October begins, they’re trying not to pay it much mind.
“You can’t get there unless you win the game that’s ahead of you,” Muncy said. “So we’re just focused on the game we got coming up.”
Maybe the Padres like facing the National League Central Division.
San Diego took care of some unfinished business against one NL Central opponent this week, now they get the division’s heavyweight.
The Padres swept the Cubs out of the NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday and head to Milwaukee for an NLDS matchup against the 103-win Brewers, the team with the best record in baseball this season.
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King reacts after the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park in San Diego, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Despite their dominant regular season, the Brewers won’t be thrilled to see San Diego on Saturday. The Padres won four of the six meetings between the teams this season, including a three-game sweep at Petco Park in August.
San Diego is also the hottest team in baseball over the last two months and went 18-6 in September before dismantling MLB’s highest-scoring offense in two games in the wild-card matchup.
If the Braves and Dodgers NLDS is billed as a classic David vs. Goliath matchup, then the Padres and Brewers is the unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Milwaukee also went 18-6 in September and has had an identical number of wins as San Diego since the start of August with 38. This best-of-five collision is between the two hottest teams left standing.
Game 1 is set for Saturday night at American Family Field, where the Brewers went 55-26, tied for the best home record in baseball this season. The Padres counter with a roster loaded with postseason scars and star power. Oh, and we didn’t even mention they have the most terrifying bullpen in the playoffs.
The Post’s Michael J. Duarte takes a look at how the Padres and Brewers stack up this October:
Milwaukee also went 18-6 in September and has had an identical number of wins as San Diego since the start of August with 38. This best-of-five collision is between the two hottest teams left standing. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
At the plate
This is where Milwaukee quietly suffocates teams.
The Brewers led the majors in batting average (.258) and on-base percentage (.341), scoring 832 runs despite finishing near the bottom of baseball with 154 home runs.
The Brewers don’t need to bludgeon you. They peck, scratch, walk, run and generally turn a pitching staff’s evening into a root canal appointment.
Milwaukee also tied for the MLB lead by seeing 3.97 pitches per plate appearance. That kind of plate discipline is important in October, when knocking an elite starting pitcher out of the game can be as valuable as hitting a home run off them.
Brice Turang has become the Brewers’ engine. He finished with an .816 OPS, 21 homers and 100 RBIs and then hit .361 with a .475 OBP in September. William Contreras drove in an MLB-best 24 runs during the final month. Jackson Chourio gives Milwaukee another dynamic threat near the top.
The Padres’ full-season .319 OBP doesn’t belong in the same neighborhood, but that number is increasingly misleading. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts and Ty France all surged late, and the Padres had baseball’s hottest offense in September before scoring 12 runs in their two-game domination of Chicago.
Most importantly, San Diego doesn’t strike out excessively. The Padres ranked 10th in MLB at avoiding strikeouts, a valuable commodity when October pitching starts throwing napalm.
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Here is where the Padres can change a game before the beer vendor finishes walking down the first aisle.
San Diego hit 183 homers to Milwaukee’s 154, with Manny Machado reaching 30, Merrill 26, Tatis 25 and France 21. Tatis’ season was especially bizarre: After going homerless for nearly two months, he hit 25 beginning May 30 and carried that heater into October with a leadoff blast against Chicago. Machado followed four pitches later. Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets also went deep for the Padres in the wild-card round.
The Padres also possess a particularly intriguing weapon against Jacob Misiorowski.
Nobody in baseball handled premium velocity better than San Diego. They led the majors with a .343 wOBA against fastballs of at least 96 mph. In September, that number exploded to .441. The Padres also tied for second in baseball in average bat speed at 72.8 mph. Milwaukee ranked third against 96-plus velocity at .325, so the Brewers aren’t exactly bringing a butter knife to this gunfight, either.
Still, Misiorowski isn’t merely another hard thrower. He is the soon-to-be NL Cy Young Award winner and a pitching lab experiment that escaped containment. His fastball routinely reaches triple digits, and he finished with a 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts, a 0.80 WHIP and a .157 opponents’ batting average — the lowest recorded by a starter.
The most irresistible matchup of Game 1 is baseball’s best high-velocity offense against perhaps baseball’s most violent fastball.
Edge: Padres
Here is where the Padres can change a game before the beer vendor finishes walking down the first aisle. Getty Images
Projected Lineups
Padres
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Dustin Harris, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Austin Hays, DH
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Luis Campusano, C
Brewers
1. Jackson Chourio, LF
2. Brice Turang, 2B
3. William Contreras, C
4. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
5. Christian Yelich, DH
6. Sal Frelick, RF
7. Joey Ortiz, 3B
8. Garrett Mitchell, CF
9. Cooper Pratt, SS
In the field
On the diamond, Milwaukee has one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball in Turang, whose 23 defensive runs saved ranked second among all major-league position players.
Rookie Cooper Pratt has been impressive at shortstop, and Joey Ortiz was excellent after shifting to third. Milwaukee finished with 62 defensive runs saved as a team.
The Padres’ infield might be older, but they aren’t statues.
Machado remains magnificent at third and led the position with +8 Fielding Run Value. France produced +7 Outs Above Average at first, second only to Matt Olson among MLB first basemen. Bogaerts isn’t the shortstop he once was, but October isn’t foreign soil for a man with 56 career postseason games.
Jake Cronenworth versus Turang is the biggest mismatch. Cronenworth produced a career-worst .629 OPS in an injury-shortened season, while Turang became one of the sport’s most valuable second basemen.
Behind the plate, Contreras gives Milwaukee another advantage. He threw out 34.2% of attempted base stealers and supplied significantly more offensive certainty than San Diego’s three-headed catching arrangement of Campusano, Freddy Fermin and 20-year-old Ethan Salas.
Edge: Brewers
Tatis is still one of baseball’s premier defensive right fielders, with two Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves already on his resume. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
In the outfield
In the outfield the pendulum swings.
Tatis is still one of baseball’s premier defensive right fielders, with two Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves already on his resume. Put the glove together with 25 homers, 38 steals and his scorching finish, and there aren’t many players remaining in October capable of affecting a game in more ways.
Merrill gives San Diego another difference-maker in center. His .743 OPS was disappointing by his standards, but he still hit a career-high 26 homers, stole 27 bases and finished fourth among MLB center fielders with 4.2 fWAR.
Left field is San Diego’s soft spot after Ramón Laureano’s season-ending hip surgery, leaving Harris, Austin Hays, Samad Taylor and others to piece the position together.
Milwaukee is much more complete.
Chourio became the first player in MLB history with three 20-homer, 20-steal seasons before turning 23. Garrett Mitchell produced +7 OAA in center while posting a .354 OBP. Sal Frelick doesn’t bring much power, but he almost never swings through anything.
The Brewers are deeper, but the Padres have the two best outfielders in the series.
Edge: Padres
On the basepaths
Don’t look away when either team gets somebody aboard. The Padres stole 164 bases during the regular season. Milwaukee stole 162.
San Diego’s Big 3 are Tatis (38), Merrill (27) and Bogaerts (22), but Milwaukee can answer with Chourio, Turang, David Hamilton, Pratt, Mitchell and enough team speed to turn a routine single into a traffic violation.
Contreras and Campusano both have strong throwing numbers, so neither club can run recklessly.
Edge: Even
Bench
Sheets already showed what San Diego’s bench can do when he came off it and blasted a two-run homer against the Cubs. Miguel Andujar gives the Padres a dangerous right-handed bat. Hays can start against certain matchups, and San Diego can mix and match at catcher with Campusano, Fermin and Salas.
That three-catcher construction is unconventional, but October rewards specialization.
Milwaukee counters with considerably more positional flexibility. Andrew Vaughn can supply a right-handed bat at first or DH. David Hamilton brings elite speed and can handle multiple infield spots. Gary Sánchez provides instant power at catcher or DH, while Luis Lara and Brandon Lockridge offer Pat Murphy additional outfield configurations depending on matchups.
Edge: Brewers
Let’s start with the starting rotation. This is Milwaukee’s clearest advantage, but the chasm is not as wide as you think. Getty Images
On the mound
Let’s start with the starting rotation. This is Milwaukee’s clearest advantage, but the chasm is not as wide as you think.
The Padres will give the baseball to Robbie Ray in Game 1 against Jacob Misiorowski, saving Michael King for Game 2 on Sunday against Logan Henderson.
Ray has plenty of October mileage and gives the Brewers a different look from the right-handers behind him, but his arrival in San Diego has been turbulent. He posted a 5.02 ERA after the trade and now gets the unenviable assignment of matching zeroes with the most overwhelming starting pitcher in baseball.
Misiorowski just authored one of the most outrageous seasons by a young starter in recent memory: 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts, a 0.80 WHIP and a .157 opponents’ batting average.
That’s the mountain waiting for San Diego on Saturday night.
King returns on normal rest Sunday after carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series. He has become San Diego’s October ace, with a 2.05 career postseason ERA, and pushing him to Game 2 creates another enormous benefit: If this series reaches a winner-take-all Game 5, King can take the baseball on normal rest again.
Milwaukee will answer Sunday with Henderson, the 24-year-old right-hander who went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA and has never allowed more than three runs in any of his first 23 major-league starts.
Nick Pivetta should follow in Game 3 at Petco Park. After missing nearly five months with a flexor strain, Pivetta has been excellent since returning, even if his wild-card start against Chicago lasted 3.1 innings. Pivetta was easily the ace of the Padres’ staff last season.
Game 4 is where both teams may begin emptying the junk drawer.
San Diego could return to Ray on short rest, use Walker Buehler or construct a bullpen game. Milwaukee has Robert Gasser, Dustin May and a collection of potential openers and bulk arms available depending on how the first three games unfold.
Edge: Brewers
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King delivers against the Chicago Cubs in the sixth inning of Game 1 of the National League Wild Card baseball playoff series Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
If the Brewers’ strength is starting pitching, then the Padres is their bullpen.
San Diego’s bullpen is a monster hiding under the bed.
The Padres led MLB relievers with 8.9 fWAR and produced a major-league-best 3.33 xERA. Adrián Morejón gives manager Craig Stammen an elite left-handed setup option. Bradgley Rodriguez throws 98. Jason Adam is healthy again. Yuki Matsui provides another left-handed look. And then the bullpen doors open for Mason Miller, one of the best closers in all of baseball.
Miller struck out 129 batters in 70 innings — 16.6 per nine — while finishing in Statcast’s 100th percentile in xERA, expected batting average, fastball velocity, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage.
If San Diego leads after six, the Brewers may effectively have three outs left to save their evening.
Milwaukee’s bullpen was excellent, finishing with a 3.40 ERA. Trevor Megill saved 30 games with a career-best 0.89 WHIP. Abner Uribe has closer-quality stuff, Aaron Ashby gives Murphy a durable left-handed weapon, and DL Hall, JoJo Romero and others give the Brewers considerable matchup flexibility.
Most years, that would be enough to own this category. Not this year.
Edge: Padres
Manager
This might be the most fascinating managerial matchup of the Division Series.
Stammen is doing this in his first season as a major-league manager after replacing Mike Shildt. Instead of inheriting a cruise ship, he inherited a roster with an aging core, rotation uncertainty and enormous expectations.
Things got off to a rocky start through July, when Stammen said the team got together to have some “hard conversations.” But after that they caught fire in August and September and still managed to win 90 games.
Then he navigated the wild-card round beautifully, trusting King deep into Game 1 and aggressively deploying his bullpen to finish Chicago in Game 2.
Across the diamond is a man San Diego knows quite well.
Murphy got his first major-league managing opportunity as the Padres’ interim skipper in 2015. A decade later, he has turned Milwaukee into a winning machine.
The back-to-back NL Manager of the Year has guided the Brewers to four consecutive NL Central titles, and this year’s 103 victories established a franchise record. His club isn’t constructed around a billion-dollar payroll or a lineup of future Hall of Famers. Milwaukee wins with development, defense, depth, matchups and an almost irritating refusal to beat itself.
Edge: Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sunday, September 27, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Intangibles
Milwaukee earned the right to put its feet up and rest a week while San Diego had to fight Chicago.
That gave Misiorowski, Henderson and the Brewers’ bullpen extra rest and allowed injured players such as Ortiz additional recovery time.
Normally, you’d hand Milwaukee the advantage and move along.
But the Padres aren’t exactly limping into the NLDS. They have been kicking down doors since August and have the best record in baseball over that time. They didn’t get to rest and probably wanted to keep playing considering how hot they’ve been.
There is also something to be said for already having felt October’s pulse.
San Diego has played two elimination-style postseason games this week. Tatis has homered. Machado has homered. Bogaerts has delivered. King has dominated. Sheets has come off the bench cold and gone deep. Miller has already felt the ninth inning.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee hasn’t played since Sunday.
Rest is valuable, but staying in a rhythm, especially the one the Padres have been in for the last two months, is better.
New York Yankees pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) reacts as he takes batting practice before game one of the Wildcard round of the 2026 MLB Playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In a rare session with reporters, Giancarlo Stanton declared himself “ready to go, however they need me.”
The question the Yankees were set to ask among themselves Friday: Do they, indeed, need him for the AL Division Series?
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A remarkable comeback from three calf strains, which sidelined the slugger from late April until he was activated for the wild-card series, is in jeopardy. The Yankees, who carried just 10 pitchers with 16 position players in the best-of-three series against Boston, are considering 10-12 pitchers for the best-of-five ALDS against the Rays, manager Aaron Boone said. With more games, they may need more arms.
With rosters due Saturday morning before Game 1, Boone said Friday afternoon that the organization had not yet decided whether Stanton would remain active.
New York Yankees pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) reacts as he takes batting practice before game one of the Wildcard round of the 2026 MLB Playoffs against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Against the Red Sox, Boone came close to pinch-hitting Stanton, he has said, but did not pull the trigger in a couple of blowouts. On Friday, Stanton was asked if he would have preferred getting an at-bat so he could see real major league pitching for the first time since he suffered the initial calf strain on April 24.
“I prefer to get two wins and be here now,” Stanton said. “Is it always good to get [at-bats] for anybody for their timing? Yes.”
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge workout and chat in the outfield before the game when the New York Yankees played the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Stanton spoke in a media scrum for the first time since June — after his second calf strain and before a third that occurred in August — and declined to talk about how the “process was or the comeback” but offered: “I’m ready to help the team any way I can. … That’s all really I got to say about that.”
The 36-year-old more commonly speaks with his bat, which owns a career .926 OPS with 18 home runs in 48 postseason games.
He has worked his way into being, at the least, an option for the games he looks forward to the most and the games that one day could define his legacy. Stanton, like several prominent Yankees, does not have a World Series ring.
“If there’s any time to erase a bad year, it’s in October,” Stanton said before taking batting practice at Tropicana Field. “So it’s the biggest opportunity to just show out for the city and do all we can do.”
They might not see him on Sunday in Game 2, either.
Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park in Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. Getty Images
Because Braves manager Walt Weiss made the baffling decision to turn to Sale with a four-run lead to close out the deciding game of an NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies, there’s a chance the Dodgers won’t have to face the former Cy Young Award winner until the third game of the best-of-five series.
“A lot’s going to depend on how Chris feels,” Weiss said.
With one of the top bullpens in baseball, the NL East champion Braves present a real threat to the Dodgers on paper.
Reality won’t be nearly as dramatic.
Defeating the Phillies came at an extreme cost for the Braves, who enter this series looking more like cannon fodder than a realistic challenger.
“The Phillies series took a lot out of us, as far as our pitching,” Weiss said.
That series stretched to three games, with the games played on consecutive days. Closer Raisel Iglesias, fireballer Didier Fuentes and left-hander Dylan Lee pitched on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Fuentes returning to pitch again in the series finale.
In their bullpen game on Thursday, the Braves used six pitchers, including Sale, who was entrusted to take down the last four outs of a four-run game two days after he pitched 6 ⅓ innings in a Game 1 win.
The way the Braves used their relievers in the wild-card matchup will handicap a bullpen that was one of the best of baseball in the regular season.
Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss speaks to the media after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park in Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. Getty Images
“The advantage for us is we have an opportunity to not let their pitching staff come up for air,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
In fact, with Weiss saying that sidelined starters Martin Perez and Bryce Elder won’t return in this round, the Braves could have to resort to bullpen games in Games 1 and 2.
In retrospect, Sale was more than a proverbial nail in the coffin for the Phillies — he was closer to an atomic bomb. But if Sale’s eighth-inning entrance detonated the minuscule chances of a Phillies comeback, it might have also nuked the Braves’ attempt to upset the Dodgers.
If Sale doesn’t pitch until Game 3, he will be limited to one start in the NLDS. So will Tyler Mahle, the only other usable starting pitcher on the Braves’ roster.
But say Sale can pitch by Sunday. What will the 37-year-old Sale look like after pitching in relief on Thursday? In that game, Sale threw four pitches in the eighth inning, sat on the bench for a half-inning, then returned to the mound to throw 17 more pitches.
Pitching in Game 2 would make Sale available to start Game 5 on four days’ rest, but, again, how will Sale look at that point? If Sale takes the mound for a hypothetical fifth game, he would be starting opposite Tarik Skubal, who would be pitching on five days’ rest.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, greets designated hitter Shohei Ohtani before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Don’t begrudge the Dodgers for this advantage. They earned it by securing one of the NL’s top two seeds, which earned them a bye in the wild-card round.
In 2021, the Dodgers won a then-franchise-record 106 games but had to play in a winner-take-all wild-card game because they were edged for the NL West title by the Giants. After beating the Cardinals on a walk-off home run in the wild-card game, the Dodgers were pushed to five games by the Giants in the NLDS. Max Scherzer closed out the last game of the NLDS, which affected him in the next round against the Braves. Scherzer lasted only 4 ⅓ innings in his Game 2 start and had to be scratched from his Game 6 assignment.
The record shows the Dodgers were eliminated by the Braves that year, but the truth was the damage they sustained in the Giants series is what ended their postseason run.
This time, the Dodgers are on the other side of the equation.
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 11: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with the media after winning Game Six of the NBA Finals on October 11, 2020 at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Given how divisive it is, there will never be a uniform opinion on the Lakers’ 2020 title.
What shouldn’t be up for debate, regardless of the validity of the title, though, is that it’s a shame they never got to properly celebrate it. Because of everything going on in the world in 2020, a parade was never a viable option.
And that’s something that still bothers LeBron James.
In his return to his Mind the Game podcast prior to training camp kicking off around the league, LeBron James spoke about his time in Los Angeles and brought up the fact that the Lakers never really got to celebrate their title.
“It bothers me, [on a scale of] 1-10, 20. Just to be able to celebrate with the Laker faithful. I don’t know what the route would have been. I’m thinking go down Olympic, just all the way down Olympic and then end up downtown right by Staples Center. Everybody want to call it Crypto but it’s Staples Center to me. It would have been super, duper dope. But we did that. We did that and that banner’s up there. That banner’s in that arena forever along with the other ones that’s been able to go up in the history of the Lakers franchise.”
Even if the Lakers wanted to celebrate, the league didn’t exactly give them much time to do it. Their six-week offseason didn’t exactly lend itself to much time to plan things.
Now, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they get to ever truly celebrate the title. Perhaps in the future if/when the Lakers win another title, they can have members of the 2020 team tag along. But would it feel the same?
It would likely have to happen in the distant future as it’s hard to imagine LeBron being on a different team and celebrating a title in LA with the Lakers. Hopefully, though, it’s something the team has to contemplate in the future because that 2020 team does deserve to be celebrated and given it’s flowers.
DETROIT, MI - JULY 09: Athletics left-fielder Zack Gelof (20) grabs his leg after sliding into the railing trying to catch a foul ball during game between Athletics and Detroit Tigers on July 9, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Zack Gelof is one of those athletes who only has one speed: full bore ahead. It’s part of what makes him an elite athlete and at times it makes it difficult for him to stay on the field. But there is also a difference between playing with “reckless abandon” and having “no regard for your body,” and hitting the ER because the other team’s stadium operations executives had no regard for your body.
In July, 2017 the A’s acquired Dustin Fowler from the New York Yankees as he was recovering from a serious knee injury, a rupture of his right patella tendon. In December, 2017, Fowler sued the Chicago White Sox, claiming negligence due to an unpadded, metal electrical box that was located in precisely the area where Fowler impacted the wall. Fowler’s lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount of cash.
Now comes Gelof’s lawsuit filed against the Detroit Tigers after Gelof badly lacerated his leg on July 9 when his pursuit of a foul fly ball took him into the side wall — where instead of padding there was a stretch of metal wiring that sliced Gelof’s knee like a Veg-O-Matic and kept him out of action for a month.
Some injuries are preventable and many aren’t. Some mishaps are the result of foreseeable gross negligence and many are just plain bad luck. Stadium operators are obliged to notice clear safety hazards, and many hazards only reveal themselves when a fluky play exposes a formerly unknown truth.
The question in front of a judge or jury, first to be mediated by posturing attorneys, is whether Gelof’s injury was caused by a negligence that anyone could have, and should have, reasonably foreseen. The law doesn’t compensate you for bad luck like it does for bad faith.
Did the Tigers expressly have an obligation to put padding, or avoid putting a wire facing, in a part of the playing field a fielder might slide or crash into? Did Gelof have some obligation either to avoid going full tilt into a very visible wire structure or to notice the hazard during batting practice and bring it to someone’s attention?
Separately there is the question of “damages” as the two sides haggle about the “value” of the case. Certainly there was appreciable pain and suffering — that much was clear at the time of the collision as well as the fact that Gelof could not take the field in a big league game for 32 days.
But he was also paid while on the IL and rehab assignments, so there was no loss of income there. His future value, and how this injury did or did not affect it, is a pretty subjective question, but we do know that Gelof put up a 116 wRC+ before the injury and a very similar 112 wRC+ after.
One thing is for sure: Fowler’s case will be raised, by both sides, in conversations around Gelof’s chances of prevailing in his lawsuit and the value of any settlement. Fowler created precedent that informs comparable cases. And once again, here is an outfielder who was racing into foul territory when he bludgeoned himself on an exposed and unforgiving barrier to his pursuit.
What do you think are the material facts in Gelof’s case and who do they ultimately favor? In all likelihood this case, like the one before it, will settle and never go to trial and the settlement amount will not be made public. But if you were on a jury and were asked to rule on the merits, what information would most inform your verdict and what would that verdict look like? In the end, will Gelof get the 65th win of the season to bring vengeance upon the stadium where Oakland’s season was ended 20 years prior?
Major League Baseball wrapped a postseason advertisement around the front page of The Times this week. “OCTOBER STARTS TODAY,” the headline screamed.
Beneath those enormous letters, Shohei Ohtani smiled. Who else?
And so dozens of reporters crammed into a cramped room within Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon, on the eve of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, waiting for Ohtani to answer a few versions of “How are you?”
It’s not just about attracting casual fans to watch the icon whose face adorns everything from airplanes to skin care products. For the Dodgers and their fans, it’s about whether their most famous player can be a game-changer in October.
The Dodgers could have shut him down as a pitcher rather than let him continue to try to pitch through knee and biceps injuries. They didn’t, and that backfired.
The Dodgers could have shut him down as a hitter, not for the season but for a stint on the injured list. They didn’t. They gave him just a few days off, and that backfired.
Then the Dodgers did put him on the injured list, but activated him for the final five games of the regular season rather than give him extended rest for the playoffs, limiting his activity to controlled workouts.
That might backfire, or it might not, and the repercussions of the former could represent a significant hurdle in their quest for a third consecutive World Series championship. Giving Ohtani time off during the regular season would have carried no penalty; the Dodgers would have won the NL West with or without him.
If the Dodgers decide Ohtani needs a few days off now, they would face this unpleasant dilemma: play one man short, or put him on the injured list. Under MLB rules, a player put on the injured list during a postseason series must sit out the next series. So, if Ohtani starts wincing at the end of his swings during the NLDS, a stint on the injured list would mean he could not play again until the World Series — if the Dodgers get there.
Shohei Ohtani speaks during a news conference at Dodger Stadium on Friday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Ohtani has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. Since then, he is batting .157, and he has struck out in 41% of his at-bats. In those final five games, he hit the ball hard in the first two, then hit ground balls in the final three. In the on-deck circle, he did not always take a swing.
In batting practice Friday, he hit lots of home runs.
The general sense of how Ohtani is feeling now: good enough.
Ohtani said he feels “really good” as compared to before he went on the injured list, but acknowledged he isn’t sure what he might need to do to address the injuries over the winter.
“As of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered this medical update: “Shohei’s not 100%, but he’s going to be in the lineup.”
Same for Freddie Freeman, who has not homered in a month. The difference, Roberts said, is how encouraged the manager was by Freeman’s workouts this week.
“With Shohei, I’m not so sure,” Roberts said. “I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened. I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough to really — for me to forecast it.”
Ohtani plays when he says he can. After he tore up his left shoulder in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, he had trainers tape the shoulder in place and took 11 at-bats over the final three games of the series. He had one hit, a single.
“I do pride myself on playing every day,” Ohtani said. “I do see it as an obligation as a professional to be on the field every single day.”
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, acknowledged recently that communication with Ohtani has been “awesome” but “fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome.”
Said Friedman: “He’s not always the best reporter of how he feels. Freddie’s the same way. Clayton Kershaw. I’ve been around a lot of these guys that feel like their job is to be out there to help the team however they can, and sometimes will downplay some things that are bothering them. But again, it’s because he wants to help the team win.”
The Dodgers are talented enough that Ohtani not hitting well would not damage their chances as much as, say, Sale not pitching well for the Braves. In the NLDS and the first three games of the NLCS last October, Ohtani hit .103 with no home runs and struck out in 48% of his at-bats.
In the NLCS clincher, he hit three home runs (and struck out 10 batters). The Dodgers could trade a few bad days from Ohtani for that one really good day.
In that MLB advertisement, the one that featured Ohtani, the league acknowledged that its screaming headline was not exactly accurate. The explanation also fits the Dodgers’ hopes of Ohtani starring in October.
The ad, after all, appeared on Sept. 29.
October starts today?
“Logic and reason would tell you otherwise,” the ad read. “But October isn’t about being reasonable.
