Category: MLB

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead with their 3-1, Game 3 win Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series at Truist Park in Atlanta.

The game was tight, knotted at 0-0 through the third inning. Freddie Freeman thought he had a home run but Atlanta Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubón had other ideas in mind, robbing Freeman of the shot.

It wasn't until the following inning when the Dodgers took the lid off and connected for a couple of home runs from Kiké Hernández and Freeman in the top of the fourth inning.

Hernández hit a two-run homer for his 17th career home run in the postseason. Freeman followed with a solo shot just a few batters later.

The Braves got a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Drake Baldwin grounded out to first, giving Dubón time to make it home safe. That was the end of the scoring, though. The Dodgers hung on to preserve the win and go ahead in the series.

ATLANTA –– Two superstar pitchers were on the mound.

Two teams’ seasons were essentially hanging in the balance.

And in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, an all-time, old-fashioned, heavyweight October pitchers’ duel came down to two no-doubt, home run swings.

With a 3-1 win on Tuesday night that represented a monumental step forward in their pursuit of a third-straight World Series, the Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the best of Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves.

“I don’t feel I outpitched Chris Sale tonight,” Yamamoto, ever-modest, said through his interpreter after.

The box score (and the final score), however, told a different story.

Sale gave up a pair of home runs in the top of the fourth inning, with Kiké Hernández launching a two-run blast to left and Freddie Freeman belting a solo shot to right-center. 

Yamamoto made the lead stand up, spinning seven spectacular innings of one-run ball in his latest playoff gem.

Now, the Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead in this best-of-five series, needing just one more victory to advance with Tyler Glasnow lined up for Game 4 and Tarik Skubal on deck for a Game 5, if it gets there.

They stared down a daunting task against Sale, arguably the best pitcher they’ve faced at any point in the last three postseasons, and rose to the challenge the way they so often have while cementing their dynasty.

“We played tonight like an elimination game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think collectively it was probably one of our better performances, certainly [against] the starter, as far as 1 through 9 [in the lineup].”

On the eve of Game 3’s titanic pitching clash, Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates laid out the situation succinctly.

To go deep in the playoffs, he said, “you’re gonna have to beat some really good pitchers … You’re gonna have to face an ace.”

That, of course, applied to both teams Tuesday, with Yamamoto making his 2026 postseason debut coming off a 14-9, 2.53 ERA regular season –– and his World Series MVP heroics during last year’s title run.

Still, the left-handed Sale offered up a unique challenge, entering Tuesday in the wake of a career-best 2.16 ERA this year (even better than his 2024 Cy Young campaign), two clutch performances in last week’s wild-card round, and a five-hit shutout of the Dodgers the last time he faced them in August.

“We know we’re in for a battle,” veteran Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said pregame.

Thus, the Dodgers made adjustments.

Hernández and Rojas were drawn into the starting lineup, replacing Max Muncy and Tommy Edman to give the club two extra right-handed bats. Banged-up slugger Shohei Ohtani was also dropped to the No. 5 spot in the batting order, the lowest he had hit since the 2020 season with the Angels.

“I just feel this gives us the best chance to beat the Braves today, and combat Sale,” Roberts explained pregame. “I feel good about it.”

Indeed, the Dodgers had Sale under pressure early and often, putting runners in scoring position in each of their first three trips to the plate (including a bases-loaded opportunity in the third) while driving up his pitch count with stressful, laborious innings.

Still, those were nothing but moral victories initially, with Sale wiggling out of each threat to keep the game scoreless –– with the help of outfielder Mauricio Dubón robbing Freeman of a surefire two-run homer on a leaping, full-sprint effort at the short wall in left in the third.

“We felt really good about our at-bats,” Freeman said. “We just missed. They made good plays. That’s kind of how it was going. “

An inning later, however, the Dodgers would finally break through.

In his latest bit of postseason heroics, it was Hernández who broke the deadlock from the No. 9 spot, getting a changeup from Sale that caught too much of the inside corner of the plate and sending it screaming out to left for a two-run homer.

It was the 17th home run of Hernández’s illustrious playoff career. It was a drive he celebrated with a primal scream as he rounded first base. And it turned a tense Truist Park crowd silent, save for raucous reception coming from the visiting third-base dugout.

“We needed a little bit of that Kiké dust,” Roberts quipped.

Two batters later, the Dodgers bench would be going wild again.

Making his first postseason appearance in Atlanta since leaving the Braves for the Dodgers as a free agent five years ago, Freeman made sure not to be robbed again.

He squared up an inside fastball from Sale and uncorked a towering 399-foot bomb, sending it safely over the brick wall in right-center to make it a 3-0 game.

“It certainly speaks to the experience, the buy-in,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ team-wide approach. “If you don’t get results [early in the game] when you’re committed to kind of grinding, sometimes it’s easy to come off of that. But I thought tonight from start to finish we did a good job of grinding.”

Of Sale’s 13 career playoff appearances, Tuesday was the first since his postseason debut in 2017 in which he had given up multiple home runs. And though the Dodgers have yet to score any way other than the long ball this series –– falling to 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position after another hitless showing in that category Tuesday –– Yamamoto made sure the two big flies would stand up.

Tapping back into his historically dominant form from last October, Yamamoto largely breezed through a four-hit, one-walk, 10-strikeout masterpiece, burying the Braves with a flurry of fastballs, curveballs and splitters in a 98-pitch effort.

He faced his only real trouble in the fifth, when he limited the Braves to just one run from a bases-loaded, one-out jam. 

And by the time he turned things over to the bullpen –– where Tanner Scott and, in his return to closing duties, Edwin Díaz finished off the game –– he had already outlasted Sale (who departed after the fifth) and put the Dodgers on track to a pivotal Game 3 victory.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued his postseason dominance with seven strong innings and the Dodgers homered twice in their best showing against Chris Sale this season, beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Truist Park.

Los Angeles leads the best-of-5 series, two games to one.

Yamamoto only allowed two singles in the first four innings, one of which was a bunt that he was quick to field, but lost his footing when trying to throw to first base, one of three plays in Game 3 in which a Dodgers fielder slipped on the Truist Field turf.

Trouble came for Yamamoto in the fifth inning, with two single to open the frame followed by a one-out, four-pitch walk to pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez, in just his 14th major league plate appearance on the season. One ground out to first base brought in a run but another grounder ended the inning with only one run in, and the Dodgers still leading.

He needed only 98 pitches to finish off seven innings, with just that one run across, and tied a season high with 10 strikeouts, done three timesduring theregular season.

Ten strikeouts are a new postseason career high for Yamamoto, who authored the 20th double-digit strikeout game in Dodgers postseason history, and the first since Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS.

Yamamoto’s last five postseason appearances have been on the road, and he’s won all five of them. In the four starts, Yamamoto lasted at least six innings and allowed exactly one run in all four games. There was a rather famous eight-out, championship-clinching scoreless relief appearance on zero days rest last November as well. In those five games Yamamoto has allowed four total runs in 33 2/3 innings, with 32 strikeouts against only four walks.

He’s made himself at home on the road.

Breakthrough

Sale, even at age 37, is a tough customer to face, and his first six outs were all strikeouts, looking very much like the ace that allowed three runs in 16 innings in two regular season starts against the Dodgers this year. But in between those six strikeouts the Dodgers had two hits, plus another reached on an error.

Two more hits came in the third inning, plus a catcher’s interference, but the Dodgers stranded the bases loaded. That meant six left on base in what was still a scoreless game to that point, but there were encouraging signs, including Sale needing 62 pitches to get through the first three frames. Freddie Freeman, who homered in Game 2, hit a ball the other way with enough distance to get over the left field wall, but Mauricio Dubón robbed him of a two-run home run with a fantastic catch.

The Dodgers started to get the fruits of their labor in the fourth inning, which began with Andy Pages singling for his first hit of the postseason. Kiké Hernández, making his first start of the playoffs, deposited a changeup into the left field seats for the first two runs on the game.

Two batters after Hernández’s 12th postseason home run for the Dodgers — and his 17th career postseason shot — Freeman left no doubt this time around, taking Sale out, well over the wall in right field for a three-run inning.

Finally getting runs across underscored the work already put in by the Dodgers in making Sale work, and that paid off further when his night was done after five innings and 93 pitches.

Chance are

Ohtani batted fifth in Game 3, the first time in his three years with the Dodgers he’s batted anywhere but first or second. Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani hitting that low — which spaced out lefties Freeman, Ohtani, and Kyle Tucker with two batters in between them — was more of a one-time deployment because he was facing left-hander Chris Sale.

“I don’t think it’s a pressure thing. I do think it’s something where he wants to do more,” Roberts said earlier Tuesday. “But in that same breath, I do think that there’s going to be a couple big spots today where he’s going to be at-bat.”

Sure enough, Ohtani’s first two trips to the plate came with two runners on base. He chased badly on a strikeout in the first inning, but reached on catcher’s inference in the third. Ohtani didn’t bat again with any one on base, but those four total runners on with him at the plate were his most in a game since August 28. Ohtani did walk in the eighth inning, but was stranded.

On the mend

Miguel Rojas started for a second straight game against a left-handed starter, and was hitless in three at-bats. While batting in the eighth inning, Rojas felt something on a swing and left the game in the middle of the plate appearance with lower back pain, the Dodgers announced during the game. Rojas also had one of the aforementioned slips on the west Truist Park turf, loosing his footing in making the final out of the fifth inning on a ground out.

Tommy Edman completed the at-bat and popped out, then remained in the game at second base.

NLDS Game 3 particulars

Home runs: Kiké Hernández (1), Freddie Freeman (2)

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0): 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts

LP — Chris Sale (0-1): 5 IP, 7 hits, 3 runs, 7 strikeouts

Sv — Edwin Díaz (1): 1 IP, 1 hit

Up next

The Dodgers try to close out the series with Tyler Glasnow on the mound on Wednesday night in Game 4 (3:08 p.m. PT, FS1), while right-hander Tyler Mahle goes for the Braves.

SAN DIEGO — If the San Diego Padres didn’t have enough obstacles to overcome the Milwaukee Brewers, they will now be without All-Star closer Mason Miller for at least Game 3 Tuesday night when he was placed on paternity leave.

Miller’s wife, Jordan, went into labor Tuesday afternoon to deliver their first child.

The Padres, who were down 2-0 in the National League Division Series, replaced him on the roster with Wandy Peralta. It’s the second time this series that the Padres will be without a key pitcher with starter Walker Buehler also going on the paternity list before returning Monday.

Miller, the game’s top closer, will likely be replaced in the back end of the game with Adrian Morejon, who has been their setup man. The Padres were also without DH Gavin Sheets, who was scratched with a stiff neck, and replaced him with Samad Taylor.

If San Diego wins Tuesday to extend the series, Game 4 will be played on Wednesday, Oct. 7 in San Diego.

Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas left Tuesday night’s Game 3 of the National League Division Series with lower back pain, though he and the team feel he will be available if needed going forward.

Rojas was batting in the eighth inning against Braves reliever Brent Suter when he felt something on a swing, and started walking gingerly around the plate. After brief consultation with trainer Yosuke Nakajima and Roberts, Rojas was removed from the game in the middle of the at-bat, with a 1-1 count.

Tommy Edman popped out to finish the plate appearance, then played the final two innings at second base.

“He probably won’t be in there tomorrow against [Braves right-hander Tyler] Mahle. But just to have him available. Hopefully he feels better tomorrow,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Atlanta. “But I give him credit for conceding that at-bat because he wasn’t feeling right. So hopefully got it treated up and will feel better coming into tomorrow.”

Rojas expressed something similar to reporters in the clubhouse.

Rojas also slipped on the wet turf just beyond the infield on a groundout to end the fifth inning. Rojas lost his footing on the play but was still able to throw to first base to retire Ronald Acuña Jr.

So far this postseason Rojas has played in two of the Dodgers’ three games, both starts against a left-handed Braves pitcher, with a start at third base in Game 2 and at second base in Game 3. He doubled off Ray Kerr in Game 2 on Sunday, and was hitless in three at-bats against Chris Sale in Game 3. Rojas during the regular season hit .293/.340/.469 with a 121 wRC+ against southpaws.

The 37-year-old Rojas when he signed a one-year deal last December said his plan was to retire after the season and then move into the Dodgers front office, with a focus on player development. Whether this is actually the final ride for Rojas as a player is still up in the air.

“I’m not thinking about that at all. I’m not thinking about my future or anything. I’m thinking about a player who is hitting sixth today in the lineup to help the team win. And I still feel like I can play the game,” Rojas told reporters in Atlanta earlier Tuesday. “I will never think about stepping away from the game because of my performance or my way to play my game. I think there’s other things in life that I’m contemplating about that decision. But if I have to tell you right now, I’m not 100 percent like Kershaw was last year or others in the past that knew for sure they want to go after this year.

“For me it’s more, I would say it’s a 40/60 right now that I want to stay in the game and I want to play.”

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas left the game while at bat during Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Rojas took a swing at a pitch from Brent Suter, which resulted in a foul ball. After the swing, Rojas could be seen in immense pain as he stepped away from the plate.

He walked back gingerly to the dugout. It was unclear what Rojas injured; however, he could be seen in the dugout pointing towards his lower back.

Tommy Edman replaced Rojas at the plate. Edman hit a pop fly to first and was caught out.

The Dodgers would go on to win the game, 3-1.

Miguel Rojas injury updates

According to reporting from The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, Rojas thinks he should be fine in future games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miguel Rojas injury update after swing sends Dodger to clubhouse early

The Atlanta Braves are ready to play the back-to-back World Series’ champions.

Just before they kicked off Game 3 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta was living it up in the weight room.

WSB-Ch.2 Sports Director Zach Klein posted a video on X of himself in the halls of Truist Park, where the song “Throw it up” by Lil John & The East Side Boyz was blasting out of the speakers in the background.

“Alright, I’m here at the tunnels of Truist Park walking by the Braves clubhouse; this is the weight room. These guys are feeling it,” Klein said. “Game 3. Let’s get it.”

The video caught the attention of the Braves fandom as fans started to go just as crazy in the comments.

@sleep33 posted a GIF of Lil John saying his iconic phrase, “OK!!”

The Braves mascot Blooper got a shoutout in the comments as @ThatDude_JT commented, “Zach the rumor is that it was just Blooper alone in a dark room blasting music.”

@TheNermin1 wrote, “Bah Gawd that’s Chris Sale music!!!”

For Atlanta, they needed to get the best out of Sale on Tuesday night, but so far that hasn’t happened after he gave up two home runs in the fourth inning to Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman.

The Dodgers currently lead the Braves 3-1.

Milwaukee Brewers (2-0) at San Diego Padres (0-2), October 6, 2026, 6:30 p.m. PST

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Momentum and narratives swing wildly in October. Against the Red Sox, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones looked like the present and future of the Yankees. 

In two games against the Rays, they have looked like rookies. 

They have had plenty of company on a team that has neither hit nor won, but Lombard and Jones have been part of the problem for a Yankees club on the brink of elimination. 

For Lombard, the largest issue was two plays in the Game 2 loss — one deemed an error (even if the error could have been assigned to Luis García Jr.) and the other generously ruled a fielder’s choice that allowed a run to score. 

Jones had his own questionable play in right field Monday, but the bigger problem is the slugger going hitless in seven at-bats against Tampa Bay and now being 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts in the postseason. 

“It was just one of those games where things kind of compiled and stacked up on top of each other,” Lombard said after the team combined for four errors in the 5-2 loss. 

The worst moment for Lombard — who went 4-for-8 against Boston and has gone 0-for-7 against Tampa Bay, albeit with some hard-hit outs — came in Monday’s fifth inning. With one out and Junior Caminero on third and the Yankees trailing 2-1, Chandler Simpson tapped one softly to shortstop. Lombard charged, attempted to field on the backhand and rush a throw to the plate, but even as his arm was beginning his throw, the ball deflected off his glove. 

Probably contributing to the play was that the 21-year-old had not played at Tropicana Field before this series. 

“I wouldn’t say tough. It’s definitely different,” Lombard said of the turf. “But we went out there in practice and kind of tried to get accustomed to it. But it’s different than other fields. But that’s the same thing with every other stadium — everyone’s going to play different.” 

His next mistake was less field dependent: Two batters later, Jonny DeLuca hit a three-bouncer to Lombard, who could not charge it because Simpson cut in front of him on his way to third. 

He then had to rush. “I just pulled the throw a little bit,” Lombard said, with García unable to make a stretch and catch on a throw that was not that far offline. 

In an inning that should have been over, Richie Palacios then knocked a two-run single that essentially put the game out of reach. 

Jones’ defensive night was more debatable. The four-run fifth inning began with Jonathan Aranda smacking a line drive in front of him. 

Maybe Jones had a chance at charging, diving and making a remarkable grab. Maybe an overaggressive Jones would have dove and allowed the ball to get past him. 

In reality, Jones did not get a great jump and then played it on a hop for a single. 

“Playing it back in my head, I thought I had a good first step,” Jones said. “I just hesitated, and then that was the difference between making a play and then just trying to keep it in front of me.” 

His manager did not take issue with the play. 

“There are plenty of others to pick on tonight,” Aaron Boone said after the game. “That wasn’t one of them.” 

Easier to pick on have been Jones’ at-bats. He looked overmatched against Drew Rasmussen (as did the rest of the lineup), swinging through high fastballs and low changeups on a night he struck out twice and went 0-for-3. Monday, he struck out once, grounded out twice and found some terrible luck with his first well-hit pitch of the series: a towering fly ball to center that bounced off one of the rings high above the field. 

Alert right fielder in Victor Mesa Jr. ran over and caught the ricochet. 

“I didn’t know what happened,” Jones said. 

— Additional reporting by Greg Joyce 

Freddie Freeman and Kiké Hernández continue to add to their postseason résumés.

An inning after Freeman was denied an opposite-field home run over the left field wall at Truist Park by Mauricio Dubón, he thought he might try hitting one right.

But Hernandez needed to show off his bat first.

The two got the Dodgers on the board, to give them a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of the NLDS, by hitting home runs over the walls in left and right field.

Hernández saw an 89 MPH changeup come his way by Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale and sent it 406 feet out of the park for a two-run homer. One batter later, Freeman obliterated a 96 MPH sinker and sent it screaming off the bat at 103 MPH for 399 feet.

Sale managed to get out of the inning in the following at-bat, but at first glance, it looked he was going to gve up another homer.

Teoscar Hernández just came short of Sale’s slider out of the park, after hard-hitting Sale at 108 MPH.

Both Freeman and Hernandez, continue to show why they are dominant in October, as both of them have had playoff heroics.

Freeman has a career batting average of .268 with 82 hits, 17 home runs, and 40 RBI through 81 postseason games.

Kiké Hernández has a career average of .272 with 80 hits and 16 home runs, with 42 RBIs in the postseason.

The combination of Hernández and Freeman came on the same day; manager Dave Roberts made a surprising decision to bump four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani down to the fifth hole in the Dodgers lineup and have Freeman hitting second, behind Mookie Betts, while Hernández was hitting ninth.

So far, his decision is paying off as Los Angeles holds a 3-1 lead against the Braves.

The Los Angeles Dodgers strike first.

LA broke the seal with two home runs in the top fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Enrique Hernández had the honors and sparked a jolt in the Dodgers dugout with his 17th career postseason homer.

Hernández took Chris Sale's 86 mph changeup back 406 feet to the bleachers for a two-run home run that brought home Andy Pages to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

The homer continued the Dodgers' streak and historic MLB postseason run of scoring all their runs by way of home run.

It didn't end with Hernández. A couple of batters later, Freddie Freeman got some revenge. He had what seemed to be a home run robbed in the top of the third inning by Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubón, but Freeman would not be denied a second time.

All 10 runs the Dodgers have scored these playoffs have come via home run, the longest streak to start a postseason in MLB history.

Freeman sent Sale's 95 mph sinker flying across center field, soaring 399 feet out of the playing area for a solo home run as the Dodgers' lead climbed to 3-0.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers' historic postseason continues with home runs from Kiké Hernández, Freddie Freeman

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for redemption after their Game 2 meltdown as the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves shifts to Truist Park in Cobb County, Georgia for Game 3.

The score was 0-0, the Dodgers had Mookie Betts on base with Freddie Freeman at the plate with a chance to make it a 2-0 game with one swing in the top third inning.

Freeman blasted a pitch to right field that looked deep enough for a home run. Instead, Braves outfielder Mauricio Dubón had other ideas.

Dubón robbed Freeman of the homer, leaping on to the fence to make the stab before the ball was out of play.

The Braves ended the inning with a couple outs following the spectacular catch made by Dubon.

The Dodgers and Braves split the first two games of their best-of-five series. The Braves can clinch a berth in the National League Championship Series by protecting home field, while the Dodgers will either need to steal a game on the road to stay alive, or win both road games to advance.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mauricio Dubón makes spectacular catch to rob Dodgers' Freddie Freeman of a home run

After a drama-filled win in Game 1 and a thrilling comeback win in Game 2, the Milwaukee Brewers are now looking to finish off a sweep of the San Diego Padres in the NLDS here in Game 3.

To get there, Milwaukee sends right-hander Dustin May to the mound. May, who has had an up-and-down Brewers tenure, went 2-2 with a 5.65 ERA and 5.06 FIP across 10 starts with Milwaukee, striking out 38 over 36 2/3 innings. He’s had a few really good starts, though, including against these same Padres. He went seven-plus innings, allowing one run and striking out six against them in a no-decision in San Diego back in August. He also had a pair of solid starts against them while with the Cardinals earlier in the season, including a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and six innings of three-run ball (two earned), striking out seven. For his career, May has made 16 appearances (13 starts) against San Diego, with a 3.14 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 86 innings.

For San Diego, right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the ball. Pivetta, 33, finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting a year ago, and he pitched even better this season, though he was limited to just eight starts due to injury. In those outings, he totaled 34 2/3 innings with a 2.86 ERA, 2.21 FIP, and 42 strikeouts, and the Padres have won six of those eight games, including all four he made after his return in September. The 10-year veteran has made five career starts against Milwaukee with very rough results, going 1-3 with an 8.76 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 24 2/3 innings.

The star of Sunday’s game, Jackson Chourio bats in the leadoff spot and starts in left. He’s followed by Jake Bauers and William Contreras, with Brice Turang moving down to bat in the cleanup spot. Christian Yelich bats fifth as the DH, with Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick, and Joey Ortiz rounding things out behind May.

First pitch in this one is at 8:38 p.m. CT on FS1 and the Brewers Radio Network.

Report: Alex Cora passes on Phillies a second time, plans to sit out 2027 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

For the second time this year, Alex Cora will not be the Phillies’ next manager.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently spoke with Cora about becoming the Phillies’ manager in 2027, but Cora informed him that he plans to sit out next season, according to a report from USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale.

Cora is still owed approximately $7.25 million by the Red Sox in 2027, the final year of the three-year, $21.75 million extension he signed with Boston in July 2024.

The Phillies’ interest in Cora is hardly new.

Dombrowski spoke with his former manager in April, shortly after Boston fired Cora following a 10-17 start. At the time, the Phillies were in the middle of their own disastrous opening month and Dombrowski was prepared to make a managerial change if Cora wanted the job. Cora declined, choosing instead to step away from managing and spend the remainder of the season with his family. (More on the Phillies’ April pursuit of Cora)

Rob Thomson was fired shortly afterward with the Phillies sitting at 9-19, and bench coach Don Mattingly took over on an interim basis.

Cora’s family situation has remained an important part of his time away from the dugout. He is scheduled to marry his longtime partner in November, while their twin sons turned 9 this summer. Cora has also been establishing a home base in Puerto Rico.

The connection between Cora and Dombrowski made him an obvious candidate whenever the Phillies’ managerial job initially became available. Dombrowski hired Cora to manage the Red Sox before the 2018 season, and Boston went 108-54 before winning the World Series that October.

Instead, the Phillies must continue evaluating their options.

Mattingly remains under contract with the organization for 2027 as bench coach. The 65-year-old went 79-55 after replacing Thomson, helping the Phillies recover from their 9-19 start and reach the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.

The ending was considerably less encouraging. Philadelphia struggled badly down the stretch, did not secure its Wild Card berth until the final day of the regular season and was eliminated by Atlanta in three games.

Still, Mattingly received significant support from his clubhouse after the season. J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner were among the players who spoke favorably about his work after the Phillies were eliminated, while Mattingly declined to campaign publicly for the full-time job.

Dombrowski now has another major offseason decision to make for a team that has not won a postseason series since 2023.

Cora, the candidate he pursued twice in less than six months, appears to be off the board.

Moments before the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves kicked off Game 3 of the NLDS, Tyler Glasnow had a memorable press conference with the media.

Glasnow’s presser came to an abrupt end after he was asked only three questions.

His response after being asked the three questions was only three words.

“Done? F— yeah.”

Glasnow eagerly gave a thumbs up to the members of the media and walked off the stage.

It’s unknown as to why Glasnow was asked so little, but with his presser behind him, he can now focus on the task at hand.

Potentially pitching in an elimination game on Wednesday.

For Glasnow, the expectation is simple. If the Dodgers win on Tuesday, he’s pitching on Wednesday to move them to the NLCS for the third season in a row.

If they lose on Tuesday, then he’s pitching to save their season.

The series is tied at 1-1 as both teams endured a scorching heat wave that struck Dodger Stadium last weekend; the two teams are out in Atlanta to play Games 3 and 4 of the series.

Los Angeles took Game 1 of the series in a 5-3 victory where Teoscar Hernandez, Kyle Tucker, and Max Muncy all homered in a Saturday afternoon heater where temperatures soared above triple digits.

Game 2 of the series happened during a high-90 degrees Sunday evening when Atlanta got the best of Blake Snell, forcing him to exit the game in the fourth inning.

In the seventh inning, Michael Harris hit a double out to right center field that brought in Matt Olson to make it a 3-1 lead. Muncy homered in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as Josue De Paula popped out to Austin Riley, ending the night.

With Game 3 underway, Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the starting nod against Chris Sale.

Manager Dave Roberts installed a new lineup card for the Dodgers, as four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani is hitting fifth for the first time in his career since 2020, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

If the series is forced into a Game 5, it will be played on Friday, Oct. 9 at Dodger Stadium.