Worldwide Sports News
The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions on a regular basis. In today’s column, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them
It’s no wonder Ruben Amorim spent the closing moments of Manchester United’s defeat to Brentford staring at the floor. That’s the only place he can escape the reality of his team’s continued slide. United’s latest defeat means the Portuguese manager has now lost nearly twice as many matches (17) as he has won (nine).
Continue reading...On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico‘s valuations expert, to discuss his latest NHL valuations.
The average NHL team is now worth $2.1 billion, up 17% from last year’s numbers. The Toronto Maple Leafs top the list at $4.25 billion, followed by the New York Rangers ($3.65 billion) and the Montreal Canadiens ($3.3 billion). The Columbus Blue Jackets are last at $1.3 billion.
The hosts talk about the tailwinds for the league right now. A new Canadian media deal and long-term labor peace have created a sense of stability and revenue certainty. Teams are expecting a boost from the next U.S. national TV deal as well. The downside of the RSN collapse, which has impacted the NBA and MLB as well, has been softened by the fact that RSNs in Canada have remained strong.
Over the past few years the NHL has crept closer to MLB in valuations. The average MLB team is worth about $2.8 billion, but the get-in price for both leagues is around $1.3 billion. In Tampa in the past two years, the Lightning sold for more than the Rays.
The trio discusses success in the Sun Belt—particularly for the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes—and how the NHL might better monetize its popularity oversees. NHL players will skate in the Winter Olympics next year in Italy, the first Games since 2014 to feature the world’s top players.
They close with a discussion about the culture of NHL locker rooms, where stars have historically shied away from marketing opportunities. Outside of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, who is the third-most recognizable active NHL player in the U.S.? The hosts debate.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
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The Dodgers aren’t ready to call Roki Sasaki their closer, but who are they kidding?
Sasaki is their closer.
When the 23-year-old rookie from the Japanese countryside stepped onto the October stage on Wednesday night, he revealed himself to be more than the team’s best late-inning option.
He showed he was special.
He was Reggie-Bush-exploding-through-the-Frenso-State-defense special.
Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers dismantle Reds. Bring on the — gulp — Phillies!
He was Allen-Iverson-crossing-up-Michael-Jordan special.
He was Yasiel-Puig-doubling-off-a-runner-for-the-final-out-in-his-debut special.
“Wow,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “Really, all you can say is wow.”
Watching Sasaki pitch the final inning of a two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in their National League wild-card series, the patrons at Dodger Stadium at once recognized the novelty of his act. The same crowd that can’t distinguish home runs from fly balls was chanting his first name throughout the ballpark after just two pitches.
Sasaki threw seven fastballs in the perfect inning, and six of them were faster than 100 mph. The other was clocked at 99.8 mph.
With a forkball that looked as if it was dropping perpendicular to the ground, he struck out the first two batters he faced. Spencer Steer and Gavin Lux had no chance.
“That guy is gross,” reliever Tanner Scott said.
The 11-pitch performance by Sasaki was why the 8-4 victory in Game 2 felt so different than the 10-5 win in Game 1. In both games, the bullpen created messes in the eighth inning. Game 1 left the Dodgers questioning how they could defend their World Series title with such an unreliable group of relievers. Game 2 offered them a vision of how they could realize their ambition.
“That’s what we need right there,” Muncy said.
Sasaki was the last card in the deck for the Dodgers, who gave up on Scott before the playoffs even started. They experimented with some less experienced arms, but none of them performed well. Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer were part of a dispiriting three-run eighth inning against the Reds in Game 1. Converted starter Emmet Sheehan was part of another eighth-inning meltdown in Game 2, as he retired just one of the five batters he faced, and that was on a sacrifice fly that drove in a run. Sheehan was charged with two runs.
By the time Sasaki started warming up in the bottom of the eighth inning, he might as well have already inherited the closer role by default. The other candidates had pitched their way out of consideration.
Never mind that Sasaki had never pitched in relief in either the United States or Japan until he did so on a recent minor-league rehabilitation assignment. Sasaki pitched out of the bullpen twice in the major leagues in the final days of the regular season, and he was about as promising a bullpen possibility as they had.
So when Sasaki emerged from the bullpen against the Reds, fans in every section of Dodger Stadium stood to applaud. Sasaki represented their final hope.
Read more:Dodgers showcase their mental resolve and beat Reds to advance to NLDS
Once on the mound, Sasaki delivered a performance that was aesthetically pleasing as it was effective.
The high leg kick. The athletic delivery. The velocity and precision of his fastball.
Words couldn’t accurately describe what he did, so his teammates didn’t bother trying.
“You guys saw the same thing I did,” catcher Ben Rortvedt said.
Dodgers management was reluctant to say anything definitive about Sasaki’s role moving forward.
Was Sasaki the new closer?
“He’s going to get important outs for us,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman replied.
Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Phillies in the NLDS
Asked the same question, manager Dave Roberts offered an equally ambiguous answer.
“I trust him,” Roberts said, “and he’s going to pitch in leverage.”
As guarded as Friedman and Roberts were, they couldn’t conceal the truth. Something fundamentally changed for the Dodgers on Wednesday night: They found their ninth-inning pitcher.
Sasaki is their closer.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Highlighting 10 potential Giants managerial candidates after Bob Melvin firing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey did a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, sat down for a press conference on Wednesday morning, and then taped an episode of the Giants Talk podcast. He has been bombarded with questions about his managerial search since firing Bob Melvin, and so far, he has revealed just one real bit of news: The Giants won’t be turning back to Bruce Bochy.
When it comes to anything and anyone else, reporters might as well be opposing runners trying to steal second. As they said for so long at Oracle Park, Buster ain’t having it.
“I’ve mentioned that I’m going to keep it tight,” Posey said in response to one query during a press conference with general manager Zack Minasian. “Sorry, not going to answer that.”
Managerial searches generally are mysterious in nature anyway, and Posey has a particularly good reason to be tight-lipped this time around. More than a quarter of the organizations in Major League Baseball are looking for new managers, and the same candidates will show up in multiple places. It’s possible that Posey will be competing with the Atlanta Braves or Baltimore Orioles, or someone else for his top choice.
For now, practically nothing is known about who that might be, although some close to Posey are convinced he already has a person in mind. The second-half collapse took long enough that Posey has had plenty of time to think about what’s next.
Posey said this week that age is irrelevant in this search, and experience can be viewed different ways. He shot down questions about specific candidates, but the perception from some who have spoken to him over the past month is that he likely will hire someone he is familiar with.
Posey is one year into his career as an executive, but because he played so long in the big leagues, that still is a long list. Here’s an early look at potential candidates and some of the new names you might hear over the next month …
The 42-year-old is a fit in a lot of ways, and Posey is said to be intrigued. Hundley is a former catcher and former Giant, having served as Posey’s backup in 2017-18. In retirement, he first worked for MLB and now serves as a senior advisor for the Texas Rangers’ baseball operations department. In that role, Hundley won a World Series, and he got an up-close look at the work done by Bochy, his former manager with the Giants.
While Hundley has no coaching experience, he certainly brings the type of personality that would be a breath of fresh air for a team that continues to go into second-half slides. A former Willie Mac Award winner, Hundley has plenty of fans within the organization, and he traveled to San Francisco last week to watch Willy Adames get the award.
Technically, DeRosa already has a managerial position. In addition to his work at MLB Network, he’s the manager for Team USA and currently is preparing for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
The former big league infielder played for the Giants in 2010-11, although it was a rough couple of years because of wrist injuries. DeRosa should be a popular name this month and seems like an easy fit in Atlanta, where he spent the first half of his career.
If you’re looking for people with longtime ties to the organization, nobody beats Wotus, a team employee for four decades who has managerial experience at the minor league level and has been part of every staff since Dusty Baker was in charge. Wotus has interviewed elsewhere multiple times and also has interviewed to be Giants manager before, but he’s still waiting for that shot in the big chair.
Wotus has the respect of the current players and even knows the next generation from his defensive help at affiliates. He has such a strong reputation in the dugout that Melvin quietly lured him back to the bench at the end of the 2023 season, hopeful that he could provide a boost. Gabe Kapler made him the only holdover on staff after taking over for Bochy.
The 64-year-old currently serves in a bit of a hybrid role, working with Giants infielders and minor leaguers while supporting coaches and the front office. He won three titles with Posey when he was Bochy’s bench coach, and this past season, Wotus often watched games with Posey and Minasian in the front office’s suite.
Nobody has more experience with Posey than Hallberg, who was on Kapler’s staff and then served as Melvin’s first base coach. The 39-year-old played with Posey at Florida State, and some around the industry view him as a frontrunner for the job.
Hallberg managed in the Giants’ minor league system before getting promoted to Kapler’s staff and he would bring an attention to detail and commitment to accountability that has been missing at times in recent years. He had a more prominent role in the dugout this past season, and while he’s short on big league experience, some of that could be mitigated by hiring an experienced bench coach.
After letting Melvin go, Posey said he wanted someone who was “obsessive” about the details, the daily work that’s required, and getting the most out of players and staff. It sounded a bit like Kapler and his group of young coaches, who ultimately didn’t work out but still helped lead the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins in Posey’s final season.
There are multiple coaches from that team — Donnie Ecker, Kai Correa, Antoan Richardson, etc. — who might get an interview somewhere during this hiring cycle, but Albernaz would seem to be the best fit for the Giants. He was Posey’s catching coach in 2021 and is extremely close with Patrick Bailey. Albernaz has spent the past two seasons in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt’s associate manager.
The former big league outfielder won the AL Central three times in Minnesota, but he was fired after a 70-92 season. Overall, he had a 527-505 record with the Twins, who went into a complete teardown at the trade deadline. The 44-year-old was named American League Manager of the Year in 2019.
Schumaker is the heavy favorite to get the Rangers job. The 2023 NL Manager of the Year (with the Miami Marlins) spent this past season in Texas’ front office and has been viewed as next in line to Bochy.
But, if Posey is interested, perhaps he can make a stronger case. The Rangers plan to decrease their payroll a bit, although like the Giants, they do have a core already in place, and they have some intriguing young talent.
The Santa Rosa native managed nearly 1,000 games in Baltimore, surviving a rebuild and leading the Orioles to 101 wins in 2023. Hyde was fired earlier this season after the Orioles got off to a rough start. He would bring plenty of experience, having previously served as a minor league manager and big league bench coach, as well. The 51-year-old was the AL Manager of the Year in 2023.
There was a time not too long ago when the Giants were obsessed with following the Tampa Bay Way. Former Rays exec Chaim Bloom was the runner-up to Farhan Zaidi when he got hired, and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro was a finalist for the job that ultimately went to Kapler.
There was a good reason for all of that, too. While this was a down year for the organization, the Rays generally have done more with less than anyone in Major League Baseball. Their current bench coach, Linares, has spent years learning from Kevin Cash and should be the next to get a good opportunity elsewhere.
Linares also managed the Dominican Republic at the 2023 WBC. That team included a couple of young infielders named Willy Adames and Rafael Devers.
First mentioned as a possibility by The Athletic, Vitello has long been on the radar of some in the front office, per a source. The Giants also have loaded up on former Tennessee stars over the past year, trading for Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell and drafting Gavin Kilen.
The 46-year-old would be a surprising choice, but there’s no denying his credentials at the collegiate level. The Volunteers have made three College World Series appearances in the last five seasons and have won 72 percent of their games under Vitello, a Missouri native.
Some of the most innovative coaches in the country are leading collegiate programs, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see MLB teams turn that way in the coming years. This would be a risk given Vitello’s lack of experience at the professional level, but Posey certainly has the leeway to take a huge swing here if he wants to.
Really, that’s where this search is unique. The Giants have handed the keys to a franchise legend, and over 12 months, he has given out the largest contract in franchise history, stunningly traded for an even bigger one, signed a 42-year-old starter, and fired his manager just three months after picking up his option. Posey’s moves have been bold, and it wouldn’t be a shock if his next one is, too.
Deciding which players to target and which to avoid is the foundation of any winning draft strategy. This year, however, a few key players are causing serious debates among fantasy analysts. Are they breakout candidates or injury risks waiting to happen? We're looking at five of the hardest players to rank—the ultimate boom or bust list for your 9-category fantasy basketball league.
Leonard has been productive the last two seasons. In 2023-24, he averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 three-pointers. Last season, he provided 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 three-pointers per game. He played 68 games two seasons ago, but just 37 games last year.
Leonard's injury history is what makes him so difficult to rank. He has played in 57 or fewer games in four of the last five seasons. However, he has been productive when he is on the floor. Since joining the Clippers, he has averaged 24.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 three-pointers over five seasons. The Clippers improved their depth by adding John Collins, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul and Brook Lopez during the offseason, but Leonard is still expected to lead the team alongside James Harden. Leonard's current ADP on Yahoo is 45. If he plays in around 65 games, he will likely be worth it for managers who drafted him. However, if he plays fewer than 50 games, he can really bring down your fantasy squad.
Markkanen was great in his first two seasons with the Jazz, averaging at least 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in both campaigns. He also shot at least 48.0% from the field in each season. His efficiency then plummeted last season, leaving him to shoot 42.3% from the field. That contributed to him averaging just 19.0 points per game. His production on the boards also took a hit with him providing just 5.9 rebounds per game. Injuries and the Jazz tanking down the stretch left him to play in only 47 games.
Markkanen has never played in more than 68 games in a season in his career. In five of his eight seasons, he has played fewer than 60 games. He has shot 45.5% from the field for his career, so were his first two seasons with the Jazz a fluke when it comes to his efficiency? The Jazz could be one of the worst teams in the league, so could we see Markkanen rested down the stretch again? When he's at his best, Markkanen is a great fantasy option. However, there are a lot of question marks that make him difficult to rank.
Porzingis was plagued by a mysterious illness at times last season. It got so bad that he even lost his starting job with the Celtics during the playoffs. He played just 42 games during the regular season, averaging 19.5 points and a career-low 6.8 rebounds. It was the first time that he averaged fewer than 20.0 points in a season since his second season in the NBA.
With the Celtics looking to cut payroll this offseason, Porzingis was traded to the Hawks. He could see time at power forward playing alongside Onyeka Okongwu, or he could spend significant minutes playing center. The Hawks certainly have the depth to play smaller lineups with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zaccharie Risacher and Luke Kennard all projected to come off the bench. With his ability to rack up blocks and three-pointers, while also providing plenty of scoring, Porzingis can be an extremely valuable fantasy option. However, he has played fewer than 60 games in all but three of his seasons in the league. In what will be his 11th NBA season, it might not be realistic to expect him to remain healthy.
Porter has spent his entire career with the Nuggets. He is coming off one of his most valuable fantasy campaigns, averaging 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.5 three-pointers last season, while shooting 50.4% from the field. Still, that didn't stop Denver from trading him to the Nets in a deal that landed them Cameron Johnson and some needed cap flexibility to improve their bench.
Porter will go from being a main running mate for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray to a Nets team that doesn't have many scoring options behind Cam Thomas. Porter has never finished a season with a usage rate higher than 22.7%. He could blow past that mark this year, which would seem to increase his fantasy value. However, it's not certain that he will remain on the Nets for the entire season. If he gets traded, he could assume a smaller role with a contender. If he isn't traded, there is the chance that he gets added rest days down the stretch if the Nets are out of the playoff hunt. With an ADP of 61 on Yahoo, Porter has the potential to be a significant value, or a colossal flop.
From a counting stats standpoint, Barrett just had the best season of his career with averages of 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 three-pointers. However, he shot only 63.0% from the free-throw line and averaged a career-high 2.9 turnovers. He was also limited to 58 games for the second straight season.
The Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram last season, but he didn't play for his new squad because of an ankle injury. Immanuel Quickley was also limited to 33 games because of injuries. With both Ingram and Quickley on the floor this season, Barrett could see his usage rate and opportunities for assists decline. However, Ingram hasn't exactly been a pillar of health, playing 55 or fewer games in three of the last four seasons. If he is sidelined again, Barrett could be thrust right back into a fantasy-friendly role. Even with that in mind, he'll still need to improve his free throw shooting if he's going to live up to his Yahoo ADP of 77.
A player can only make the list once. View the previous winners: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017
At 19, after that fairytale series in India when he became the youngest debutant ever to open for England, the teenage lad with the Bolton accent and winning smile faced two of the hardest jobs you can have. First, he had to grow up in public, a task almost too cruel to wish upon any kid. Second, he became the latest vessel for the hopes of English cricket.
Continue reading...
For Kiké Hernández, the regular season is little more than a six-month warm-up. Real baseball is played when the evening air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change.
And when summer turns to fall few players have stepped up bigger than Hernández, who had two hits, scored two runs and drove in another Wednesday, spurring a Dodger comeback that ended in an 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds and a sweep of their National League wild-card series.
That sends the team on to the best-of-five Division Series with the Phillies, which begins Saturday in Philadelphia.
“October Kiké is something pretty special,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “And the track record speaks for itself. He's one of the best throughout the history of the postseason.”
It’s a reputation he’s earned.
A .236 career hitter in the regular season, Hernández has hit .286 in 88 postseason games. He slashed .203/.255/.366 in an injury-marred regular season this year, but two games into the playoffs he’s hitting .500, leads the Dodgers with three runs scored and ranks second to Mookie Betts with four hits. He also made a splendid over-the-shoulder catch while racing to the warning track in the first inning Wednesday.
Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers dismantle Reds. Bring on the — gulp — Phillies!
“Some guys are built for this moment. He’s definitely one of them,” said third baseman Max Muncy, standing in the middle of the Dodgers’ batting cage during the team’s postgame celebration, his blue T-shirt soaked in champagne as a teammate poured beer over his head.
Hernández, wearing goggles but not a shirt, made a brief appearance at the victory party but departed to celebrate with family before the champagne and beer began to puddle on the plastic sheeting that covered the floor.
His teammates were all too happy to speak about him in his absence.
“He's a guy who is not shy from the from the moment,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “I feel like the regular season for him is not enough.”
Rojas said he learned that first hand after rejoining the Dodgers in 2023. Although the team’s playoff run was brief, Hernández led the team with two RBIs and was second in hits and average.
“I saw it on TV before. But when I got here I saw that it was real,” he said. “He always wanted the moment and he showed it tonight with a big double to tie the game.”
That came with one out in the fourth, when his line drive to center field scored Muncy from first to tie the score, 2-2. Four pitches later he scored on Rojas’ single, putting the Dodgers ahead to stay.
Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Phillies in the NLDS
But Hernández wasn’t finished. Two innings later he led off with a squibber up the third-base line that was going foul before it hit the bag for a single, starting a four-run rally that put the game away. The bottom third of the Dodger lineup — Hernández, Rojas and catcher Ben Rortvedt — combined to go six for 12 with five runs and two RBIs.
“Kiké is Kiké,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said above the din of the celebration. “That's the guy you get when October starts.”
Before that? Not so much. But for Hernández, the postseason has become redemption time.
“I know they brought me here for these types of moments,” he said before Wednesday’s game.
“The beautiful thing about the postseason is that once we get to the postseason, everything starts at zero. You can have a bad year and you flip the script and you start over in the postseason. You have a good postseason, help the team win, and nobody ever remembers what you did in the regular season.”
Read more:Dodgers showcase their mental resolve and beat Reds to advance to NLDS
Hernández, 34, owes much of his fall heroics simply to the opportunity to play on the sport’s biggest stage. In a dozen big-league seasons, he’s made the playoffs 10 times, playing in 21 postseason series with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox and winning two World Series rings.
“I've been blessed to be on the right team at the right time,” he said. “Being a good postseason player is kind of an individual thing, but not really. You're on a team that doesn't make the playoffs, you can't be a postseason player.
“I just happen to be on a lot of really good teams, and I've been fortunate enough to get a lot of chances.”
With his performance Wednesday, he assured himself at least three more chances in the division series with the Phillies. And Rojas expects him to take full advantage.
“He always wants the moment and he wants to be out there,” he said. “I'm learning from him every single day. He's the most prepared guy that I've ever played with.”
Especially in October.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Coach Joe Schmidt makes five changes to XV for final Rugby Championship Test
James Slipper to play 151st and final game after announcing retirement
Lock Will Skelton and scrumhalf Jake Gordon are among five changes to Australia’s starting 15 for the final Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand in Perth on Saturday.
Skelton replaces the dropped Lukhan Salakaia-Loto after returning from club duty in France, while coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred No 9 Gordon returns for his first test since the British & Irish Lions series after recovering from a hamstring strain.
Continue reading...The San Jose Sharks were back at the SAP Center on Wednesday night as they hosted the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks fell to the Ducks in their first road trip of the preseason earlier this week. The Sharks ran with a fairly light roster during their trip to Southern California, but tonight they brought a lineup that looks more like what we’ll see on opening night against the Vegas Golden Knights next week.
The first thing I noticed during the game was Cam Lund’s effort level. He lost his stick in the defensive zone, blocked a shot, then had a good attempt at clearing the puck without his stick; however, the Ducks quickly regained possession in their offensive zone. Regardless of the outcome, it was a smart play by the 21-year-old forward.
The Sharks tested Anaheim goaltender Calle Clang early in the game; however, he made an incredible split-save to deny the Sharks’ scoring opportunity. He also got some help from the post, as at one point, Tyler Toffoli got a breakaway opportunity that hit the inside of the post before launching into the corner.
Both teams took a penalty in the first period, but neither power play was either to take advantage, and it remained 0-0 heading into the first intermission.
Yaroslav Askarov would be forced to make a save quickly to start the second period; however, he wouldn’t be able to deny Beckett Sennecke just over a minute into the period, as the 19-year-old forward would make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors. Alex Wennberg was called for slashing a couple of minutes later. The Sharks would kill off the penalty, but moments later, Drew Helleson would find Sam Colangelo behind the Sharks’ defense, and the Massachusetts native would make it 2-0 for the Ducks.
Things continued to spiral as Cutter Gauthier scored 7:55 into the period, scoring his second of the preseason and making it 3-0 for the visitors. In less than eight minutes, the Sharks went from a tied hockey game to a three-goal deficit. Even though it’s a preseason matchup, head coach Ryan Warsofsky certainly wasn’t going to be happy with his team slipping up in such a major fashion.
Dmitri Orlov was stripped of the puck on an offensive zone entry, allowing the Ducks to rush the other way for a 2-on-1. Luckily for the team in teal, Askarov was able to deny the attack and keep the Sharks’ deficit at three goals.
The Ducks’ Frank Vatrano was called for hooking at 13:46 in the period, but Anaheim maintained a perfect penalty kill by shutting the Sharks down for two minutes. The Sharks’ power play got another opportunity with just over a minute left in the period as Stian Solberg was called for a puck-over-glass delay of game penalty. After a couple of close calls for Clang, the Sharks were unable to find the net before the end of the second period.
It didn’t take long for the Sharks to get on the board in the third period,as a Will Smith slap shot deflected off of Clang into the crease, where William Eklund put it away after it touched Tyler Toffoli, making it a 3-1 Ducks lead. After the goal, things started to get a bit chippy as a scrum broke out in the corner, which saw Vincent Desharnais go after Pavel Mintyukov after he exchanged cross-checks with Eklund. Desharnais and Mintyukov got coincidental minor penalties, while Eklund was also penalized for cross-checking, giving the Ducks a power play. It would be cut short, though, as Olen Zellweger was called for a penalty 30 seconds later.
Philipp Kurashev nearly scored, causing the goal horn to go off and play to stop for a moment, as the goal appeared to go into the net; however, it was waved off and ruled to be off the post and out. Moments later, Kurashev would get his point as he’d find Jeff Skinner, who fired off a wide-open one-timer to reduce the Ducks’ lead to a single goal. Sennecke had a breakaway opportunity just under eight minutes into the period, but a decent defensive play by a trailing Shakir Mukhamadullin helped Askarov turn the shot aside.
The Sharks’ power play got another opportunity with 8:53 remaining in regulation, as Ross Johnston was penalized for interference. Toffoli hit the post again early in the power play, but the Sharks would fail to get another quality scoring opportunity during the two minutes.
The Sharks maintained solid offensive pressure shortly after pulling their goaltender, but eventually Egor Sidorov would put away the empty-net goal and put the game out of reach. Vatrano then scored a second empty-netter. The Sharks played well, outside of an eight-minute stretch in the second period, but that short amount of time created too big a deficit for them to overcome, as they fell 5-2.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out nine while pitching into the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers broke it open with a four-run sixth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Wednesday night and advance to the National League Division Series.
After hitting a franchise playoff-tying five home runs in a 10-5 win in the NL Wild Card Series opener Tuesday, the Dodgers eliminated the Reds by playing small ball and rapping out 13 hits — two fewer than in Game 1. Mookie Betts went 4 for 5 with three doubles.
The Dodgers advanced to face the Phillies in the NLDS starting Saturday in Philadelphia. The teams last met in the postseason in 2009, when the Phillies beat the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series for the second straight year.
After the Reds took a 2-0 lead in the first, Yamamoto retired the next 13 batters.
The Dodgers rallied to take a 3-2 lead before the Japanese right-hander wiggled his way out of a huge jam in the sixth. The Reds loaded the bases with no outs on consecutive singles by TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer and former Dodger Gavin Lux.
Austin Hays grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop and Betts fired home, where catcher Ben Rortvedt stomped on the plate to get Friedl. Yamamoto then retired Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz on back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end the threat.
With blue rally towels waving, Yamamoto walked off to a standing ovation from the crowd of 50,465.
He got the first two outs of the seventh before leaving to a second ovation. The right-hander allowed two runs, four hits and walked two on a career-high 113 pitches.
For the second straight night, the fans’ mood soured in the eighth. Reliever Emmet Sheehan gave up two runs, making it 8-4, before the Reds brought the tying run to the plate against Alex Vesia. He got Friedl on a called third strike to end the inning in which Sheehan and Vesia made a combined 41 pitches. On Tuesday, three Dodgers relievers needed 59 pitches to get three outs in the eighth.
Rookie Roki Sasaki pitched the ninth, striking out Steer and Lux on pitches that touched 101 mph.
The Dodgers stranded runners in each of the first five innings, but they took a 3-2 lead on Kiké Hernández’s RBI double and Miguel Rojas’ RBI single that hit the first-base line to chase Reds starter Zack Littell.
Shohei Ohtani’s RBI single leading off the sixth snapped an 0-for-9 skid against Reds reliever Nick Martinez. Betts added an RBI double down the third-base line and Teoscar Hernández had a two-run double that extended the lead to 7-2.
Yamamoto could have had a scoreless first but Teoscar Hernández dropped a ball hit by Hays that would have been the third out. Hernández hugged Yamamoto in the dugout after the Japanese star left the game.
Stewart’s two-run RBI single with two outs eluded a diving Freddie Freeman at first for a 2-0 lead. It was Cincinnati’s first lead in a postseason game since Game 3 of the 2012 NLDS against San Francisco.
Following the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the Wild Card series on Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone and the players spoke about the pivotal game that saved their season...
Rodón took the mound Wednesday, hoping to save the Yankees' season. While he didn't give New York the outing Max Fried did the night before, Rodón was solid, giving the Yankees six innings but it could have been shorter.
The southpaw was strong early but labored in the middle innings. In the sixth, after giving up the tying home run to Trevor Story, Rodón walked Alex Bregman, which brought out Boone from the dugout.
The Yankees skipper didn't immediately call for Fernando Cruz, who was warming up, but instead spoke to his veteran starter. After a back-and-forth, Boone allowed Rodon to try and get out of the inning. At fewer than 80 pitches up to that point, Rodón felt that he had more to give.
"Playing under Boone for three years now, I get a sense of the demeanor when he walks out," Rodón said. "At times, he makes a decision early, he points. But when I saw he crossed the line and didn't put his arm up, I knew I had a chance at a rebuttal.
"So I hit him straight with it. I was like, 'All right, here's my shot. I got to be pretty up front with it.' So I said, 'I am staying in.' It worked out, obviously, the big double play there. It was a great turn. You know, Jazz [Chisholm Jr.] gets it out quick and [Anthony] Volpe with a strong throw. So it was good."
Rodón rewarded his manager by getting Romy Gonzalez to pop out and Carlos Narvaez to ground into the aforementioned an inning-ending double play to get him through the sixth.
That effort allowed Rodón to start the seventh, but after walking Nate Eaton and hitting Jarren Duran with a pitch -- and a wild pitch thrown in -- Boone saw enough and pulled his starter.
Rodón went six-plus innings, allowing three runs on four hits, three walks, while striking out six.
"Definitely a battle. They strung some good at-bats together, but defensively, we had some great turns," Rodón said of his outing. "Cruz picked me up there in the seventh. I think we played a pretty complete ball game tonight. The boys swung it late, and we ran the bases pretty well. Played some good baseball. Got out of there with a win, so looking forward to tomorrow."
Carlos Rodón stays in and gets the inning-ending double play to finish the 6th pic.twitter.com/qaoU1bihw4
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 1, 2025
The Yankees' relievers had a tough Game 1. Luke Weaver gave up the go-ahead runs in relief of Fried and David Bednar allowed a crucial insurance run in the Red Sox's win on Tuesday.
Wednesday was a different story.
Cruz worked out of a bases-loaded jam in relief of Rodon in the seventh while Devin Williams and Bednar locked down the eighth and ninth innings to force a Game 3. That seventh was especially impressive, getting the first two outs on a failed bunt by Ceddanne Rafaela and a fly out by Nick Sogard, Masataka Yoshida hit an infield single that Chisholm stopped from going into the outfield. If the second baseman didn't, the Red Sox would have taken the lead, something that Cruz acknowledged when he said that Chisholm saved them the game.
But Cruz's night was almost done after that, but Boone said he was going to give Cruz one more batter to try and get out of it, and he got Story to fly out to end the threat.
"Felt like he had it under control," Boone said. "I was giving him one more hitter there. Felt like with Story was OK, and then I had Devin going in case we did get to Bregman there.
"But felt like his stuff was good, knew he wanted it and felt like he could finish it off. Story put a good swing on it. We were fortunate there. Long fly ball. Felt good about him being in there."
And then Williams came in and pitched a clean eighth, erasing a leadoff single with an inning-ending double play that was assisted by Volpe on the high throw from Williams.
The Yankees skipper praised Williams' stuff and ability after an up-and-down first season in the Bronx when asked about it after the win.
"It was never that far off, frankly. The stuff was never not there," Boone said. "You know, he had a couple of loud outings and where the ball didn't really bounce his way. A couple of those outings where it blew up on him, it's a squibber, it's this, before it got away.
"He was never that far off at any point when he was struggling. And then I think he just started to stack outings. First time in the middle of the season before he hit a rough patch again, and then now, the final month plus, he has just stacked a lot of good outings and just pitching with a lot of confidence, but getting in the zone more and having a presence with both pitches. So he is not real predictable because he's using his fastball enough, and obviously the changeup."
That's back-to-back clean innings for Williams in this series. And now that he hasn't allowed a run since Sept. 3, Williams may be peaking at the right time for the Yankees.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman often refers to the playoffs as the “theater of October.”
On the first day of the month Wednesday night, Game 2 of the National League wild-card series was only four batters old when the Dodgers had some dramatic adversity strike.
With two outs in the top of the first, Yoshinobu Yamamoto induced a routine fly ball down the right-field line. Outfielder Teoscar Hernández positioned himself under it. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the inning would have ended there.
This time, however, Hernández committed a horrifying mistake. The ball hit off the heel of his mitt. The Cincinnati Reds suddenly had runners at second and third base. And what should have been a clean opening frame instead turned into a two-run disaster, with Sal Stewart slapping a single through the infield in the next at-bat.
For the Dodgers, it was an immediate test.
Of their mental resolve after a self-inflicted miscue. Of their veteran composure in the face of an early deficit. Of the kind of resiliency that was so key in their World Series run last year, and will need to be again for them to repeat as champions.
In an eventual 8-4 comeback victory, they successfully, triumphantly and assuredly passed.
Behind 6 ⅔ clutch innings from Yamamoto, a go-ahead two-run rally in the fourth inning keyed by a Kiké Hernández double, and a back-breaking four-run explosion in the sixth after Yamamoto had escaped a bases-loaded jam, the Dodgers eliminated the Reds in this best-of-three opening round.
Despite another late tightrope act from the bullpen, which gave up two runs in the eighth before Roki Sasaki finished things off in the ninth, the team booked their place in the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers did not make it easy on themselves. They were dealt a full range of October theatrics. But they prevailed nonetheless with a hard-fought victory — the kind that could catapult them into the rest of this month.
Facing their early 2-0 deficit, the Dodgers never panicked.
The turnaround started with Yamamoto, who finally ended the first inning by striking out Elly De La Cruz, then didn’t let another runner reach base for the next four innings.
The offense, meanwhile, chipped away at veteran Reds right-hander Zack Littell, stressing him with constant early traffic before eventually breaking through in the third, when Ben Rortvedt sliced a leadoff double down the left-field line and Mookie Betts scored him with an RBI single.
The Dodgers then went in front in the fourth, thanks to a big swing from a familiar postseason hero. After a leadoff single from Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández smacked an elevated fastball into the right-center field gap. Muncy scored all the way from first to tie the game. Hernández, whom the Dodgers have re-signed each of the past two offseasons thanks largely to his playoff reputation, had his latest moment of fall-time magic.
Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers dismantle Reds. Bring on the — gulp — Phillies!
Hernández would come around to score in the next at-bat, when Miguel Rojas dumped a base hit inside the right-field line.
From there, the score remained 3-2 until the sixth inning — when the game climaxed in two memorable sequences.
First, Yamamoto had to wiggle out of red-alarm danger, facing a bases-loaded jam with no outs after the Reds led off with three-straight singles. At that point, the right-hander’s pitch count was climbing. Blake Treinen started to get loose in the bullpen. But manager Dave Roberts, as he promised entering the playoffs, kept his faith in his starter.
Yamamoto rewarded him for it.
After Austin Hays bounced a grounder to Betts that the shortstop threw home for a forceout, Yamamoto slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts. Stewart fanned on one curveball. De La Cruz couldn’t check his swing on another. Yamamoto celebrated with a primal scream. A crowd of 50,465 erupted around him.
The cheers continued into the bottom half of the inning, as the Dodgers finally pulled away with an outburst from their offense. It started with a single from Kiké Hernández, marking his second-straight two-hit game to begin these playoffs. It was aided by a throwing error from Stewart at first base, allowing Rortvedt to reach safely and put runners on the corners. Shohei Ohtani then knocked in one insurance run on an RBI single. Betts added another with a one-hopper that got past third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes for an RBI double.
And fittingly, it was Teoscar Hernández who delivered the death blow, following an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman with a two-run, bases-loaded, redemption-rich double.
The Dodgers eventually stretched the lead to 8-2, when Betts drove in his third run of the game with his third double of the night in the bottom of the seventh — giving him four total hits in a postseason contest for the third time in his career.
Then came the bullpen, which once again thrust itself into danger after Emmet Sheehan gave up two runs in the eighth on two singles and two walks; his command so shaky, Roberts decided to pull him in the middle of an at-bat against Will Benson after he nearly plunked the batter in an 0-and-2 count.
However, it was mostly smooth sailing from there. Alex Vesia took over, and retired the side by striking out two of three batters (even though there was another walk in-between).
The ninth inning, meanwhile, belonged to Sasaki, who retired the side in order with 100-mph fastballs and his trademark splitter, ending a night of theatrics by sending the Dodgers to the next round.
Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Phillies in the NLDS
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Now comes the hard part.
The Cincinnati Reds are shreds of what’s next.
The wild-card series is a joker compared to the waiting full house.
The Dodgers easily swept the best-of-three duel with the overmatched Reds on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium with a frolicking 8-4 victory … just in time to uneasily hike into the home of heated hardball.
Philadelphia Phillies, here they come.
The National League’s most dangerous and determined team, here they are.
Bryce Harper, good heavens.
Kyle Schwarber, dear Lord.
That deep rotation. That fiery closer. That nutty crowd! And, oh, that damn history.
Barely two weeks ago, the Dodgers hosted the Phillies with a chance to sweep them and steal a first-round bye. They were, instead, battered like an old broom, the bullpen blowing two games and the Phillies eventually finishing with the National League’s second-best record and that first-round vacation.
The Dodgers were penalized by having to play these two games against the Reds. And as a reward for their sweeping success, they have been sentenced to travel to Philadelphia for a best-of-five division series beginning Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
A place that attracted 27,000 this week just for a workout, incidentally.
It says here, if the Dodgers can defeat the favored Phillies, that clears their path to a second consecutive World Series championship, as no other remaining team has the matching juice.
But, in a short series, with Philadelphia’s pitching fully rested and its injuries mostly healed, can the Dodgers really pull it off? They lost four of six to them during the regular season in which the Phillies, unlike many other teams, seemed completely unintimidated and fully up to the challenge.
The Dodgers say they’re more than ready.
“I think we can win it all,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think we're equipped to do that. We certainly have the pedigree. We certainly have the hunger. We're playing great baseball. And in all honesty, I don't care who we play. I just want to be the last team standing.”
Indeed, if Wednesday’s wipe-out win at rollicking Dodger Stadium was any indication, the Dodgers seemed prime for this upcoming brawl, their strongest October fists bared and ready.
Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was not only good, he was resilient, working out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth inning with a grounder and two strikeouts. He gave up only two unearned runs in 6 ⅔ innings with nine strikeouts, and he’s clearly ready for the next step.
Other past autumn heroes are also heating up, namely Señor October Kiké Hernández, who had a running over-the-shoulder catch in left field and added two hits, two runs and an RBI. Is any Dodger more fun to watch in the postseason? Does any Dodger have more fun?
Read more:Dodgers showcase their mental resolve and beat Reds to advance to NLDS
“At times it felt like we were kind of checked out during the regular season,” said Hernández. “Here we are now and these are the games that really matter. ... I think it was experience and age has a lot to do with it. We have a lot of young guys, but I think we have a very salty team.”
Salty, and streaking, 11 wins in 13 games, impact plays Wednesday night from everywhere. Mookie Betts had three doubles and four RBIs, Teoscar Hernández had a two-run double to offset a dropped fly ball.
“Obviously, I know we can win the whole thing,” Betts said. “We just have to play good baseball. We've got to continue to pitch, timely hitting and play defense, and everything should be OK.”
And of course Shohei Ohtani singled and drove in a run. This is the same Ohtani who is lined up to start Game 1 Saturday in the NLDS in Philadelphia.
“Very talented ballclub,” said Roberts of the Phillies. “It's going to be a fun environment. I think we match up really well with those guys. They're going to run a bunch of left-handers at us. Talented, all throughout the lineup. They got Trea (Turner) back. It's going to be a fun series.”
The Phillies are in some way a mirror of past Dodger clubs, being one of baseball’s best teams in recent years but yet to win a ring after three consecutive postseason failures.
Last season, they lost to the New York Mets in the division series, the previous season they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the championship series, and three years ago they lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
They’re like the Dodgers before the Dodgers finally broke through. They’re sick of the second guessing. They’re fed up with the October failures. They’re on a mission. And they’re even more dangerous because they’re on a mission for their two leaders.
Harper has a 1.016 OPS in 12 postseason series, but he has yet to win a ring.
Schwarber led the National League with 56 homers and 132 RBIs, but he’ll never win an MVP as long as Ohtani is still working.
Their short-series rotation — Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and Jesus Luzardo — can at least compete with the Dodgers’ top three. And then they have the secret October weapon that the Dodgers know so well — anybody remember Walker Buehler?
The Phillies also did the one thing that past Dodger champions have done, but didn’t do this summer. At the trade deadline, the Phillies went for it, acquiring Dodger targets outfielder Harrison Bader and closer Jhoan Duran. Two months later, the Dodgers indeed could have used both.
Read more:Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Phillies in the NLDS
Duran is their swing and miss. He’s the closer they desperately need.
They were still searching for one late Wednesday. They tried starter Emmet Sheehan in the eighth in a six-run lead and he was awful, walking two and giving up two hits while getting just one out. He was so awful, he was pulled in the middle of facing Will Benson even though the count was one-and-two. Alex Vesia completed the strikeout and survived the inning, but the boos rained steady.
Fan favorite Roki Sasaki, throwing the best heat of the night, finished in the ninth with two strikeouts amid chants of, “Ro-ki, Ro-ki!”
Maybe he’s the answer. The Dodgers won’t have to wait long to find out. Their season is on the line. The reckoning starts in three days. The Phillies are coming.
“There's a lot of work to be done!” Roberts shouted to his team before the traditionally odd champagne celebration for two wins. “My only ask is that every single guy be ready when called upon! Keep your minds right, we're gonna need every single one of you guys! Stay in it, stay focused, keep playing for each other! Let's go!"
A lot of work. Starting now.
Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers flatten overmatched Reds in unwanted first round. But about that bullpen...
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Vancouver Canucks clobbered the Calgary Flames 8-1 in their penultimate preseason game at home on Wednesday evening.
The main casts for both teams were suited up and ready to go.
Despite getting a power play in the second minute, the Flames veterans had some summer rust and clearly needed to get warmed up. They would eventually get adjusted and outshoot the Canucks 7-3 in the first 11:18, but Vancouver scored on their very first shot taking a 1-0 lead. Johnathan Huberdeau had a great breakaway opportunity after a pass from Matt Coronato at the 10:15 mark but was denied by Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.
Afterwards, for the rest of the period, the Canucks ran all over the Flames, outshooting them 9-4 including scoring three goals in a span of 1:18 that included a shorthanded goal.
The players who led the Flames in faceoffs last season found themselves on a losing battle once again. Nazem Kadri was 2-for-6 (33.33%), Mikael Backlund was 0-for-3 (0%) and Morgan Frost was 1-for-2 (50%)
In the second period, Calgary regrouped and performed better. So good, that Joel Farabee scored a goal for the home side 30 seconds in, albeit that would've been called back for offside in the regular season. Unlike the first period, the Flames outshot the Canucks in expected goals and scoring opportunities. They produced the same number of shots on goals, two, in their first power play of the second period as they did in BOTH of the power plays in their first period. It also helped that they didn't give up a shorty.
The faceoff leaders had also shown improvement: Kadri and Backlund were both 5-for-11 (45.45%) and Frost was 6-for-13 (46.15%) by the second recess.
Unfortunately, two careless goals were given up by Calgary that put the Canucks up 6-1.
Vancouver took only three shots in the final period, but two of them found the back of the Calgary net, sealing the Flames' night with a seven-goal drubbing.
Close to the end, Huberdeau would collide with the goal post and would need help walking off the ice. Let's hope he is okay.
Calgary were 0-for-6 on the power play which included giving up two shorthanded goals.
Both goalies Ivan Prosvetov and Devin Cooley played in the game and both let in goals that had no business being in the back of the net.
The penalty-kill went 2-for-4.
Rory Kerins was a bright spot with 5-for-9 (55.6%) faceoff wins in the game and three shots on goal.
The Flames final preseason game will be against the Winnipeg Jets at home on Friday.
All due respect to the Cincinnati Reds.
But the Dodgers' first real test of their World Series title defense is about to begin this weekend.
After advancing past the plucky Reds and their 83-win roster in a best-of-three wild card series this week, the Dodgers will now face a true powerhouse in the best-of-five National League Division Series, matched up against a Philadelphia Phillies team facing unfinished business in the postseason.
For years, the Phillies have been building toward contention. In each of the last four years, they’ve reached the playoffs while increasing their regular-season win total.
Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dodgers defeat Reds in Game 2 to advance to NLDS
However, the club’s recent October history has been filled with one disappointment after another: A loss to the Houston Astros in the World Series in 2022. An upset defeat at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NL Championship Series. A four-game elimination to the rival New York Mets in last year’s NLDS.
The hope this year, coming off a 96-win regular season that gave the Phillies a first-round bye and home-field advantage in this NLDS, is that they finally have the path and the pieces to get over the hump. That, almost two decades removed from the franchise’s last World Series, they can climb to baseball’s mountaintop once again.
That was evident during the bye week, when the Phillies sold more than 25,000 tickets for fans to come watch a practice. It will be obvious Saturday night, when the series begins at what will be a raucous Citizens Bank Park.
Ahead of Game 1, here are nine things to know about the Phillies, and the concerns they present to the Dodgers in this NLDS:
The Phillies are not entering the postseason at full strength. Their staff ace, three-time All-Star right-hander Zack Wheeler, was lost for the season in late August because of a blood clot in his arm.
Their rotation, however, remains daunting nonetheless. And against the Dodgers, it might match up particularly well.
The Phillies' projected rotation for the NLDS includes three left-handed pitchers: Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sánchez (13-5, 2.50 ERA), former All-Star Ranger Suárez (12-8, 3.20 ERA) and talented 27-year-old Jesús Luzardo (15-7, 3.92 ERA).
The Dodgers’ record against left-handed pitchers this year: 24-23 (compared to a 69-46 mark against righties).
Granted, most teams have a harder time with lefties (the Phillies themselves are only 23-25). The Dodgers still ranked third in the majors in OPS and seventh in batting average against them. But for a team that could use as many runs as possible given the problems in the bullpen, getting three left-handed starters could make life tough.
Sánchez is lined up to pitch Saturday’s opener for the Phillies, which means he could be in play for a potential Game 4 start as well.
And while he might not replicate the dominance of Wheeler, who has a 2.18 ERA in his postseason career, the fifth-year southpaw could certainly come close.
In 32 starts this year, the 6-foot-6 sinker-ball specialist had 212 strikeouts in 202 innings, led all major league pitchers in Baseball Reference’s version of wins-above-replacement and finished the regular season allowing just total seven runs in his last six starts.
His postseason track record is limited, with a 3.68 ERA in two previous starts over the last two Octobers. But his arsenal profiles as premium, playoff-caliber stuff, featuring his mid-90s mph two-seamer (which helped him rack up one of the best ground-ball rates in the majors), a changeup to neutralize right-handed hitters (it had a .170 batting average against and 45% whiff rate) and a slider that, when on, adds another layer of unpredictability.
If it weren’t for Paul Skenes, Sánchez likely would have been the NL’s Cy Young frontrunner.
Few MLB lineups can rival the Dodgers’ combination of talent and production.
The Phillies might be the most potent exception.
This season, the team ranked eighth in scoring (the Dodgers were third), second in batting average (the Dodgers were sixth), fourth in slugging percentage (the Dodgers were second) and fourth in OPS (the Dodgers were second).
Read more:Shaikin: Why the Dodgers don't need to worry about rested starting pitchers for NLDS
They have the NL batting champion in former Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner. They have the league’s home run king in Kyle Schwarber, whose 56 long balls edged out Shohei Ohtani by one. And they have one of the game’s biggest stars in two-time MVP Bryce Harper.
The offense is also coming into the playoffs hot. In September, the Phillies posted their best team batting average and OPS of any month this season. That included a 15-run outburst in two games at Dodger Stadium that effectively ensured the Phillies would get a top-two seed in the NL playoff bracket.
Dodgers fans will need no introduction to Turner, who played with the club in 2021 and 2022 before signing an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies (after the Dodgers failed to even make him a contract offer).
Turner’s Philadelphia tenure didn’t get off to the smoothest start. He missed the All-Star Game in 2023, and slumped so mightily at one point Phillies fans organized a stadium-wide ovation. His numbers were better last season, but he missed a month with a hamstring strain and then went just three-for-15 in the playoffs.
This season, on the other hand, has been a revival, as Turner won his second career batting title with a .304 average, stole his most bases (36) since 2018, and ranked fourth among MLB shortstop in outs above average.
And while he did miss three weeks in September with a hamstring strain, he returned in time for the club’s regular-season finale last Sunday.
For the first time since 2022, Ohtani did not lead his league in home runs in this year.
Despite setting a personal high and breaking his previous franchise record, Ohtani’s 55 long balls still trailed Schwarber.
A longtime slugging threat now in his 11th MLB campaign, Schwarber had arguably his best career season this year, coupling his 56 homers with an MLB-most 132 RBIs, a .928 OPS that tied his career high, and a third consecutive 100-walk season.
He still strikes out a lot (197 this year). He still doesn’t hit for the best average (.240 this year, .231 in his career). But no one in the sport hits the ball so hard, so consistently. No one presents such a unique threat.
By Harper’s likely Hall of Fame standards, 2025 has been a bit of a disappointment.
The 32-year-old battled a wrist issue early in the year, was not selected for the All-Star at the halfway point, and finished the campaign with his lowest batting (.261) since 2019 and worst OPS (.844) since 2016.
But it’s still Bryce Harper.
He hit 27 home runs and 32 doubles. His slugging percentage jumped nearly 70 points in the second half. And over the last three years, no one has a higher postseason OPS (minimum 50 plate appearances) than Harper’s 1.153 mark. Only Schwarber has matched his 12 playoff home runs in this time.
Unlike the Dodgers, the Phillies were aggressive at the trade deadline. And because of it, they added what are now two key pieces.
In the outfield, Harrison Bader (who was also a Dodgers target this year) has been a revelation with a .305 batting average and .824 OPS in 50 games with the Phillies.
Even more important, however, has been the addition of hard-throwing closer (and another player linked to the Dodgers at the deadline) Jhoan Duran in a new-look bullpen.
Read more:Hernández: Can the Dodgers win a World Series with such an unreliable bullpen?
Early this season, the Phillies’ original closer, José Alvarado, received an 80-game PED that also made him ineligible for this year’s postseason. Thus, the Phillies acquired Duran from the Minnesota Twins, and have since watched him flourish.
Duran had a 2.18 ERA with the Phillies while converting 16 of his 19 save opportunities. He has devastating stuff, headlined by a 100-mph fastball and a whopping 98-mph splitter.
The only good news for the Dodgers: They’ve had success against him. In Duran’s three outings against the team this year, he yielded three runs (more than any other team scored off him) and gave up two homers (he only gave up one other all year).
Beyond Duran, the Phillies have a relatively set bullpen hierarchy.
David Robertson (the 40-year-old veteran who signed with the club midseason) and Matt Strahm (a lockdown lefty) are the primary set-up men. Tanner Banks (another lefty) and Orion Kerkering provide further middle relief depth.
With that unit in place, the Phillies’ bullpen excelled down the stretch. After the deadline, the group led the majors in saves (20), was charged with the fewest losses (four) and ranked 11th in ERA.
One other pitcher that could be in the Phillies’ NLDS bullpen: Walker Buehler, the former Dodgers star and 2024 World Series hero who finished this season in Philadelphia.
After signing with the Boston Red Sox in the offseason, then being released with a 5.45 ERA in August, Buehler found some late-season success with the Phillies, giving up just one run in 13 ⅔ innings over three outings (two starts and a long relief appearance) at the end of the year.
Buehler is unlikely to play a pivotal role this postseason. But he is in contention to be on the club’s postseason roster, likely as an option against right-handed hitters.
It means, a year after closing out the Dodgers' World Series championship, he will be part of the club trying to end their title defense. As if the team didn’t have enough else to worry about.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.