SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored the go-ahead goal with 4:14 remaining, lifting the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 win over the sliding and short-handed Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Winnipeg was 1-18-2 in games where it trailed entering the third period going into the game, and was down 1-0 with 20 minutes left against the Panthers. But the Jets scored twice in a span of just over seven minutes to take command.
Cole Perfetti scored with 11:26 left to tie the game, then Scheifele got his 27th of the season for what became the game-winner.
Eric Comrie stopped 27 shots for the Jets, including one with 37.1 seconds left on a shot by Matthew Tkachuk. Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett got shots to the net after that as well for the Panthers, but neither got by Comrie and the Jets prevailed for just the third time in their last nine games.
Eetu Luostarinen got the goal for Florida, which has dropped three straight and ended the game eight points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers — who have been without Aleksander Barkov all season — played Saturday without Brad Marchand, who is day to day, along with Anton Lundell and Seth Jones, among others.
It was the first time this season that Florida took a lead into the third period and failed to get at least one point out of a game. The Panthers were 17-0-1 in such situations entering Saturday, the fifth-best record in the league.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 shots in the Florida net.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anthony Mantha and Noel Acciari scored two goals apiece, and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins held off the New York Rangers 6-5 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
Mantha and Acciari beat Jonathan Quick twice in a span of just over three minutes early in the first period to give the Penguins an early cushion. Mantha made it 3-0 with an easy tap-in in the second period. Acciari and Rickard Rakell scored 20 seconds apart early in the third to push Pittsburgh’s advantage to 5-1 on a night the franchise celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2016 club that won the Stanley Cup.
Erik Karlsson became the 12th defenseman in NHL history to reach 700 career assists when he picked up the secondary helper on Rakell’s 10th goal of the season 1:20 into the final period. The other 11 defensemen to reach the 700-assist plateau are in the Hall of Fame.
Stuart Skinner improved to 8-1 in his last nine starts but nearly let a four-goal third period get away.
Alex Lafreniere scored twice for the Rangers. Vincent Trocheck, Vladislav Gavrikov and Will Cuylle all scored during a late rally, but it wasn’t enough for the Rangers to fall to 2-10 since goaltender Igor Shesterkin was lost indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Until the late surge, New York coach Mike Sullivan — who guided the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 during a decade-long run as head coach before trading Pittsburgh for New York last summer — watched his team spend most of the afternoon putting up little fight against the surprising Penguins.
Pittsburgh moved into second place by itself in the Metropolitan Division with the victory despite being without veteran defenseman Kris Letang, who will miss at least a month with a fractured left foot sustained in a win over Chicago on Thursday. The 20-year veteran was wearing a protective boot on the foot during a pregame ceremony honoring the 2016 club.
Up next
Rangers: Off until Thursday night, when they host Carolina in the final game before the Olympic break.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Iván Herrera #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates his two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fifth inning at Oracle Park on September 22, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we prepare to head into a transitional season for the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the bigger projects will be to determine if Ivan Herrera can become the team’s regular catcher. The question is if you have confidence that Ivan can make the changes needed after his time behind the plate last season was less than inspiring and do the Cardinals really need him to be a catcher long-term?
In 2025, Ivan Herrera caught a grand total of only 14 games. We know that he battled elbow issues that limited him resulting in his move to DH where he appeared in 89 games. At the Winter Warmup, Ivan was very positive about how his elbow feels now. He also elaborated on how his elbow was a key factor into his efforts as a catcher. “Yeah, I mean…I basically couldn’t straighten my elbow”. The surgery has created one issue he’s never had to deal with before and that’s the fact that he hasn’t been able to do his typical off-season workout.
There’s more to Ivan and his development as a catcher than just his elbow issues. President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has said that he believes that Herrera was “not set up for success”.MLB.com quoted manager Oli Marmol as saying ““There’s a real curriculum that’s been put together for him to follow and build upon,” Marmol said. “It’s a very hands-on approach” that will be led by catching coordinator Ethan Goforth that will work with Ivan and help him develop the workflow he needs. Herrera said that he and Goforth have been meeting every week of the off-season going over his defensive approach as he’s just now been able to start ramping up his physical activities.
I will admit that I initially balked at the idea of the Cardinals trying to give Ivan another shot at being the team’s catcher especially after the dumpster fire of the Willson Contreras catching situation. The Cardinals wanted Contreras to be the regular catcher for the same reason they want Herrera behind the plate. They want/need that bat in the lineup and the team is much better if their catcher is also a positive offensive contributor. My knee-jerk reaction is don’t try to turn a player who isn’t a natural catcher into one, but I’m now completely on board for several reasons with only one big picture reservation.
As was mentioned by Jake Wood a few days ago, the St. Louis Cardinals really benefit if Ivan Herrera is the catcher. I’ve also had to adjust my thinking from approaching the season as an expected contender to understanding the St. Louis Cardinals have really shifted to an emphasis on development. I would never want to enter a season with a question mark at the catcher position if the St. Louis Cardinals were a serious playoff contender. That being said, the team really has nothing to lose with Ivan Herrera being given a shot and turning his development as a catcher around. We have Pedro Pagés, Jimmy Crooks and Yohel Pozo to fall back on if this new attempt at making Herrera a reasonable defensive catcher falls short.
The only question that remains in my mind is if we really need Ivan Herrera as catcher with top prospects Leonardo Bernal and Rainiel Rodriguezwaiting in the wings? If either or both players are ready for the majors either sometime in 2026 or 2027, wouldn’t Herrera be a block to their progression? I understand you can never have too many great catchers as any one of them would be prime trade candidates. What do you think? Do the St. Louis Cardinals need Ivan Herrera to be a catcher or are we about to create a problem we don’t currently have?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks on stage to fans during Dodgerfest at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
An anonymous pitcher whose entire life changed with four innings is standing in a crowded Dodger Stadium bullpen in the middle of winter when he hears a voice from the stands.
“Will, thank you so much!” shouts a fan, and underneath his thick beard, the pitcher blushes.
“This is something I’ve never had before,” said Will Klein.
And this is ruining baseball?
On a crowded concourse in the middle of a Saturday morning two months before the start of the season, fans are chugging beers, scarfing Dodger dogs, and even doing a line dance.
The queue at the elevator is endless. The screams from the crowd are constant. Blake Snell is walking along one of the barriers giving every nearby fan — every one — a fist bump.
The Dodgers officially opened their doors for the 2026 season Saturday, holding an annual DodgerFest that has sent a clear message to a landscape of whiners.
This is what winning looks like.
This is why winning is worth it.
The baseball owners will likely lock out the players after this season in hopes of installing a salary cap that will curb the sort of spending that has fueled the Dodgers’ consecutive championships.
They don’t get it. In hoarding their revenue-sharing money, the owners don’t realize the benefits of reinvesting that money in the players and, by extension, the fans.
The Dodgers do that more often, and more effectively, than anyone.
The result Saturday was a mid-winter party that felt different than any of their previous bashes. Some years they spent this day apologizing for their playoff collapses. Last year they spent the afternoon tentatively talking about going back-to-back.
Fans pack into Dodger Stadium for DodgerFest on Saturday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
This year the constraints were off, the party was on, and they all spoke freely of becoming the first time in National League history to win three consecutive World Series titles.
”I don’t mind the ‘three in the air’ as a carrot,” said manager Dave Roberts, adding, “There’s a challenge we’re not going to run from.”
And so the players showed up brandishing hope for this summer while sweetly admitting the emotion that still lingers from last fall.
Klein, who came out of nowhere to rescue the Dodgers with four scoreless innings in the marathon Game 3 of the World Series, was still pinching himself about being recognized in public.
“A guy told me I looked like me,” he said. “I said, ‘Thank you.’”
”The most important part is that everybody continues to say that is the best moment that they have in their life, the best moment of sports they watched,” said Rojas. “That makes me feel really good, because we were part of something bigger than just a home run.”
And Rojas said he hears that a lot.
“I waited 20 years in professional baseball to have that moment ... something different happened to my life,” he said. “I’m walking around Rome, I’m seeing Dodger fans saying thank you for that home run. It’s crazy, it’s overwhelming.”
Equally overwhelmed was Freddie Freeman, who grew tearful on the stage when talking about hitting the winning homer in the 18th inning of the World Series Game 3 and the impact of winning two titles in his four years here.
“I’m home playing baseball in front of the best fans day in and day out,” he said. “I couldn’t even wrap my mind around coming back and signing here and being part of this. This has blown me away.”
Even the struggling players seemed thrilled to be here, Tanner Scott acting amazingly relaxed when asked for his 2026 goals.
“Not being as bad as last year,” he said. "I was terrible."
OK, then.
Bottom line, on a midwinter day when most of this country’s major-league baseball stadiums were empty, Chavez Ravine was full of life and wonder and winning.
“Today we see a lot of fans and that really gets me going,” said Shohei Ohtani.
And this is ruining baseball?
“This organization is never ready to be done ... they continue to add players, they continue to add talent, that is a good thing,” said Rojas. “We push ourselves ... we believe we can always get better.”
Like he said, a good thing.
“I like winning,” said Klein. “People are always going to be jealous of teams that try to win when they feel like others aren’t. Everybody can go out and do the same thing.”
Spring is here, the haters are out, and the Dodgers are ready.
Seeing players here, seeing their energy, obviously seeing the energy of the fans, its certainly time,” said Roberts.
New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) moves the puck down ice as Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) tries to defend during the third period at UBS Arena, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Elmont, NY.
It’s going to be a while before the Islanders next see Cal Ritchie.
Ritchie’s lower-body injury will keep him out through the Olympic break, coach Patrick Roy said Saturday before the Islanders faced the Predators at UBS Arena.
Including Saturday’s match, the Islanders have just four games left before the three-week break, which will see them return to practice a little over a week before resuming the season in Montreal on Feb. 26.
Roy said that Ritchie “tried” to skate on his own Friday but it did not go well, so for the time being, he will stay off the ice.
New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) moves the puck down ice as Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) tries to defend during the third period at UBS Arena, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Elmont, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
It’s not clear when exactly Ritchie suffered the injury, as he played his last shift with under three minutes to go in last Saturday’s loss to the Sabres.
For the time being, however, the injury is allowing the Islanders to punt on what will be a tough lineup decision once the rookie centerman returns.
After adding Ondrej Palat via trade, and with Bo Horvat back healthy, it’s not entirely clear how the Islanders can make room for Ritchie in their lineup.
Max Shabanov, who had a spot for most of the season, has sat two of three games since the Isles traded for Palat, with his only playing time coming Thursday night when Casey Cizikas was out sick.
Ritchie, who has generally centered the second or third line, would need to either shift to the wing or the Islanders would need to shift someone else to the wing in order to accommodate him.
Calum Ritchie of the New York Islanders scores a goal as Luke Glendening of the New Jersey Devils tries to defend during the third period when the New York Islanders defeated the New Jersey on January 6, 2026 at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
It’s not at all obvious which winger would sit either, at least as long as the fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Cizikas and Kyle MacLean continues to play well.
Jonathan Drouin has gone a long period without scoring, but the Islanders clearly value the other aspects of his game enough that they are reluctant to make him a healthy scratch.
Depending how circumstances shake out when Ritchie is ready to come back, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Islanders ended up sending him back to AHL Bridgeport to avoid a situation where the 21-year-old is not getting playing time.
Cizikas was back in the lineup after missing Thursday’s win at the Rangers with illness.
Jonathan Drouin was a late scratch with illness.
That allowed Max Shabanov to stay in the lineup after skating as an extra in the morning.
Since Carson Soucy was traded to the Islanders, he’s taken the bulk of Matthew Schaefer’s penalty kill minutes.
Though the Islanders don’t have a hard target for Schaefer’s minutes, which average 24:02 per night, and Roy certainly has not hesitated to use him extensively, the head coach acknowledged that it would be a positive to lighten his workload on the PK.
“He’s 18 years old, playing over 25, 27 minutes. At some point it might affect his play,” Roy said. “It’s nice for him to come straight to his five-on-five, the power play.”
With just over two weeks left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training and less than a month remaining until the first spring training games, the offseason has entered its final stretch. As such, we’re fully into the projection phase of the offseason, which includes minor league prospects. We just got a pretty significant update on the sport’s young stars last Wednesday when Baseball America released its Top 100 paywalled list of the best prospects and MLB Pipeline followed suit two days later. For the second year in a row, the lone Diamondback on the Pipeline list is Ryan Waldschmidt while Baseball America deigned to include Kayson Cunningham at number 97. While prospect evaluations and rankings are inherently subjective, it’s fascinating to see how external evaluators view Arizona’s minor leaguers and there’s genuine value to be had if any ranked prospect wins end-of-the-year award.
Ryan Waldschmidt
The sole Arizona representative on the MLB Pipeline list for the second straight year, Waldschmidt continues to impress less than two years after being drafted with Corbin Carroll’s prospect promotion incentive (PPI) pick out of Kentucky. Across two minor league levels last year, the native Floridian posted a .289/.419/.473 slash line while walking nearly as often as he struck out (106 strikeouts and 96 walks in 601 plate appearances). For context, an 18% strikeout rate would place Waldschmidt among the likes of Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr from last season. I sincerely doubt he’d be able to maintain that kind of performance in the majors and FanGraphs specifically calls out his strikeout proclivity as a limit on his ceiling. But even with that caveat, both FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline project him out as a middle-of-the-order batter who could ably hold down a corner outfield position or even center if needed. That kind of profile makes him a dark horse candidate for securing a spot on the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training given the Lourdes Gurriel Jr-sized hole the team currently has in left field.
Kayson Cunningham
A newcomer to the franchise after being selected with the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, Cunningham was viewed as a well-developed high schooler who fit the team’s preference for undersized up-the-middle talents. He had a relatively rough introduction to pro ball with a .255/.308/.277 slash line in a couple weeks of play at Low-A Visalia while getting some pretty poor reviews on his fielding where the game seemed to be too quick for him at times. He’ll need to hit since he’s not projected for much power – likely a result from his relatively slight 5’10” frame that might fill out a little as he ages into his 20s but will likely still be somewhat undersized for a big leaguer. As it stands, he’s listed as a shortstop by ESPN and that’s where he spent his time during his first cameo with Visalia, but he’ll need to make some significant strides with his footwork and reads to stick there. Otherwise, he’ll end up at second base where his reads and footwork won’t be nearly as important. Overall, we’re looking at a player that has a much longer developmental road ahead of him than you might expect for a first-rounder, but there’s still an old-fashioned leadoff hitter who could hit .300 and steal 30 bases lurking at the end of that road.
Tommy Troy
I’ll be honest, I was pretty surprised to see Troy drop off MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 after appearing at #74 there just two years ago and still hanging on at #96 for Baseball Prospectus last year. In the interim, all the first-rounder has done is hit: across two levels last year, he combined for a .289/.382/.451 slash line while also swiping 24 bases on the year. Admittedly, some of that damage came while he was with Reno in the inflated offensive environment that the Pacific Coast League can represent and he didn’t hit a ton of homers even in that inflated environment. There are also some questions on where he’ll play too as he spent significant time at second and centerfield raising the possibility of a utility role rather than a single defensive position. Even still, the combination of hit tool and speed means that Troy could easily morph himself into a solid big league contributor even if he doesn’t become a bonafide star.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 19 points and T.O. Barrett added 16 for Missouri in an 84-79 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night.
The Tigers (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 12-2 run and went into halftime up 42-35. A late 6-0 run for Mississippi State got the Bulldogs within three, 74-71, with less than two minutes left in the game, but they couldn't get any closer. Missouri capitalized on turnovers, turning 14 Bulldog turnovers into 21 points on the board.
Trent Pierce added 13 points and Jayden Stone put up 11 for Missouri, which has won the last three games against Mississippi State.
Jayden Epps scored 23 points for the Bulldogs (11-11, 3-6). Josh Hubbard put up 22, with 20 points in the second half.
Annor Boateng left the game in the second half for the Tigers, after going down with a leg injury. He was stretchered off the court.
Up next
Mississippi State: Hosts No. 15 Arkansas on Saturday.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 08: An overall view of Yankee Stadium before the Game 4 of the Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees on October 8, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello everyone and welcome to February. We’re trying out something new this month with “Today on Pinstripe Alley” in alignment with many of our fellow SB Nation sites. Instead of getting two occasionally random questions per day at the end of the Today on PSAs, we’ll be choosing one and offering our own answers before turning it over to you all for discussion. We’ll still be detailing what’s ahead on the docket at PSA, but the goal here is to really engage on something of note, so let’s see what happens!
There’s no time to waste! So what’s the strongest reason to believe this Yankees season won’t be a waste? I think there’s a number of ways to approach this. There’s the very obvious, and that’s the 6-foot-7, three-time AL MVP who patrols right field for the Yankees. Anytime you get to pencil Aaron Judge into a lineup, you feel like good things will follow.
The only time the Yanks have missed the playoffs since he broke out as a rookie in 2017 was when the Dodger Stadium outfield fence rudely interrupted another MVP-caliber campaign in 2023. They’ve been one of the last four teams standing in four of those eight seasons, and while the rest of the team wasn’t as sharp last October, Judge was en fuego, shaking off some playoff doldrums. He’ll be another year older in 2026, but it’s not as though 34 is ancient; former teammate Paul Goldschmidt didn’t win his first career MVP until his age-34 season in 2022. Judge can absolutely be as good again, or at least at a highly impressive level.
One player cannot make a team though (ask the Angels). And yet for as much as I would’ve liked to see the Yankees do more this offseason to bolster their championship odds and better safeguard them from potentially ruinous injuries, it’s still a very good ballclub. They have flaws, but ask an opposing fan if their own preferred team has any flaws; trust me, they’ll be sure to find ‘em! (Yes, even on the Dodgers.) The Yankees’ offense easily led the majors last year with 274 homers, and non-Judge players still combined for 221 bombs, which would’ve still ranked six without Judge. Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ben Rice all provided hefty support, and for as frustrating as the “run it back” approach is in some aspects, that’s not really the case for the offense. They should rake again, and for as uneasy as fans were with the non-Gerrit Cole pitching staff last year, they still recorded more strikeouts than every AL team outside of Houston — and Cole will rejoin them eventually.
Is this the rose-colored glasses view? Perhaps, but hope springs eternal. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
Today on the site, Matt will celebrate a very familiar Yankee second baseman’s birthday as part of our ongoing series and Peter will look into pitcher Nick Martinez as a free agent addition, given the recent news of the Yankees’ possible interest in the erstwhile Reds righty. Later, John will present the weekly Social Media Spotlight.
Every offseason here at Amazin’ Avenue, our overlords editors set up a spreadsheet for season reviews and send out a for us writers to claim them. There’s an initialrush for the best players – Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Nolan McLean – though most folks usually show a modicum of discipline and don’t claim too many of the elite guys. Personal favorites get snapped up next, followed by the large group of guys in the middle. Your useful contributors, like Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens and Max Kranick.
Then there’s a Mexican standoff as most of us look at the remaining spots on the sheet. Did that guy really play for the Mets last season? Did his presence matter in any way other than for comprehensive record keeping? Do we really need to write about him? These are the folks that you and most everyone else will forget on the annual Sporcle quizzes, leaving you frustrated as you sit at 55/63 and can’t progress any further. Slowly, but inevitably, those guys get claimed, and we eventually finish out the list.
It is in this spirit that we now discuss Chris Devenski, who did indeed actually pitch for the Mets in 2025. He appeared in 13 games, starting once (as an opener) and tossing 16.2 innings of 2.16 ERA ball with a 3.50 FIP. It was a disjointed tenure in Queens; Devenski had a single outing in April, another in May, got two outings in the middle of June, actually stuck around for a bit in July with 7 appearances, and then finished the season with single appearances in each of August and September. In between, he spent his time posting a broadly similar performance for Triple-A Syracuse. If anything, the most impressive part of this performance was his willingness to put up with the Triple-A / MLB shuttle as a 34-year-old veteran.
Was any of this particularly memorable? No, not really. Even though Devenski was broadly decent as an up-and-down guy, this is the sort of performance that gets lost in the wash of a 162-game season. Don’t feel guilty about not remembering though because it doesn’t seem anyone else around the league noticed either; Devenski signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates in early January. So it goes for the late-career middle reliever. Just do your best to remember him on your next Sporcle quiz.
Pakistan 198-5; Australia 108 (15.4 overs) | Pakistan win by 90 runs
Australia lose series with 11 days to go before T20 World Cup begins
World Cup-bound Australia have been given a hiding in Lahore, bamboozled by Pakistan’s spinners as they crumbled to a 90-run defeat and a T20I series capitulation.
Just hours after their squad for the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka was announced, Mitch Marsh’s side, featuring nine World Cup players and looking desperately in need of their absent big guns, simply could not cope with the hosts’ five-pronged spin attack on Saturday.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier led a pair of touchdown drives, including a keeper for a score, as the American team beat the National team 17-9 on Saturday in the Senior Bowl.
Nussmeier led a 12-play, 68-yard opening drive that ended with his 3-yard rush on a read-option play.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led the National team to start. After an opening 18-yard completion to NC State tight end Justin Joly, Kentucky running back Seth McGowan fumbled. Mizzouri's Zion Young recovered the ball, handed it to Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who had it punched out by Pavia. The American defense recovered it.
After three runs for 41 yards from Virginia's J'Mari Taylor, Oklahoma's Jayden Ott punched in a 5-yard score. Nussmeier found Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields for a successful two-point conversion.
Nussmeier was 5 of 8 for 57 yards with an interception that went through the hands of Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and into those of Nebraska's Deshon Singleton.
Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson was intercepted similarly later in the quarter. His pass went off the hands of Louisville receiver Caullin Lacy, and Northwestern's Fred Davis II intercepted it for the American team.
BYU's Will Ferrin added a 40-yard field goal with 3:02 left to make it 17-0 at the break for the American team.
Pavia re-entered the game with 6:35 to go in the third and continued into the fourth, using a 29-yard run from McGowan to set up a 52-yard field goal from Iowa's Drew Stevens. Pavia finished 10 of 13 for 78 yards.
Michigan receiver Donaven McCulley, who accepted a late invite to the Senior Bowl on the National team, led all receivers with four catches for 50 yards. He had a 14-yard reception on the National team's final drive to set up a 1-yard score for FAU's Kejon Owens.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, talks to reporters during DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered one key question heading into spring training.
Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March, Roberts told reporters during Saturday's annual DodgerFest at Dodger Stadium. The manager added it was Ohtani's decision and the Dodgers would have allowed him to do so if he had wanted to.
Ohtani said in November he would participate in the WBC but did not signal at the time whether he would pitch. When Team Japan's roster was announced Monday, manager Hirokazu Ibata did not say if Ohtani would pitch, only saying they would get a better sense in spring training.
And on Saturday, Ohtani — who spoke to reporters before Roberts did — said he was still unsure if he would pitch in the WBC and it would depend on how he feels as he began ramping up to pitch over the next few weeks. The expectation going into the season, he told reporters, had been he would be able to pitch without restrictions from the start for the Dodgers.
In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament most valuable player with a .435 batting average and 1.86 ERA, helping Japan to the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game. But five months later, Ohtani was pulled from a home start against the Cincinnati Reds for what ultimately was revealed to be a torn UCL.
Ohtani had his second career Tommy John surgery in September and did not return to pitching until last June with the Dodgers.
MLB players like Ohtani and teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto are expected to join Team Japan for exhibition games on March 2. Japan will open WBC play on March 6 against Taiwan.
Missing Fred VanVleet has been a problem all season, but if they’ve unlocked Kevin Durant, those flaws suddenly become more manageable. Leaning on Durant against the Dallas Mavericks makes a lot of sense.
My Mavericks vs. Rockets predictions and NBA pickswill do just that tonight.
Tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center in Houston, with the game airing on ABC.
Mavericks vs Rockets prediction
Mavericks vs Rockets best bet: Kevin Durant Over 25.5 points (-112)
The Houston Rockets have leaned on Kevin Durant more in the past couple of weeks, with the veteran averaging 20.6 shots per game over his last five outings compared to 17.8 over his previous 39 games.
That has directly led to Durant clearing this prop in four of those five games, averaging 31.2 points per game in this stretch.
For that matter, Durant has scored at least 31 points in four of those games, the exception being a mere 24 points against the Spurs.
San Antonio has the best defender in the league for Durant. That exception can prove this new rule.
Houston is trusting Durant in a way it probably always should have. His increased workload makes the value of this prop clear ahead of tonight's matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks vs Rockets same-game parlay
Durant has cleared this 3-pointers prop in four of his last five games, taking eight attempts per outing. Over his previous 39 games, he averaged 5.5 attempts from beyond the arc.
This aligns with an Under play more than you might expect, given how deliberate Durant’s possessions can be. Houston has also come up short of the total in each of its last four contests.
Mavericks vs Rockets SGP
Kevin Durant Over 25.5 points
Kevin Durant Over 2.5 threes
Under 223
Our "from downtown" SGP: The Need to Reed
Dallas’s backcourt is ripe to be exposed. Klay Thompson is not a defensive presence at this point in his career.
A couple of open looks for Reed Sheppard should keep the Mavs’ defense honest, thus leaving more space open for Durant.
Houston’s last four games have all cashed their Unders, and by an average of 16.25 points. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Rockets.
How to watch Mavericks vs Rockets
Location
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Date
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Mavericks vs Rockets latest injuries
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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
Shohei Ohtani said on Saturday that he remained uncertain whether he would be a two-way player for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was more definitive: He won’t be.
“He’s not going to pitch in the WBC,” Roberts said.
Shohei Ohtani of Team Japan reacts after the final out in the top of the 9th inning to defeat Team USA 3-2 during World Baseball Classic Championship at loanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Getty Images
Focusing on hitting in the tournament was “absolutely” Ohtani’s call, according to the manager, who revealed the decision was made about a month ago.
If Ohtani had wanted to pitch in the WBC, would the Dodgers have given him their blessing?
“Absolutely,” Roberts said.
Playing in the 2023 WBC as a two-way player, Ohtani made two pitching starts and was Japan’s closer in its victory over the United States in the championship game. Ohtani registered the final out of the game by striking out Mike Trout in what became the signature moment of his career.
What might be welcome development for the other countries in the tournament could be bad news for other major league teams.
If the legacy-conscious Ohtani is willing to sacrifice potential glory on the international stage, what does that say about what he has in mind for the regular season?
He must have something big in mind – like a season in which he wins his fifth MVP award and becomes the first Japanese pitcher to ever win a Cy Young?
On stage at DodgerFest alongside right-hander Roki Sasaki, Ohtani shared his goals with the fans in attendance.
“It would be best if I can mix it up,” Ohtani said in Japanese to the Dodger Stadium crowd. “Stealing bases, hitting home runs, getting strikeouts – I think doing it all would be great.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during first inning Game 7 World Series playoff MLB baseball action in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) AP
Relayed Ohtani’s words, Roberts became visibly animated. Roberts recently told the California Post that he expected Ohtani to compete for the National League Cy Young Award with teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Roberts’ prediction was made in reaction to Ohtani’s interview with NHK that aired in Japan last month. In the interview in question, Ohtani acknowledged he was disappointed by how he was charged with three runs in only 2 ⅓ innings in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series last year.
“There’s always something that Shohei needs to fuel him,” Roberts said.
Roberts never concealed his preference that Ohtani not pitch in the WBC, and he said he expected Ohtani to ultimately reach the decision he did.
“I wasn’t surprised, so I can’t even say I was relieved,” Roberts said. “Understanding what he did last year, what he had to go through to then how best to prepare himself for ‘26 to do both (pitch and hit), it just seemed like the right decision.”
In the season that followed the last WBC, Ohtani was a two-way player for the Angels and damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The injury forced him to undergo his second Tommy John operation.
Still recovering from surgery, Ohtani couldn’t pitch in 2024, his first year with the Dodgers. He made his mound return in June of last season. He went on to pitch in 14 regular-season games, posting a 3.14 earned-run average. He pitched in four postseason games, including a win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series in which he struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings and whacked three homers as a hitter.
With Ohtani only hitting in the WBC this year, the Dodgers won’t have to take any extreme measures to protect his arm early in the season, which means he should be able to make enough starts to merit consideration for the Cy Young Award. While Ohtani might receive extended breaks between some pitching appearances, Roberts said he would otherwise be “used as a normal pitcher.”
“It’s not going to be a two-inning, three-inning governor” per start, Roberts said.
Roberts said Ohtani would be “ramping up” his arm in spring training to prepare for the regular season, and Ohtani said he has already thrown “three or four” bullpen sessions. Addressing reporters before Roberts did, Ohtani made it sound as if his pitching status for the WBC was still undetermined.
“I think it will come down to the end, depending on how I’m adjusting, depending on the condition of my body,” Ohtani said in Japanese.
There’s no reason to question Roberts. Unless something was lost in translation, Ohtani isn’t pitching in the WBC. Assuming that’s the case, what that means doesn’t require any translation: Ohtani is preparing for another history-making season with the Dodgers.
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It feels very strange to scan this page and not see the letters S-A-L-A-H. For a variety of reasons he’s scored only four league goals in 2025-26; his lowest total at in a full season at Liverpool is 18.
