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The current incarnation of Dodger ownership is not your grandfather's Dodgers. In lieu of private, family ownership, you have one behemoth corporation, the Guggenheim Group, predicated on maximizing profit potential, and not giving a twit regarding social or moral imperatives. Doing the "right thing" might threaten their bottom line. After all, in their way of thinking, the business of America is business." ICE thugs terrorizing part of their fan base's families is not on their radar. It's all about money.

Bob Teigan
Santa Susana

Why would Dylan Hernández be surprised by the Dodgers’ silence over the Trump Administration’s efforts to terrorize the Hispanic residents of greater Los Angeles? Never forget that Dodger Stadium stands on land acquired through similar tactics directed toward the Hispanic residents of Chavez Ravine.

BW Radley
Mission Viejo

So let me get this right. Seven months ago the Los Angeles Times editorial section declined to endorse either one of the candidates running for president of the United States, but today, Dylan Hernández, a columnist (which means he gives his opinion about topics) slammed the Dodgers for not taking a political stance on the current events in Los Angeles. Mr. Hernández, the Dodgers are a pro sports franchise, not a political party. Maybe if you want to continue to write about politics you should transfer to the Op-Ed department and leave the sports section to sports

Russell Morgan
Carson

Mr. Hernández's diatribe in The Times is yet another example of his inability to comprehend legal from illegal status. He would have the Dodgers condemn the removal of those illegally in our country. The Dodgers ownership made the correct decision to remain silent. Do not reward the law breaker who was aware of the possible consequences from the beginning.

Bill Tewksbury
Marion, Mont.
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Thank you, Kiké Hernández, for standing up for Angelenos while they are being targeted because of the color of their skin. There is no larger supporter of the Dodgers than the Mexican-American community. The Dodger ownership should show that support works both ways.

Mike Gamboa
Buena Park

Win-win situation

Watching the NBA Finals it was clear that the Lakers would have no chance against the new, younger, more athletic players.

Seeing what they’ve done with the Dodgers, it would be entirely reasonable to believe that the new ownership will be bringing the entire Lakers organization into the 21st century.

The best part of the sale: Lakers valued at $10 billion. Celtics valued at $6 billion.

Victory!

Paul D. Ventura
Mission Viejo

The Lakers move now from a Mom and Pop operated organization to corporate, with TWG Global group. Bill Plaschke writes about how great this will be for the Lakers since they will now be managed and have the same resources as the Dodgers, who went this same route back in 2012. That's great to look forward to but the immediate need is, who will play the center position for the Lakers? Is there a player for sale in Japan, maybe?

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

Management decision?

I will no longer question manager Dave Roberts' pitching decisions. There are more important issues to raise. When asked about the deportation and rounding up of profiled people in L.A., he said, “Honestly, I don’t know enough” and “I haven’t dug enough and can’t speak intelligently on it.” Do you read your own newspaper? Have you looked into the crowd that pays your $10-million salary and seen who is most loyal? Don’t you honor Jackie Robinson every year and talk to your players about his legacy and standing up for one’s rights? Well apparently he’s either the team’s PR manager, tone deaf or has been ordered to act dumb by management. The world is more than balls and strikes.

David Bialis
San Diego

Clayton clarification

So on June 8, we get two letters suggesting that Clayton Kershaw stop pitching because he is "hurting the team." Over his next two starts, he pitches 12 innings, giving up one run, while striking out 12, walking one, and earning two wins. Did Bill Plaschke ghost-write these letters with his usual accurate predictions/suggestions? If so, keep up the great work, Bill!

Richard Brisacher
Mar Vista

Spaun-ing controversy

What am I missing here? A relatively unknown golf pro, J.J. Spaun, who graduated from San Dimas High wins one of the most prestigious and exciting golf majors in years; and he gets five paragraphs (and not even a quote) plus a photo on page 2. You gave LPGA winner Carlota Ciganda more coverage (in the same combined story) after recording her first win in 15 years for winning something called the Meijer (NOT Major) LPGA Classic. May I suggest a special profile column on the local major winner when you are "Dodger'd" out and have a slow news day.

Richard Whorton
Studio City

It was bad enough that you barely mentioned Scottie Scheffler’s dominating victory in the PGA Championship last month. But you lowered the bar even further in the U.S. Open.

The first three days of the event rated only a short notebook, but J.J. Spaun’s thrilling final round, topped by one of the greatest putts in golf history, should have been an above-the-fold front-page story. You blew it. And to top it off, your story referred to Spaun’s having a resemblance to Franco Harris? Please. If Adam Scott had won, would he have resembled, say, Ryan Gosling? I don’t think so.

Steve Horn
Glendale

Right on target

What a terrific story by Gary Klein on Rams receiver Puka Nacua, with a good history of Polynesian players in the NFL! Although I have been following the NFL for many years, the growth in the number of Polynesian players is something I sort of overlooked even though I remember many of these players going back to Charlie Ane, who I also recall played at USC in the 1950s.

Bill Francis
Pasadena

Not his day

After watching Shohei Ohtani strike out four times Tuesday night, I found myself thinking, "It's a good thing this guy can pitch."

John Amato
Sherman Oaks

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Ryan O'Hearn jokingly thanks Red Sox for trading Rafael Devers to Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Boston Red Sox did a Baltimore Orioles veteran a favor by trading slugger Rafael Devers to the Giants. 

On Tuesday’s episode of “Foul Territory,” Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn expressed his appreciation to Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow for the blockbuster trade, one which could vault him into a starting role at the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta next month.

“I just want to shout out Craig Breslow real quick,” O’Hearn humorously shared on Tuesday. “Appreciate you, man, [for] getting me in the standings. What a wild deal. That was crazy, huh?” 

"I just wanna shoutout Craig Breslow real quick. Appreciate you, man." 😂

Ryan O'Hearn leads among AL DHs in All-Star voting after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers. pic.twitter.com/izBJQ43rhK

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 17, 2025

Before Devers got traded to the Giants on Sunday, the three-time MLB All-Star clearly was the frontrunner to serve as the American League’s starting designated hitter in Atlanta, having received significant support from the fans.

Devers racked up 796,382 votes from fans during his time with the Boston Red Sox, per the first All-Star return. 

Now, the 28-year-old slugger is the Giants player with the most votes, but becomes a distant second to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in the designated hitter category.

That was twice as many as O’Hearn’s 353,029 votes, which, with Devers now in the National League, makes the 31-year-old the highest vote-getter at the position in the AL.

Voting leaders through the first MLB All Star ballot update! pic.twitter.com/TJH7MOU5MK

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2025

O’Hearn’s humorous gratitude towards Breslow is entirely understandable. The Red Sox, single-handedly, put him that much closer to a big trip to Atlanta in July.

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It’s hard not to count as the strikeouts go by.

Clayton Kershaw’s first strikeout Friday night came on his "Cooperstown curveball" — a pitch that’s dazzled since its first appearance at Dodger Stadium on May 25, 2008. Two strikeouts on sliders that dove into the dirt like paper airplanes curtailing in the wind brought his chase to single digits.

The milestone is inevitable. Kershaw will all but certainly reach the 3,000-strikeout mark, etching his name on a list that features just 19 other pitchers. But he'll have to wait a little while longer.

“There's a few pitches tonight where it clicked,” Kershaw said, moving his earned-run average to 2.49 in June. “It’s just not every one. So hopefully it’ll get there.”

Kershaw struck out four batters against the Nationals, tossing five innings and giving up two solo home runs as the Dodgers took the series opener 6-5.

“It's really special knowing that he's approaching 3,000,” said infielder Miguel Rojas, who played third base Friday like he did for Kershaw’s no-hitter in 2014. “Every pitch... every strikeout counts. But for him, I feel like it's more important to win games, and for him to be 3-0 and with really good numbers overall, I'm happy for him — that he's healthy, happy and able to contribute."

Kershaw brought his career strikeout total to 2,992, just eight away from 3,000. Strikeout 3,000 could come Thursday in Colorado or Friday in Kansas City when he’s next expected to toe the mound.

“It’s hard not to appreciate how close he is to the 3,000 mark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “My guess is that he just wants to get this thing over with as soon as possible, right? … He wants it over as quick as possible, I'm sure."

Kershaw still doesn’t feel his sharpest in his seventh start of the season. He walked two and 33 of his 78 pitches were balls. His fastball was more than a tick down from his season average as he flailed with his command early.

And yet, Kershaw battled through five innings.

“I can still get people out,” Kershaw said. “I just want to do it a little bit better."

If the Dodgers’ previous four-game series against the Padres had the energy and animosity of postseason baseball, then the Nationals coming to town felt like a true mid-June game. Coming off an 11-game losing streak — broken Thursday in Colorado — the Nationals (31-45) fell out of an early lead because of self-inflicted gaffes.

After the Dodgers knotted the score 1-1 when bench coach Danny Lehmann’s first successful challenge (stepping in at manager for the suspended Roberts) brought home a run after Mookie Betts was deemed safe at first on a fielder’s choice, Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams made what looked to be an inning-ending force play.

Abrams dove to his right on an infield single from Andy Pages, stabbed the ball and used his glove to flip to Amed Rosario at second base. The ball never reached Rosario, and Betts hustled home from second base without a throw.

Read more:Dodgers commit $1 million for assistance for families of immigrants affected by ICE raids

Rojas extended the Dodgers' lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth when he hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, to score Kiké Hernández (two for three, two doubles). When the Nationals threatened in the top of the seventh — with runners on second and third, down by two — Michael Conforto came to the Dodgers’ rescue by making a diving catch to keep his team ahead.

“It's a long season, and you're going to receive more opportunities to contribute, and it's nice to finally get one game like this where you feel part of it,” Rojas said, adding that he was glad to showcase his hitting against a left-hander such as Washington ace MacKenzie Gore.

Abrams homered in the ninth, but Dodgers closer Tanner Scott buckled down to secure his 15th save.

The Dodgers (47-30) will turn to right-hander Dustin May against the Nationals on Saturday as they attempt to clinch their fourth consecutive series. Neither Roberts nor Lehmann was made available to reporters after the game.

Etc.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (shoulder inflammation) is set to throw two innings in a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, while left-hander Blake Snell (shoulder inflammation) is set to throw a bullpen in the next few days, Roberts said.

Roki Sasaki (right shoulder impingement), who stopped throwing after a recent flare up stymied his progression, threw in the outfield Friday afternoon.

“I don't know if it was 60, 90 feet, with the baseball,” Roberts said of Sasaki, who was moved to the 60-day injured list Friday. “That was a bonus. That was a plus. Chatted with him briefly afterward. He was excited about it."

On how Sasaki was feeling, Roberts said: "I would say pain-free. Now it's just getting the build-up. But most important, he's pain-free."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It's been an ugly week for the Mets, who are in the depths of a seven-game losing streak following their 10-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

The timing couldn't be worse for New York, which is in the middle of playing 10 straight games against its two biggest National League East Division threats, the Phillies and Atlanta Braves. And so far, the nosedive has already resulted in the Mets getting dethroned from their perch atop the standings.

This all started a day after Kodai Senga injured his hamstring covering first base against the Washington Nationals in a game that the Mets ultimately won for their sixth straight victory despite an unnerving ninth inning. But after the week that followed, that all seems like a lifetime ago for the spiraling Mets.

Even though Senga's injury isn't considered serious, it'll still be a while before he returns to the team which is a serious blow for New York who is now without its ace for a period of time. Plus, the domino effect that Senga's absence has caused the Mets has left them reeling and searching for answers -- and not just for starting pitching.

In fact, manager Carlos Mendoza listed what's been going wrong for his team at the moment.

"We’re going through it right now," he said. "I think it’s a little bit of everything. Whether it’s a starting pitcher not going deep in games, we got a couple of games where the bullpen [gives up] an inning like (Friday), an inning like the first game in Atlanta, offensively we’re having a hard time scoring -- so I think right now every area we’re fighting through it. It’s hard, but we gotta continue to fight, continue to grind and get through it and find a way."

Also without Tylor Megill for the immediate future due to his elbow sprain, New York was forced to replace his spot in the rotation on Friday with Blade Tidwell, who made his second MLB start. And although the right-hander only lasted 3.2 innings, he allowed just two earned runs and held the Phillies scoreless for the first three innings, matching Zack Wheeler.

Still, the short outing has become a theme for the Mets lately and started to wear on the bullpen. On Friday, it was Reed Garrett and Justin Garza who were touched up in a six-run seventh inning that blew the game open.

Before that, the game was tied 2-2 as New York's offense continues to struggle to score consistently, ending the night with just those two runs (off back-to-back solo shots by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil) and seven hits.

"I wouldn’t be able to lay my finger on one thing," Alonso said about the team's struggles. "I just think collectively as a group, whether it’s defensively, offensively, we’re not necessarily in sync on either side of the ball right now.

"... As a group, we’re not playing clean baseball, we’re not playing up to our potential. It’s not our standard. How we’ve been playing doesn’t match the talent or the standards that we set for ourselves. ... It’s been a poor showing the past seven games."

So what can the Mets do about it?

"You just have to strap it on and get ready to go and do whatever you can (Saturday)," Alonso said. "Thankfully, we don’t have an off day -- we can go out and have a chance and opportunity to learn from our mistakes (Friday) and go and execute (Saturday). I think that’s the beautiful thing where you can either keep the momentum going or you have a chance to stop the bleeding and play better baseball (Saturday)."

Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when nothing seems to be going New York's way currently.

"I think everything is happening at the same time," Mendoza said.

When a guy hasn’t pitched in 18 days, you usually try to find them a relatively soft return.

That certainly would’ve been the ideal scenario for Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Friday night, but the game had other plans. 

With things knotted up at three apiece, the skipper turned to right-hander Luke Weaver to make his highly-anticipated return from a two-week stint on the injured list, and things didn’t quite go as planned.

Baltimore’s offense welcomed the All-Star closer back rudely, as third baseman Ramon Urias cracked a go-ahead solo homer over a leaping Aaron Judge into the short porch leading off the top of the eighth.

“It was a good at-bat,” Weaver said postgame. “I threw a solid pitch, he just put a pretty good swing on it and I was pretty devastated to see it go over -- obviously not the start that I was looking forward to, felt like I let the team down in that moment.”

The Orioles would knock him around a bit more from there -- picking up two more hard-hit singles before ultimately chasing him from the game with just two outs recorded. 

Sidearming left-hander Tim Hill entered and allowed another run to score on a Gunnar Henderson single, but was able to avoid further damage thanks to some shoddy base running. 

Still, the damage was done and the Yanks ended up dropping another frustrating one.

“The whole outing was just about two strikes,” Weaver said. “It was just about trying to put them away and it’s hard sometimes to find that just line where that swing-and-miss is and they’re putting together good at-bats and having good takes. 

“When you’re not quite where you want to be it gets hard, you feel like you’re pitching defensive and it gets hard to get that swing-and-miss from there.”

While the results weren’t there, the most important thing was that the 31-year-old felt healthy. 

Weaver is expected to jump back into the mix in the later innings alongside Devin Williams -- who stepped up tremendously with four saves and a 1.35 ERA in his absence.

“The only thing that hurts is my head and my heart,” Weaver said following the loss. “At the end of the day my leg feels great, the velocity is there, all of my pitchers were there -- I had everything I needed to be successful, it’s just a game that didn’t happen.”

In need of a spot start with the rotation banged up, the Mets decided to call upon Blade Tidwell to make his second big-league start. 

The young righty played a similar role earlier this season but things didn’t quite go as planned, as he allowed six runs on nine hits over just 3.2 innings while slotting in for a doubleheader against the Cardinals for his debut. 

Fortunately for him and the Mets, Friday’s outing in Philadelphia was a bit better. 

Tidwell did enough to keep New York in the ballgame, as he worked his way efficiently and effectively through the red-hot Phillies lineup before running into some trouble with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. 

A pair of singles from Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, then a Bryson Stott walk loaded the bases with one out -- Tidwell then got Otto Lopez to roll into a fielder’s choice before his night came to an end. 

José Castillo entered and allowed another run scoring hit but was able to close the youngster’s line with just the two runs allowed on four hits while walking three and striking out four across 3.2 innings of work. 

While Tidwell didn’t provide the Mets with the length they were hoping for, and the bullpen ended up blowing things up behind him, he was still solid. 

“Compared to that last outing, a lot better,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The fastball had life, the cutter and slider to go with the sweeper a lot better as well -- obviously in the fourth he left a pitch up to Realmuto and then we knew we were going to keep him to that pitch count.”

This continues a stretch of strong pitching for the 24-year-old former second-round pick -- who had put together five consecutive outings with three earned runs or fewer prior to his rough last start before the unexpected call-up. 

While it’s an encouraging sign, he knows he just has to keep grinding when he returns to Syracuse. 

“I thought I executed the ball better tonight,” Tidwell said. “I had command of the fastball, but wish I had a couple of pitches back. Overall I thought it went better than the last, but there’s still more work to be done.”