Former Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers goaltender Jack Campbell has announced his retirement from professional hockey at 34, confirming the news via an update to his Instagram bio.
In a video where he discussed his career and personal struggles behind the scenes, he now describes himself simply as a "former NHL goaltender" and an "identity and performance coach." His goal is to help others get through what he needed help getting through.
Former Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell has announced his retirement from professional hockey at 34 via Instagram.
Campbell now lists himself as a “former NHL goaltender” and an “identity and performance coach” in his Instagram bio.
Campbell's career was full of fascinating twists and turns. Selected by the Dallas Stars as the highest-drafted goaltender in franchise history (#11 in 2010), he played only one game for the Stars before joining the Los Angeles Kings. He played 56 games as a King before going to Toronto. His numbers for both the Kings and the Maple Leafs were solid. It led to him signing a lucrative deal with the Edmonton Oilers.
On the heels of a season where he played 49 games, posted a 2.64 goals against average and a .914 save percentage, Edmonton gave him a five-year, $25 million deal as a free agent in 2022 — but the fit never worked. He lost the starting job almost immediately, was eventually sent to the AHL, and was bought out by the Oilers after just two seasons.
In October 2024, while with the Detroit Red Wings, Campbell entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for an indefinite period, a program that supports players dealing with anything from substance issues to mental health struggles. He never played in the NHL again.
What stands out now, in retirement, is how openly Campbell has spoken about his struggles. He wants to apply what he's learned when he said it took him getting a life coach to find his way, and help others. His path from a "can't-miss prospect" to burned-out backup did a number on him personally. It took him time to get back on track, never being able to get there in terms of becoming an NHL goalie again.
It's good to see that he's found a new path and seems to be doing well.
Dillon Brooks didn’t hesitate to call out Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Brooks, who plays for the Suns, was asked who are the top-five complainers in basketball and listed Doncic, James and Curry on that list as well as Jaren Jackson and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Suns star Dillon Brooks said LeBron James (above) is one of the NBA’s biggest whiners. Getty Images
“First one that comes to mind for me? Obviously, Luka. Luka’s obviously a big-ass complainer,” Brooks said. “Curry is one, I actually gave him a shot. I gave him a shot in his chest on a contest.”
Doncic has admitted that he believes Brooks is the NBA’s biggest trash talker and said he loves to play against him.
Doncic and Brooks used to tangle when Doncic played for the Mavericks and Brooks suited up for the Rockets.
In his career, Doncic has thrived against him, averaging 29.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.
Curry has enjoyed playing against Brooks in his historic career and considers him a friendly on-court rival. During a December game last season, Brooks earned a Flagrant 1 foul for striking Curry on a play. Curry later jokingly called the play “bush league.”
Brooks went on to think about who else he considers a complainer and quickly remembered James, saying “LeBron, for sure.”
Brooks also said the Warriors’ Steph Curry is on his list of biggest complainers. Getty Images
Since the 2023 NBA playoffs, Brooks and James have had one of the NBA’s most heated feuds. They had an infamous staredown during pregame warmups.
— bbreact reaction videos (@burnerbwoireact) May 12, 2026
Next season, the Brooks-James rivalry will enter a new chapter because James is a free agent for the first time in eight years and will not return to the Lakers.
It's not unexpected that Lu Dort got traded this offseason.
Oklahoma City felt the pressure of the second apron closing in as the max extensions for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams kicked in for next season, and some depth was going to be sacrificed. Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins were already gone, but Dort is making $18.2 million next season and is up for an extension the Thunder couldn't swing, so the sides were always likely to part.
Atlanta stepped up, Dallas jumped in, and we have a three-team trade. Who are the winners and losers? Let's break it all down, starting with a reminder of the trade itself:
Oklahoma City receives: Three future second-round picks Atlanta receives: Luguentz Dort, Ryan Nembhard Dallas receives: Zaccharie Risacher
Winner: Atlanta Hawks
This just adds to what has been a strong offseason for the Hawks — they got the best player in this trade.
Atlanta is building a defensive juggernaut and adding Lu Dort — an All-Defensive Team player a season ago — behind Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is just fearsome. Coach Quin Snyder has some decisions to make because playing Daniels and Dort together could be an offensive issue, but this is still a good problem to have. Overall, adding Dort and Wiggins on the wing is an upgrade in Atlanta at the position, regardless of what happens with Jonathan Kuminga. Also, if the Hawks want to clear cap space next summer, they don't have to re-sign Dort (or Nembhard).
Also, adding Nembhard as a solid backup behind rookie Kingston Flemmings as the starter is a good bit of work.
One other note: It's good work by Atlanta getting off Risacher rather than feeling they had to stick it out because he was the No. 1 pick. Granted, it was the previous front office that made the pick, still, it's not something every team would do. It's not that Risacher can't take a step forward, he is just 21, but because Atlanta passed on Alex Sarr (No. 2) and Stephon Castle (No. 4) to take him, too many front offices wouldn't want to make a change to prove they were right. Best to just cut your losses and move on, and the Hawks did.
Winner: Lu Dort
Dort isn't a winner because he went from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, or because he's in line for a bigger role, it's because he can get paid in the ATL.
Dort is eligible for an extension, and with the cap crunch hitting the Thunder that was not happening in Oklahoma City. In Atlanta, they have the cap space to pay the man, and that was likely part of why they traded for him. Dort is not due a big raise, he likely makes something in the ballpark of what he does now (maybe a little less the first year), but he can get a bag in the ATL and will take it.
Loser: Thunder fans
The winner for the Thunder out of this was Clay Bennett's pocketbook, this move gets OKC well under the second apron. Also, this was another win for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the impact of the second apron of the luxury tax — at the expense of fans. When Silver defends the second apron, he talks about parity — he loves to talk about the eight different champions in eight different years — and he sounds like a fantasy owner happy to see players as two-dimensional pawns moved around the board to flatten the talent base. That ignores the connection fans form with players.
Lu Dort was one of the fan favorites in Oklahoma City — the player who hustles every second and does all the little things is someone fans always connect with.
Now, that connection is gone. It's not going to hurt the Thunder on the court much — another elite defender in Cason Wallace slides in to be a full-time starter, and Alex Caruso still comes off the bench — but it's another little loss for the Thunder's depth, along with Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins moving on. All that so the Thunder could get below the second apron.
The more blatant case of this same phenomenon was Boston's front office feeling it had to trade Jaylen Brown for financial reasons — an elite player for the Celtics who was always very active in the community, gave back and was beloved for that as much as for his play. But Brown and now Dort on the move is what Silver and the owners want, and the price they may pay in fan loyalty doesn't seem to bother them in the least.
Winner: Zaccharie Risacher
Sometimes, a player just needs a fresh start.
That's what Risacher gets by going to a new city with a new coaching staff led by Dusty May. Risacher is just 21 years old and is an athletic 6'8" wing who has his moments, averaging 9.6 points per game last season, shooting 36.8% from 3 (and a true shooting percentage right at the league average). Put him next to Cooper Flagg and see what happens.
The fact that the Hawks were willing to walk away is concerning, and Dallas gave up a good player in Nembhard and a second-round pick to get him, which is more than some might have paid, but Risacher gets the chance to prove them all wrong with a clean slate. We'll see what he does with it.
In due time, the Philadelphia Flyers will be back big-game hunting, as they have to wait only a few years to begin putting pressure on the Chicago Blackhawks to pry Connor Bedard away from the flailing franchise.
On Saturday, Bedard, 21, signed a five-year, $75 million extension ($15 million AAV) with the Blackhawks, but there are a few factors that could make push come to shove and force a departure.
For starters, Bedard does not have trade protection at any point in his new deal until Year 5: 2030-31, when he has a full no-move clause. That means that if Bedard is not traded before July 1, 2030, he will spent that full season with Chicago and walk into unrestricted free agency at age 25 if he is not extended before then.
Bedard's new deal buys him only one year of UFA status, too, which is what makes his situation similar to the Leo Carlsson offer sheet. Those contracts are virtually identical, with the exception that Carlsson makes most of his money up front and is $3 million more expensive per year; those were products of the Flyers doing what they needed to do to try and strongarm Anaheim out of their franchise player.
This is all to say that, if it becomes apparent to Bedard and his camp that the Blackhawks are not turning the corner and prepared to win, he can be traded to any other NHL team four or fewer years into the deal.
If that doesn't happen, Bedard can simply wait out Year 5, go to free agency, and pick his team.
While his camp insists he wanted to stay with the Blackhawks and never considered signing an offer sheet himself, it is obvious that the 2023 No. 1 overall pick has numerous ways out of Chicago if and when the opportunity presents itself.
As for the Flyers, well, they proved with the offer sheet to Carlsson that they are prepared to spend big money against the cap and give up whatever draft capital necessary to land themselves a young, elite player in the middle of the ice.
Bedard unquestionably fits that bill and is an even more dynamic talent than Carlsson, even if injuries and size have been question marks in his nascent NHL career thus far.
On top of the Flyers being among the most willing to and brazen about flopping their wallets on the table, we must also consider the Matvei Michkov friendship factor.
Bedard and Michkov are two fierce competitors whose bond began to form on the ice at the international level during the 2021 U18 World Championships
Bedard and Michkov outside the locker rooms after their first NHL matchup in Nov. 2024. (Photo: Philadelphia Flyers)
Michkov took the first NHL matchup between he and Bedard back on Nov. 23, 2024, playing hero with his "cold-blooded" overtime winner.
"It was really good to see him on the ice. It was a long time we don’t play against each other. I hope it’s only the beginning," Michkov had said. "I think he will try to get it back. I have to be ready for it."
Bedard did get Michkov back with a 7-4 win on March 23, 2025, but the Flyers won their two matchups with Chicago last season, putting Bedard down 3-1 in the all-time "series" against his Russian counterpart.
It's tough to be on that side of the rivalry for so long, isn't it?
It may not be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or the year after that, but soon, the Blackhawks must make something of themselves with Bedard on the team, or else they'll have to trade him or eventually lose him in free agency for nothing. You can count on the Flyers being prepared for that.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 31: Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots a free throw during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 31, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are fielding offers for Daniel Gafford.
Stein goes on to say:
Is Daniel Gafford going to be on this team by season’s end? It’s not an answerable question at this point. We know he’s available.
This is the perfect type of move for the Utah Jazz. Gafford isn’t a star center but is a league-average player across the board and is a net positive on the defensive end. Dunks and Threes has his block percentage (4.9) in the 92nd percentile. He’s also in the 91st percentile in offensive rebounding. That type of rim pressure on both ends of the floor is a great way to replace what was lost in the Walker Kessler trade.
We also know that Gafford played a big role in the Mavericks’ run to the Finals just a few years ago, both as a reserve and sometimes as a starter. That type of competence and experience would be a nice addition to a young Jazz team that hasn’t had a lot of experience in the playoffs.
A trade like this, with the Jazz acquiring Gafford and giving up two of their young prospects, might interest Dallas, looking for more young talent to surround Cooper Flagg.
For Utah, they gain a strong backup center who gives them solid center depth behind Jusuf Nurkic and can give them time to find another long-term option at center later, possibly in future drafts.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and five Yankees pitchers combined on a four-hitter as New York edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 to split their day-night doubleheader Sunday.
Cody Bellinger had an early RBI single and the Yankees won for only the second time in their past 11 home games, preventing a three-game sweep by their old October rivals in the Dodgers’ first visit to the Bronx since winning the 2024 World Series.
After a rainout Saturday night, the Dodgers took the opener 8-2 as Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed a four-hitter for his first regular-season complete game in 66 major league starts.
Hours later, it was seven pitchers from a fresh Los Angeles relief corps who quieted the Yankees’ scuffling lineup in a bullpen game for the Dodgers. New York failed to score in the fifth after loading the bases with nobody out and stranded 11 runners overall.
But the Yankees also found success with a bullpen game as Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick combined to hold the Dodgers scoreless on three hits through seven innings before pinch-hitter Tommy Edman homered on Fernando Cruz’s second pitch leading off the eighth, tying it 1-all.
It was Edman’s second homer this season and the third pinch-hit shot of his career. The previous one came on July 10, 2021, with St. Louis at the Chicago Cubs.
Following consecutive one-out walks, closer David Bednar (4-3) entered and struck out Shohei Ohtani before Chisholm ranged from second base into shallow right field to make a wobbly catch of Andy Pages’ inning-ending popup.
With one out in the bottom half, Chisholm drove a 1-0 fastball from Evan Phillips (0-1) the other way to left-center for his 14th home run.
Bednar worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth, retiring Edman on a game-ending popup with his 32nd pitch of the night.
Paul Goldschmidt doubled off Dodgers opener Will Klein with two outs in the first and scored on Bellinger’s single.
Dodgers: RHP Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) pitches Monday night at Philadelphia in the opener of a three-game series between National League pennant contenders.
Yankees: LHP Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.15 ERA) starts Monday night at home against Pittsburgh All-Star RHP Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.49).
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 11: Ryan Nembhard #9 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 11, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In a surprising move, the Dallas Mavericks have shipped guard Ryan Nembhard to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team trade. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded wing Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for three second-round picks to Oklahoma City, and Atlanta sent forward Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
Nembhard joins fellow Zag wing Corey Kispert in Atlanta, as well as his two Canadian teammates in Dort and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
In his rookie season, Nembhard averaged 6.6 points on a shooting split of 41.5 field goal percentage/35.6 three-point percentage/80.6 free throw percentage, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes across 60 appearances. He set an NBA rookie record with 23 assists in Dallas’ 2025-26 season finale against the Chicago Bulls.
The undrafted lead guard averaged 8.0 points, 8.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks over two games with the Mavericks in the NBA Summer League, before dealing with an illness that kept him out for the final three games.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JULY 19: Max Kepler #22 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off RBI double against the St Louis Cardinals during the tenth inning at Chase Field on July 19, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. Diamondbacks won 8-7. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While I do typically create a story for each guest recap, so I can add them to our stream of recaps, I usually do it a few days later. But if ever a game deserved to be front paged immediately, it’s this one. The D-backs tied a franchise record, coming from 7-0 down against the Cardinals to walk it off on Max Kepler’s double (below). The win moved them to one-half game back in the wild-card race, and also clinched the season series against St. Louis. That could be key, come the end of the season. Just ask the 2024 D-backs…
The Dodgers might need to address the catcher position.
Will Smith has served as the Dodgers' primary catcher since 2019.
He has played at least 110 games in each of the past five seasons, but might not be available to reach that mark again this season. Smith has played 52 games this season, but is currently on the injured list. He has not played since June 5.
There’s a level of uncertainty around Smith’s status for the rest of the season due to an inflamed disk in his neck.
“He's taking a week of doing no activity to hopefully calm his neck down,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday, July 17. “… he hasn't been able to get over the hump. ... It just wasn't recovering. It was flaring up.”
Dalton Rushing moves into role as Dodgers' primary catcher
Dalton Rushing has played in 62 games this season, but the second-year player still has room for improvement.
Rushing has had a few passed ball incidents this season, with his most recent coming in New York on Friday that allowed Jasson Dominguez to score and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.
Ohtani would later express frustration with Rushing after the duo appeared to have miscommunication through the first two innings of a game against the Minnesota Twins on June 24.
Rushing was spotted on the bench in the dugout with first baseman Freddie Freeman and Roberts talking to him at different moments during the game.
Ohtani had taken over the pitch-calling process to get through the rest of the outing.
"Good thing he's as good as he is and he can take control of the game, but it's pretty embarrassing," Rushing said after the game. "They've always got my back. Once again, it's embarrassing that I need support like that. I'm a grown man, and it's a pretty tough pill to swallow."
Ohtani had eight strikeouts over six innings before Roberts went to the bullpen.
"They were just out of sync early, and you could tell," Roberts said. "I think both guys were frustrated and trying to get on the same page."
Rushing played in the first game of a doubleheader against New York on Sunday, July 19. He entered the second game of the double-head in the second game as a pinch hitter. He’s on a 0-for-14 slump after he was walked.
Dodgers' other options at catcher
If there isn’t a strong belief in Rushing and the Dodgers are unable to trade for another catcher before the deadline, they might have to lean on one of their in-house options.
Eliezer Alfonzo is a 26-year-old who just made his major league debut on July 5, shortly after hearing the news that his sister and mother were among the victims killed by massive earthquakes in Venezuela. He had previously spent nine years with the Detroit Tigers' organization.
Alfonzo started the second game of the Dodgers' doubleheader against the Yankees on July 19.
He's played in 10 games for the Dodgers this season, and recorded his first major-league hit in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees on Sunday night.
“We got another game later today,” McMahon said in between games of a doubleheader Sunday, “so the day’s not completely spoiled yet.”
A few hours later, it looked headed that way thanks in part to another dismal offensive performance.
But shortly after Fernando Cruz blew a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, Jazz Chisholm Jr. picked him up in the bottom of the frame, belting a home run the other way that lifted the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers, splitting a doubleheader and avoiding a series sweep in The Bronx.
Chisholm’s disappointing year — “I’ve sucked all season,” he acknowledged Sunday night — has been one of the bigger reasons the Yankees lineup has faltered without Aaron Judge, but he has now saved them in two of their past six games with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after hitting a home run during the Yankees’ July 19 win over the Dodgers. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
“I think I just forget about all the stuff that happened early in the game and just lock in on that one at-bat,” Chisholm said. “Just try to help my team win any way I can.”
Sunday’s winning blast came off Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips in a 1-1 game and, along with some terrific work from the bullpen besides Cruz, proved to be just enough on a night when the Yankees squandered chances throughout, going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“That was a big win, obviously,” said Cody Bellinger, who has been scuffling for about a month but delivered an RBI single in the first inning for the 1-0 lead. “A really good team over there. Pitching was tremendous today. … Scraped one early and they kept us in this game, then Jazz with the huge homer.”
Even after getting dominated by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete game in the opener Sunday afternoon, the Yankees (55-44) finished the day just 1 ¹/₂ games back of the Rays (who were swept by the Red Sox) for first place in the AL East — the closest they have been since June 29.
The rematch of the 2024 World Series featured a pair of 2-1 games — the Dodgers (63-37) taking the second-half opener on Friday — and another close game in Sunday’s Game 1 (the Yankees trailed 3-1 entering the eighth) before the wheels came off as Aaron Boone used his lowest-leverage relievers in an attempt to save his best arms for the nightcap.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrates after hitting a home run during the Yankees’ July 19 win. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
That was painful in the moment, but paid dividends in Game 2 as Boone pieced together a bullpen game — 2 ²/₃ innings from Ryan Yarbrough, 2 ¹/₃ innings from Paul Blackburn, two innings from Brent Headrick, one-third of an inning from Fernando Cruz and 1 ²/₃ innings from David Bednar — to reach the finish line.
“You’re not sure exactly how you’re going to piece together the night game and a lot of people did a really nice job to allow us to get that victory,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Tommy Edman hits a home run during the Dodgers’ loss to the Yankees on July 19. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
The Dodgers, whose relentless at-bats forced Cam Schlittler out of Game 1 by the fifth inning, could not do the same in a battle of bullpen games in the nightcap, as the Yankees led 1-0 after seven innings.
But Cruz entered for the eighth and his second pitch was a splitter over the heart of the plate that pinch hitter Tommy Edman lifted into the right field seats to tie the game 1-1.
Cruz went on to issue back-to-back walks with one out, leading Boone to call on Bednar to face the top of the order.
Bednar entered and put out the fire, striking out Shohei Ohtani and getting Andy Pages to pop out.
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Then, after Chisholm provided the lead, Bednar started off the ninth by walking Freddie Freeman on 10 pitches before retiring the next three batters in order.
“We trust [Bednar] for a reason,” Headrick said. “He’s the best closer in the game and we love having him on our team.”
Things could have been easier on the bullpen if the Yankees lineup had cashed in on key opportunities earlier in the game.
They had runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning but could not score.
Then in the fifth, they loaded the bases with no outs and still could not push any of them across as Jasson Domínguez struck out, Chisholm popped out on the first pitch and Anthony Volpe whiffed on a full count — a flashback to Game 1 of the doubleheader.
But Chisholm found redemption in his final at-bat to salvage the day.
“I feel like we match up against any team in the league,” Chisholm said. “I feel like we beat ourselves a lot. That stuff, we’re going to clean up as it goes.
“I just feel like we got to keep on trusting each other. We’ve put in the work every day. Guys don’t come here and just not do anything. Guys come in here and work every day. That’s not the problem right now. I just feel like when we trust each other, we play a lot better.”
NEW YORK — At the end of a very long doubleheader day at Yankee Stadium, it took until the penultimate inning of Sunday’s nightcap for someone to finally deliver a fatal blow.
With the score tied in the bottom of the eighth between the Dodgers and Yankees, New York second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered the night’s decisive swing, taking Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips deep to lift the Yankees to a sweep-averting 2-1 win.
Dodgers opener Will Klein allowed one earned run on three hits in one inning Sunday night. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
For New York, salvation should have come much sooner in a series finale that saw the Dodgers go with a bullpen game.
After scoring a quick run in the first off opener Will Klein, they let the Dodgers hang around and stay within striking distance, squandering a string of repeated chances to further pad their lead.
In the fourth, they had runners at second and third with only one out but came up empty thanks in part to a nice play by third baseman Max Muncy to field a ground ball and throw a runner out at home. In the fifth, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs off three singles against Jack Dreyer but couldn’t scratch even one run across after Brock Stewart came in and sandwiched an infield pop-up between two strikeouts.
Finally, in the eighth, the Dodgers made their hosts pay, with Tommy Edman coming off the bench for a game-tying pinch-hit home run.
But then, it was the Dodgers’ turn to waste an opportunity. They got two runners aboard later in the inning with one out, only to watch Shohei Ohtani strike out and Andy Pages pop out against Yankees closer David Bednar.
Thus, the stage was set for Chisholm to launch his game-winning blast in the bottom half of the frame, belting an opposite-field drive off a low fastball from Phillips that stayed over the middle of the plate.
The Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. powered his team to a 2-1 victory. AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
What it means
The Dodgers did not complete a three-game sweep of the Yankees but still leave the Bronx with a series win to begin this nine-game road trip.
At 63-37, they continue to own the best record in the majors, plus an 11 ½-game lead in their division.
Despite Sunday night’s loss, they also got an encouraging performance out of the bullpen — a positive sign for a team that might need to use more bullpen games to compensate for Ohtani’s continued absence from the starting rotation.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani legged out an infield single and went 1-for-4 in the Game 2 doubleheader loss. AP Photo/Noah K. Murray
Who’s hot
The Dodgers didn’t produce much at the plate Sunday night.
But backup rookie catcher Eliezer Alfonzo provided one memorable moment.
In the third inning, Alfonzo roped a line drive into center for his first career MLB hit, finally breaking through two weeks removed from his emotional debut to snap his 0-for-9 stat line previously.
The knock led to the Dodgers’ best early chance of the night, with Ohtani legging out an infield single behind him. But a flyout from Pages after that ended the inning –– which would be the Dodgers’ only at-bat with a runner in scoring position until their pivotal squandered chance in the eighth.
Who’s not
Two weeks ago, Mookie Betts looked like he was back.
Now, he’s simply back to his previously disappointing form.
After going hitless in four at-bats Sunday night, Betts is now just 4-for-38 over his last 11 games with only one extra-base hit. That slump has dropped his season batting average, which was up to .248 on July 2, back down to .226. His OPS has also fallen from .750 to .689 in that time.
Up next
The Dodgers continue this East Coast road trip with a three-game series against the Phillies beginning Monday. Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) will start Monday’s opener at Citizens Bank Park against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez (11-4, 2.62 ERA).
Jul 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) watches his go ahead solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sometimes it’s the small victories. After a managing blunder from Aaron Boone in the series opener and a thorough humbling at the hands of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second game relegated the Yankees to losses in the first two games of the series, it became imperative that the Yankees find a way to avoid the sweep in both the doubleheader and the series.
Despite Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler going in the first two games of the series, the Yankees improbably received their best pitching performance of the series from a hastily assembled bullpen game in the finale. It was far from a vintage performance by the offense against the Dodgers’ cobbled together bullpen game, the Bombers wasting a pair of scoring opportunities in the middle innings to leave the door open for a Dodgers comeback that thankfully stalled before they could take the lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr. provided the decisive blow with the go-ahead solo home run in the eighth, and every reliever not named Fernando Cruz was lights-out to secure the victory, 2-1.
Last time Ryan Yarbrough faced the Dodgers, he authored one of the most improbable starts of any pitcher in baseball last year. He held their mighty lineup to a run in six innings last June at Chavez Ravine, out-dueling Yamamoto in the process — part of a crucial eight-start stretch where he allowed two or fewer runs in seven of those outings to help save the Yankees’ season as the rotation was inundated with injuries in May and June.
He managed to tap into some of that same magic tonight. He retired the first eight batters he faced, needing just 17 pitches to go six up, six down in the first two innings. He couldn’t quite make it through three, Eliezer Alfonzo tallying a single for his first big league hit with two outs and then Shohei Ohtani following with a squibber infield single to the left side. That prompted Boone to call on Paul Blackburn as the first man out of the bullpen. It was expected that Elmer Rodríguez would follow Yarbrough as the bulk reliever — the rookie called up as the Yankees’ designated 27th man earlier in the day — but it’s understandable that Boone go to the recently-minted relief ace Blackburn given the high leverage of the situation. Indeed, Blackburn got Andy Pages to fly out to left to strand the pair he inherited.
The offense had to wait until the fourth to register their first hit (and run) against Yamamoto, so it was nice to see them come out of the blocks firing against opener Will Klein. Paul Goldschmidt kept the first inning alive with a two-out double to the opposite field and Cody Bellinger cashed him in with an RBI single lined up the middle. Jasson Domínguez followed with a single of his own, but Jazz stranded the pair in place by striking out to end the frame.
Kyle Hurt was called up as the Dodgers’ designated 27th man for the doubleheader and entered as the bulk reliever in place of Klein to start the second. Things quieted down for a spell with the two bulk guys in the game, until the Yankees gave themselves a golden opportunity to grow their lead in the fourth. Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells drew a pair of one-out walks and both advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. However, as we have seen countless times in the Boone era, the Yankees made an out at home on an ill-conceived contact play, José Caballero hitting a routine grounder to third and Max Muncy’s throw home beating Volpe by a step-and-a-half. Trent Grisham grounded out to first to strand runners on the corners as the Yankees failed to score.
If you think that was bad, just wait until you see what they did the next inning. They loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles by Ben Rice, Goldschmidt, and Bellinger to bring Jasson Domínguez to the plate. However, he flailed at four pitches out of the zone to strike out, Jazz popped up a first pitch changeup that was left middle-middle and Muncy caught it in foul territory, and then Volpe chased a 3-2 fastball off the plate for the inning ending strikeout to strand the bases loaded. Probably the worst three batter sequence you are likely to see to Houdini themselves out of scoring a run.
Thankfully for the Yankees, the first two members out of their bullpen appeared to pitch with a steely determination to avoid the sweep. Blackburn gave them 2.1 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. Brent Headrick was even more impressive, twirling two perfect innings in the sixth and seventh and racking up three strikeouts. However, all those wasted opportunities were fated to come home to roost, and indeed they did upon Cruz’s entrance in the eighth. Normally excellent for large stretches this summer, Cruz grooved a 1-0 splitter to pinch-hitter Tommy Edman, and he crushed it to right for the game-tying solo home run. Cruz walked a pair to force Boone out of the dugout to call on his closer, and David Bednar slammed the door on the burgeoning rally to strand the pair.
You wondered whether yet another gut-punch in this series would spiral into a third straight loss. However, Jazz had other ideas in the eighth. He atoned for his pop out with the bases loaded in the fifth with a booming go-ahead solo shot off reliever Evan Phillips. Ryan McMahon followed with a pinch-hit double and Wells drew a walk, the pair advancing into scoring position but ultimately getting stranded by a Grisham pop out.
Bednar navigated around a leadoff Freddie Freeman walk in the ninth, striking out a pair in the frame to nail down the five-out save. The offense remained anemic, scoring two or fewer runs in all three games, and overcame their 11 stranded runners and 2-for-10 showing with runners in scoring position. However, every win is a win, and it’s hard not to feel like this one counts as double given that Yankees were previously 1-9 in their last 10 home games. Thanks to the Rays’ sweep, the Yanks are only a game and a half back of the AL East lead.
The Yankees next welcome the Pirates to the Bronx for three games, thankfully with Paul Skenes having just pitched yesterday. Ryan Weathers gets the series opener against Braxton Ashcraft, who was an All-Star in his own right. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET Monday night with the broadcast returning to YES.
Jul 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates his solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
18 innings in one day can sometimes be too much for one team to handle, and that was the case for the Dodgers as they dropped the second half of a doubleheader to the Yankees 2-1.
After both aces battled earlier on Sunday, both teams were relegated to using their bullpens. The Dodgers struck first in the first half of the doubleheader, but old friend Cody Bellinger continued his exciting week with an RBI single against Will Klein to put the Yankees on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
Both teams were gridlocked throughout the majority of Sunday night, as the Dodgers collected just three hits against the Yankees bullpen through the seventh inning. That all changed when Tommy Edman connected on a Fernando Cruz sinker in the top of the eighth inning and drilled it out to tie the game. It was Edman’s first home run of the season as a left-handed hitter and it was his first home run this year in a regular MLB ballpark.
As soon as the Dodgers found their clutch gene, the Yankees returned the favor against Evan Phillips in the bottom of the eighth inning as Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched an opposite field, go-ahead home run to once again give New York a one-run lead.
David Bednar came in to fan the flames that Cruz created in the eighth inning, and he locked down the door with a scoreless ninth inning to help the Yankees avoid a Dodgers sweep.
Game notes
Eliézer Alfonzo lined a single up the middle in the top of the third inning, giving him his first career hit at the big league level. Alfonzo finished the game 1-2 before being pinch hit for Dalton Rushing, and he is now hitting .091 over his first 11 big league plate appearances.
Old friend Ryan Yarbrough was the opener for the Yankees on Sunday night, going 2 2/3 innings while allowing just two hits and picking up a strikeout.
Brock Stewart and Kyle Hurt provided the most length out of the Dodger bullpen, with both right-handers combining for four no-hit innings while striking out three and walking two.
Several hitters on the Dodgers are enduring sluggish starts to the second half of the season, as Mookie Betts went hitless over the three games while Freddie Freeman went 1-9 over the weekend with six strikeouts, including a three-strikeout performance on Friday.
Game particulars
Home runs— Tommy Edman (2); Jazz Chisholm Jr. (14)
The Dodgers continue their east coast excursion in Philadelphia on Monday as they begin a three-game series with the Phillies (4:10 p.m. PT, ESPN). Emmet Sheehan faces All-Star Cristopher Sánchez.
Eliezer Alfonzo connects on a single in the third inning during the Dodgers' 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday at Yankee Stadium. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Eliezer Alfonzo jumped on a first-pitch cutter, keeping his hands inside to send it into shallow center field.
Two weeks after making his major league debut under tragic circumstances, Alfonzo recorded his first hit.
“The guys have been supporting me, pushing me every day,” Alfonzo said. “And they told me, ‘You’re going to get it here at Yankee Stadium, it’s going to be really good.’”
It was a heartwarming moment early in the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. By dropping the series finale after an 8-2 win in the opener, the Dodgers settled for a series win instead of sweep.
With starting catcher Will Smith sidelined indefinitely because of a neck injury, Alfonzo has served as the backup to Dalton Rushing for the last two weeks.
The morning of Alfonzo’s debut, his sister and stepmother, who had been missing since two powerful earthquakes devastated Venezuela last month, were found dead. Alfonzo still played, honoring them on the field.
“It was good to see him shorten up and get a knock,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously he has gone through a lot so it was good to get that first major league hit here. Behind the plate, he’s been great.”
Alfonzo’s familiarity with the Dodgers’ pitching staff from spring training has helped provide some stability in Smith’s absence. But he had yet to contribute at the plate, going 0 for 9.
Alfonzo rounded first base, kissed his closed right hand and pointed to the sky. Then he turned to the visitors dugout, grinned and lifted both fists above his head.
“The first thing I said, as soon as I saw the ball going through, [was] ‘Thanks, God, for this,’” Alfonzo said.
A pitching change later in the inning, after Shohei Ohtani singled, gave Alfonzo a chance to grab a drink of water outside the dugout. His teammates flocked to him, reaching over the railing for high-fives.
Ohtani, who Alfonzo said had encouraged him with “Let’s get the first hit today” before the game, greeted him with: “Congratulations! I told you.”
Notching his first hit at Yankee Stadium was even sweeter, Alfonzo said, because of his grandmother’s affinity for the Yankees.
His teammates made sure to get the ball back. And Teoscar Hernández held it up to show him.
Alfonzo’s two-out single didn’t start a rally. But in the bottom of the fourth, he helped squash one.
Dodgers right-hander Edgardo Henriquez was on the mound as their third pitcher in a bullpen game, and his command was faltering, to the tune of back-to-back walks and a wild pitch. Then with runners on second and third, he induced José Caballero to hit a grounder to third baseman Max Muncy.
Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ runner on third, took off on contact. Muncy threw on the run to Alfonzo, who was set up on the inside of the basepath. Alfonzo made a diving tag on Volpe to prevent a run.
Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo tags out Yankees runner Anthony Volpe at the plate in the fourth inning. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
The Dodgers (63-37) used seven pitchers, the first six combining to limit the Yankees (55-44) to Cody Bellinger’s first-inning RBI single for seven innings. Brock Stewart had a standout performance, entering in the fifth with no outs and the bases loaded and retiring three straight batters. He then threw a clean sixth. Alex Vesia struck out the side in the seventh.
Utility man Tommy Edman’s pinch-hit homer in the eighth tied the score, but with two men on, Ohtani struck out and Andy Pages popped out against Yankees closer David Bednar. In the bottom half, Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo homer off Evan Phillips to regain the lead. Freddie Freeman led off the ninth with a walk, but Bednar retired the next three Dodgers to end it.
“I think everyone’s pleased with the results of the series,” Phillips said. “But I think what we do well here as a team is treat games individually and just go out there and try to perform well as a group each and every game. So sure, you can look back on the series and reflect and say this was a quality series, but I think everybody’s disappointed about the loss.”
