Sports Desk

There was probably no Dodgers fan more grateful to see the Blue Crew lose badly in the opening game of the World Series than Conrado Contreras. See, the 75-year-old was happy to enjoy any Fall Classic at all.

A year ago tomorrow , the Zacatecas native suffered a heart attack and mild stroke in the moments after seeing his Dodgers win Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. He spent three days in a medically induced coma at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and regained consciousness to news from jubilant nurses that the Dodgers had won the championship.

The lifelong baseball fan had no idea what they were talking about. His passion for the sport was lost along with his memory.

When family members put on highlights from the 2024 championship during his rehabilitation at a clinic in Gardena throughout the end of the year, the former carpenter would shrug and change the channel. When someone told him that legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela had died, Contreras swore that he had just seen his fellow Mexican pitch at the stadium.

It wasn’t until the 2025 baseball season came along that Contreras’ mind began to truly rebound. He watched games from his longtime home in the unincorporated Florence-Graham neighborhood and learned to love the Dodgers anew. But he didn’t cheer like before. Contreras followed doctor’s orders to stay calm when the Dodgers were losing instead of cursing like the past and quietly applaud when the team was winning when he would’ve previously roared.

He’s the father-in-law of my sister Alejandrina. And I wanted to hang out with Don Conrado for Game 1 of this year’s World Series to experience fandom in all its mortality.

Wearing a flat-brimmed fedora and a blue Dodgers 2024 World Series champion, I caught Contreras just as he was entering my sister’s Norwalk home holding on to his walker with the help of Alejandrina’s husband, Conrad. His father talks slower than he used to and can’t drive anymore, but Contreras is once again the same man his family knows: witty, observant and baseball-crazy.

A schoolyard pitcher in his hometown of Monte Escobedo, Contreras fell in with the Dodgers almost as soon as he migrated to the United States in 1970 to join a brother in Highland Park. He used to attend games every week “when $10 got two people into the stadium and you could also eat a hot dog,” Contreras told me in Spanish before Game 1 began.

His stories from those years were immaculate. Don Sutton throwing a shutout. The Cincinnati Reds always “ready to play to the death.” Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell hitting a home run out of Dodger Stadium in 1973 “and all of us just staring above our heads in awe.”

Contreras was such a fan that he took his pregnant wife Mary to watch Valenzuela pitch on the day in 1983 that Conrad was due because they were giving out “I (Heart) Fernando” T-shirts, an anecdote that left their son flabbergasted.

“What happened to the shirt?” Conrad asked his mom in Spanish.

“I threw it away,” replied the 61-year-old Mary.

“They’d cost a lot of money now!” he groaned.

“They were cheap! The color really faded fast.”

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Roger Centre on Friday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays won, 11-4.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The family continued to attend games through Conrad’s teenage years but stopped “when even the birds couldn’t afford to attend,” Mary said. Conrad, 42, thinks the last time he went to a game with his dad was “at least” 20 years ago. But they regularly watched games on television. It was he who administered the CPR a year ago that saved his dad’s life.

“He was walking around the house angry all that game,” Conrad said.

“No, well, Roberto was making me mad,” Conrado replied, his nickname for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But I can’t get mad anymore.”

I asked how he thought this year’s series would go. He mentioned Shohei Ohtani, whom he kept calling el japonés in a respectful tone because, well, his memory can be fuzzy.

“He strikes out too much, but when he hits it, he hits it. If he plays like that, they win the series. But if Toronto hits, forget it.”

One more question before game time, the one too many liberal Latino Dodgers fans are belly-aching over right now: is it ethical to root for the team considering they haven’t been too vocal in opposing Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and owner Mark Walter has investments in companies that are profiting from it?

“Sports shouldn’t get into politics, but all sports owners are with Trompas,” he said, using a nickname I’ve heard more than a few rancho libertarians use for Trump. He shrugged.

“So what’s one to do? They kept la migra out of the stadium,” referring to an unsuccessful June attempt by federal agents to enter the stadium parking lot. “If the team had allowed that, then there’d be a huge problem.”

Mary wasn’t as sympathetic. “Latinos shouldn’t let the Dodgers off so easy. But when Latinos surrender, they surrender.”

It was game time.

Conrad slipped into a gray Dodgers away jersey to match his black team cap. My sister, an Angels follower for some reason, wore a Kiké Hernández T-shirt “because he stands with immigrants.”

“The only good thing about the Dodgers is that they aren’t winning with a gringo,” said Mary, who actually doesn’t care much about baseball because she finds it boring. “It’s someone [Ohtani] who doesn’t want to speak English who’s winning it for them.”

Her husband smiled.

“Let’s see if Mary gets into baseball.”

“That’ll be the real miracle,” she snapped back.

Contreras rubbed his hands in glee as the Dodgers went up 2-0 in the top of the third and merely frowned when the Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the fourth while we were enjoying takeout from Taco Nazo. “His anger comes in waves, it’s a trip,” Conrad said. “He’s calmer but se enoja.”

“Who?” Conrado deadpanned.

When Dodger starting pitcher Blake Snell left the game with the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the sixth, Contreras shook his head in disgust but kept his voice calm.

“This is what gets me mad. They should’ve taken him out long ago, but Roberto didn’t. This is what I was afraid of. When Toronto get on, they get on. They won’t stop until they destroy.”

Sure enough, the Blue Jays erupted for nine runs that inning, including a two-run blast by catcher Alejandro Kirk, who had sparked the Jays’ initial rally a few innings earlier.

Earlier in the game, Alejandrina had told Conrado that Kirk was a Tijuana native. The pride in shared roots, albeit generations apart, took a little bit of sting off his home run, which made the score a humiliating 11-2.

“Thank goodness he’s Mexican,” Conrado told his son, patting his knee. “That’s what’s left for us” to be happy about the game.

An inning later, Contreras began to feel woozy. His sugar level was elevated. Mary took off his jacket to fix his insulin device. My sister’s corgi, Penny, jumped onto the couch and lay on his lap.

“They do know when someone someone’s ill, right?” he said to no one before scratching Penny’s tummy and cooing, “You know I’m ill, right? I’m ill!”

When the “massacre” finally ended, Contreras remained philosophical.

“It’s incredible that I’m able to see this. But I’m still malo. My feet hurt, my memory isn’t what it used to be, my sense of balance isn’t there. But there’s the Dodgers. But they need to win.”

Conrad went to the bedroom to grab his father’s walker.

“Do you want a Toronto shirt now?” he joked.

His dad stared silently. “No, that would give me another heart attack.”

When any basketball coach is raving about an opposing player, that sets off an alarm bell for sportswriters to pay attention and investigate.

It turns out all the good things coaches are beginning to say about 6-foot-4 junior guard Donovan Webb of Golden Valley High are true. Canyon Country Canyon coach Ali Monfared said Webb might be the best player in the Foothill League, which held its media day at Canyon on Saturday.

Webb is one of those players who worked hard when nobody was watching. His focus was on improving his three-point shooting, and all those hours in the gym could pay off.

“I’m a gym rat,” he said.

Last season, he was moved to point guard and kept deferring to other players. This season, he got the message to take charge. “We put the keys to the car in his hands,” first-year coach Scott Barkman said.

With a 4.3 grade-point average, Webb said he understands what his role needs to be.

“I needed to take my game to the next level,” he said.

Golden Valley and Valencia will be the co-favorites because of the experience each team has with returning players.

Valencia has its own much-improved player in junior Steven Irons. Last season he was 6-5, 170 pounds. Now he’s 6-7, 210 pounds after eating lots of chicken and rice while working on strength.

“The day we lost the playoff game, I started lifting,” he said.

Said coach Greg Fontenette: “His development has been like night and day.”

Double-doubles are in his future, and it’s not about In-N-Out. He’ll be scoring and providing rebounds to support Valencia’s talented class of 2027 players.

Saugus returns Braydon Harmon, who had a 43-point performance against West Ranch last season.

Hart coach Tom Kelly is in his 26th season for the Newhall school and 36th overall (he was head coach at Burbank Burroughs for 10 years).

Canyon won a 2A championship last season and lost most of its players, but returning is standout point guard Isaac Yuhico, who delivered clutch baskets in the Cowboys’ triple-overtime championship game win over St. Bonaventure.

Former Golden Valley coach Chris Printz has become an assistant principal, but his son, Wyatt, remains on the team. Asked if his father got a pay raise, Wyatt said, “I hope so.”

Conner Peterson of West Ranch was asked about playing against friends in the league. “It’s the same thing playing against your brother,” he said. “You want to beat them.”

Castaic coach Louis Fernando offered optimism about his team, saying, “I don’t have to coach ego and I don’t have to coach effort this year.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

To put Sunderland’s start into context, it’s worth remembering how the Black Cats defied expectations to reach the top-flight again.

Regis le Bris’ side finished 24 points behind Burnley and Leeds in the automatic promotion spots and managed just 58 goals in their 46 games.

They required an injury-time winner to edge past Coventry in the play-off semi-finals and they were clear underdogs going into the final at Wembley against Sheffield United, who finished 14 points ahead of the Black Cats.

But Sunderland showed their resilience again, coming from behind in the final and scoring another injury-time winner through Tom Watson to regain top-flight status for the first time in eight years.

It makes this season’s start all the more impressive.

The 17 points Sunderland have accumulated from their nine matches so far is the Black Cats’ equal best start in the Premier League, matching the tally from the 1999-00 season.

Only five newly promoted teams have earned more points from their opening nine matches than Sunderland have managed this season.

All five of those teams, as well as Sunderland in 2000, managed to survive relegation.

“Anyone who is honest enough will say that they never expected Sunderland to start this well, so full credit to them,” Michael Carrick told BBC Radio 5 Live after the win at Chelsea.

“The amount of points they have accumulated already has given them an unbelievable start and that’s something they will want to build on.

“They looked quite comfortable and calm for long periods, but also looked dangerous. They just kept that belief to get the win.

“It’s a textbook away win at an, arguably, bigger team.”

A look at the top performers from high school football across the Southland during Week 9.

RUSHING

• Dean Gibson, Corona Centennial: Rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns in win over Norco.

• Eli Robinson, Tustin: Rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns in win over Western.

• Gaven Zamora, North Hollywood: Rushed for 119 yards in nine carries and scored two touchdowns in win over Chavez.

• Radley Geiss, Dana Hills: Rushed for 237 yards and five touchdowns in loss to Laguna Beach.

• Ethan Mundt, Troy: Gained 184 yards and scored three touchdowns in win over Irvine.

• Journee Tonga, Leuzinger: Rushed for 195 yards and one touchdown, passed for 73 yards and two touchdowns in win over Mira Costa.

• Jeremiah Watson, Murrieta Valley: Rushed for 199 yards in loss to Vista Murrieta.

PASSING

• Dominick Catalano, Corona Centennial: Passed for 331 yards and three touchdowns in win over Norco.

• Julian Medina, Norco: Passed for 384 yards and six touchdowns in loss to Corona Centennial.

• Jack Hurst, Laguna Beach: Passed for 387 yards and five touchdowns in win over Dana Hills.

• Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo: Passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns, ran for one touchdown in win over Edison.

• Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica: Passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns in win over Simi Valley.

• Seth Solorio, San Pedro: Passed for four touchdowns, ran for one touchdown in win over Gardena.

• Chris Fields, Carson: Had six touchdown passes in win over Narbonne.

• Michael Gonzalez, South Gate: Passed for 305 yards and five touchdowns in win over Huntington Park.

• Jack Thomas, Palisades: Passed for 421 yards and seven touchdowns in win over Hamilton.

• Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco: Passed for 219 yards and three touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Thaddeus Breaux, Hamilton: Passed for 382 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Palisades.

RECEIVING

• Blake Wong, Norco: Caught 14 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns in win over Corona Centennial.

• Kristian Leslie, Hamilton: Made 10 catches in loss to Palisades, giving him 98 receptions, breaking the City Section record for most catches in a regular season.

• Elyjah Staples, Marquez: Made four touchdown catches, ran for a touchdown and had two sacks and two fumble recoveries in win over Manual Arts.

• Thomas Jones, Long Beach Wilson: Caught four passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in win over Long Beach Jordan.

• Jaxson Rex, San Clemente: Caught nine passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns in win over Los Alamitos.

• Jack Junker, Mission Viejo: Caught 10 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in win over Edison.

• Anthony Jacobs Jr., Oxnard Pacifica: Had five catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns in win over Simi Valley.

• Demare Dezeurn, Palisades: Caught nine passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns in win over Hamilton.

DEFENSE

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Scored his fifth touchdown of the season on defense by returning a fumble in win over Norco.

• Joshua Kerst, San Clemente: Had three sacks in win over Los Alamitos.

• Jack Norman, Dana Hills: Had interception and recovered a fumble on onside kick in loss to Laguna Beach.

• Brennan Martinez, Vista Murrieta: Had two touchdowns on interception returns in win over Murrieta Valley.

• Nick Yakubik, Palos Verdes: Had two interceptions in win over Inglewood.

• Duvay Williams, Gardena Serra: Returned interception for touchdown in win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• DJ Parker, Hamilton: Returned a kickoff 81 yards for touchdown vs. Palisades.

• Jack Strosnider, Mira Costa: Blocked a punt and scored touchdown in loss to Leuzinger.

• Carter Sobel, Sierra Canyon: Made field goals from 25 and 43 yards in win over Bishop Amat.

The 28-year-old German recorded his 300th victory on hard courts with a comfortable victory over Musetti.

He played the key points well and made no mistake when serving out for the match after breaking the Italian fourth seed in the 11th game of the second set.

Since losing to Sinner at the Australian Open, Zverev has gone on to reach just two more finals, winning on clay in Munich in April and losing on the grass in Stuttgart in June.

That is in stark contrast to Sinner’s record, with the Italian world number two becoming the first man since Novak Djokovic in 2015-16 to appear in eight finals in successive seasons.

Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 20 matches and took his unbeaten record to 12 wins against Australian third seed De Minaur as he claimed a fourth consecutive straight-set victory at the ATP 500 tournament.

He was broken twice – once in each set – but battled his way through what he described as a “physical” encounter.

“I am happy how I handled it,” said the 2023 Vienna Open champion, who is aiming to secure a fourth title of the season after wins at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and China Open.

“I was a break up in the second and he broke me back. I tried to stay strong mentally so I am very happy about today’s performance and obviously to be in another final.”

Elsewhere, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca reached the first ATP 500 final of his career with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 victory over unseeded Spanish player Jaume Munar at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

He will play another Spaniard – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – in the final after the eighth seed’s opponent Frenchman Ugo Humbert retired while trailing 7-6 (7-4) 3-1 in their semi-final.

Twenty-two years later, same story. Australia picked up where they left off in their domination of the rugby league Ashes.

After a tense opening 20 minutes of the first series since 2003, the Kangaroos opened the scoring against England with their first flowing move of the contest.

Debutant Mark Nawaqanitawase shifted the ball left for rampaging full-back Reece Walsh to go over in style.

England were unhappy as scrum-half Mikey Lewis appeared to be tripped in the build-up, and there looked to be a forward pass too – but the try was given following a review by video referee Jack Smith.

Smith partly redeemed himself to the Wembley crowd by disallowing a second Australia try before the break as Dom Young was taken out by Josh Addo-Carr as he jumped to catch a high kick.

Shaun Wane’s side initially responded well to conceding and defence-splitting grubber kicks from George Williams and Tom Johnstone had the green and gold defence on their heels.

But Cleary added a penalty with the last action of the first half to put Australia 8-0 up – and they extended the lead straight after the interval.

After putting the hosts under constant pressure from the restart, Angus Crichton strode through to score with full-back Jack Welsby too deep and allowing him to go through far too easily.

Australia kept England at arm’s length thereafter, easing their way to victory in the first meeting between the sides since the 2017 World Cup final.

That success was secured with 15 minutes remaining as second row Crichton scythed through the defence again, and more gloss was added when a superb field-length move down the left was finished by the impressive Walsh.

Daryl Clark barged over in the final minutes for England, but it was no more than a consolation.

A downside for the visitors was that captain Issah Yeo was forced off in the first half after failing a head injury assessment following a clash with Young. He will also miss the second test next week at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.

More to follow.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Gee, the Dodgers haven’t lost a World Series game this badly since…. let’s see, do the archives go back that far? Oh yes, here it is: Since Game 4 of last year’s World Series, which they lost, 11-4.

Musings while Game 1 was happening:

Pre-game

—Pharrell Williams and the Voices of Fire provided the pregame entertainment. Apparently, Anne Murray was unavailable.

—Cito Gaston threw out the first pitch. Apparently Garth Iorg and Rance Mulliniks were unavailable.

—Joe Davis and John Smoltz are the game announcers. They are good. Coincidentally, the Dodgers’ announcer is also named Joe Davis. I wonder if they are related.

—Is it really necessary to have a long hype video for the World Series? I mean, we’re already tuned in and watching. Who is this for?

First inning

—The Toronto crowd is LOUD. Good for them.

—Toronto starter Trey Yesavage is the second-youngest World Series Game 1 starter ever, trailing only Ralph Branca. He doesn’t seem nervous.

—The Dodgers went down quietly in the top half. They need to do the same to Toronto in the bottom half to keep the crowd under control.

—Blake Snell doesn’t have the command he has had this postseason. Is it because of the long layoff? Just amped up?

—George Springer leads off. Is that a trash can I hear?

—And the Blue Jays did not go quietly, but at least they didn’t score.

—The Blue Jays are like the Dodgers in that they take a lot of pitches, which is bad for the Dodgers. It’s going to be a lot harder for the starters to pitch into the seventh, eighth or ninth inning, meaning more exposure for the weaker elements of the bullpen.

Second inning

—Can some scientists get together and study how Kiké Hernández becomes so much better in the postseason? Perhaps reduce it to a serum we can all take before pressure situations.

—Bases loaded and one out and the Dodgers don’t add any runs. That could come back to bite them.

—The Blue Jays are letting Snell lock in, unable to take advantage of his early shakiness.

—Where were the middle infielders when Freddie Freeman was looking to throw the ball there for a force? And Snell had great presence to whirl and throw to third. A lot of pitchers would have been upset they missed the bag at first.

Third inning

—Yesavage lost his fastball and suddenly seems a lot more nervous.

—A rare baseunning error by Freeman.

—The Dodgers have four hits and three walks but only two runs. That could be important later.

—Yasavage has thrown 71 pitches in three innings. That’s a lot.

—Davis Schneider looks like he should be working at Jiffy Lube.

Fourth inning

—The Dodgers chased pitches this inning, going away from what makes the so successful on offense. As a result, Yesavage felt no pressure and could even go one more inning.

—OK, maybe Snell wasn’t quite as locked in as I imagined. Daulton Varsho smoked that ball for a two-run homer.

—Do you know how many homers Snell had given up to a left-hander this season? Counting Varsho’s, one.

Fifth inning

—The Blue Jays take Yesavage out after four innings.

—Nature called and I missed Fluharty’s entire appearance!

—I once got an angry email from a ready who was upset the Joe Davis always says “We are halfway home” after the top of the fifth inning, because that’s not right, saying it was after the bottom of the fifth. The person was irate! But Davis is right.

—Why are ads featuring baseball players the most boring ads in the world? They haven’t had a good campaign since “Chicks Dig the Long Ball!” It’s as if all the people who come up with these ads hate baseball.

—Freeman is the best Dodgers first baseman at digging balls out of the dirt since Steve Garvey.

—The Capital One school career day ad with Derek Jeter and Karen Nyberg is great. I mean, it’s no Limu Emu (and Doug), but it’s great.

Sixth inning

—Seranthony Dominguez has the best first name in baseball.

—The split-screen ad during the game? Not a fan.

—Seranthony seemed a bit fired up out there.

—A walk to Bo Bichette. Snell is not long for this game. I’m surprised they wanted until now to have someone warm up. I would have had someone up when the inning started.

—Bases loaded, nobody out. Game changing moment. And Emmet Sheehan will be on the mound.

—And the wheels are coming off.

—I do believe the Dodgers are going to lose this game. Time to get in players who may not ever get a chance to play in a World Series again.

—I think the Dodgers postseason ERA is going to go up a bit.

Seventh inning

—Ohtani rounded the bases faster than Mickey Hatcher on that home run, almost as if he was saying “We’re still down by seven, let’s not get carried away here.”

—Justin Wrobleski is the answer!

Eighth inning

—Remember, the Dodgers lost Game 4 of last season’s World Series 11-4 and everything seemed to work out OK. They lost Game 1 of the 1959 World Series 11-0 and everything worked out OK there. Some athletes will tell you it’s easier to shake off a rout than it is losing a close game, because you can’t really say “If only I had done this….”

—For those of you who remember an earlier newsletter this postseason….. Mason and Hannah weren’t able to watch this game, so the loss is entirely their fault.

Ninth inning

—Is the game still going on? My mind is wandering, and it’s too little to be out by itself.

—The Dodgers had multiple chances to put more runs on the board early in the game and didn’t do it. You have to capitalize on almost every opportunity in the World Series.

—Being picked off first would have been an appropriate way to end that game.

—All you can do is shake this game off and come out strong tomorrow. It’s only one game. I have a feeling Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going to be very sharp in Game 2.

—My prediction remains, Dodgers in five.

—More importanly, we wish Alex Vesia and his wife the best as they go through a trying time.

In case you missed it

Plaschke: After Dodgers’ disastrous World Series Game 1 loss, doubt has crept in

‘Guys kind of felt the velocity a little bit more.’ Was rust a factor in Dodgers’ loss?

Dodgers will keep Alex Vesia off World Series roster: ‘So much bigger than baseball’

Meet Baby Shohei? These parents named their kids after Dodgers players

25 Dodgers food and drink specials for the World Series

Where to watch the World Series near Dodger Stadium

Hernández: MLB needs Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS was a reminder

And finally

“Highlights” from Game 1 of the World Series. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Alana King takes a stunning 7-18 – a record at a Women’s World Cup – as Australia bowl South Africa out for 97, before chasing down their target with seven wickets in hand in Indore.

MATCH REPORT: King takes 7-18 as Australia thrash South Africa

Available to UK users only.

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers might be baseball’s version of an all-powerful Death Star.

But as Friday’s raucous World Series opener in Toronto showed, they too were built with a fatally exploitable weakness.

Behind a nine-run sixth inning that left Rogers Centre rocking and the previously invincible Dodgers rattled, the Blue Jays smashed open what had been a tied score in Game 1 of the World Series and rolled to an eventual 11-4 win.

They attacked the Dodgers’ one glaring weakness in the bullpen. They executed the kind of game script to which the defending champions have long seemed susceptible. And they watched in delight as their visitors were blown to bits, suffering an implosion of galactic proportions in what was the third-highest scoring inning in Fall Classic history.

“Honestly,” Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho said, “we just showed everybody what we can do as a lineup.”

Or, more to the point in this Fall Classic matchup, how they can get to the Dodgers’ rotation-reliant pitching staff.

Continue reading here

Plaschke: After Dodgers’ disastrous World Series Game 1 loss, doubt has crept in

‘Guys kind of felt the velocity a little bit more.’ Was rust a factor in Dodgers’ loss?

Dodgers will keep Alex Vesia off World Series roster: ‘So much bigger than baseball’

Dodgers box score

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS

All times Pacific

Dodgers vs. Toronto
at Toronto 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)

Saturday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Monday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Tuesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Friday, Oct. 31 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Saturday, Nov. 1 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*-if necessary

LAKERS

From Broderick Turner: Luka Doncic is a savant.

He proved yet again to be distinguished in his field of expertise and the Lakers are reaping the rewards of Doncic’s brilliance.

Doncic was dynamic in scoring 49 points, coming up two assists short of a triple-double with 11 rebounds and eight assists in leading the Lakers past the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-110 Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic became the first player in Lakers history to open the season with back-to-back 40-plus point games and fourth in NBA history to accomplish that feat, joining Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis.

Doncic has the most points in Lakers history in the first two games with 91 points, surpassing the 81 points Hall of Famer Jerry West scored in back-to-back games to open the 1969-70 season.

Doncic capped his show by drilling a three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 19-point lead, his showmanship including pursing of his lips while doing a shimmy to the adoring crowd. Then he bounced off the court when the reeling Timberwolves called a timeout with eight minutes and six seconds left in the game.

Continue reading here

‘These dudes are stupid’: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal weigh in on NBA gambling scandal

4 wildest NBA gambling allegations: Cheating poker chip trays, card-reading glasses, X-rays and the mob

Lakers box score

NBA standings

CLIPPERS

James Harden scored 30 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and the Clippers routed the Phoenix Suns 129-102 Friday night in their home opener.

The Clippers bounced back after a season-opening, 21-point loss at Utah, where they trailed by 37 points.

Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t miss a shot in scoring 17 points, making five three-pointers and another field goal.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

From Ben Bolch: Tim Skipper was just a redshirt freshman then, a speck of a middle linebacker at 5 feet 6.

His Fresno State Bulldogs went on the road and beat No. 18 Air Force on that October day in 1997, knocking off what had been the only 7-0 team in major college football.

“They were rolling,” Skipper, UCLA’s interim coach, said this week, “and we found a way to go get that thing done.”

It’s a memory that sticks with Skipper more than a quarter of a century later because it had been the only nationally ranked team he was part of taking down as a player or interim coach before his then-winless Bruins pulled off a stunner of far greater proportions this month when they upset then-No. 7 Penn State.

What Skipper’s team has a chance to do Saturday might relegate those wins to fine print in his memoir.

Here are five things to watch when the Bruins seek their first win over a team this highly ranked since beating No. 2 USC in 2006.

Continue reading here

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1947 — In front of a capacity crowd of 35,000 at Columbia’s Baker Field in New York, the Lions end Army’s 32-game unbeaten streak in a 21-20 upset. An interception in Army’s final drive seals the win, the first over an Army team that had not surrendered a point all season until the loss to Columbia.

1964 — Cotton Davidson of the Oakland Raiders passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-7 rout of the Denver Broncos.

1980 — Mike Weaver knocks out Gerrie Coetzee in the 13th round to retain the WBA heavyweight title in Sun City, Bophuthatswana.

1990 — Evander Holyfield knocks out Buster Douglas in Las Vegas to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

1998 — Jerry Rice sets an NFL record for receptions in consecutive games with his 12-yard catch from Steve Young on San Francisco’s first offensive play. Rice has caught passes in 184 straight games, breaking the mark set by Art Monk from 1980-95.

1998 — Denver’s Jason Elam kicks a 63-yard field goal, tying Tom Dempsey’s 28-year-old NFL record. Elam’s kick, which came at the end of the first half, matches the record Dempsey set for the New Orleans Saints against Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970.

2003 — Trainer Richard Mandella wins a record four races at the Breeders’ Cup, capping perhaps the greatest day in racing history when Pleasantly Perfect wins the $4 million Classic at Santa Anita. Mandella wins the $1 million Juvenile Fillies with Halfbridled, the $1.5 million Juvenile with long-shot Action This Day and the $2 million Turf with Johar, who dead-heats with High Chaparral.

2006 — Joe Sakic becomes the 11th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 career points with an assist during the first period of Colorado’s 5-3 loss to Washington.

2008 — Navy doesn’t attempt a pass in a 34-7 victory over Southern Methodist in a game played in a driving rain.

2008 — Raven’s Pass wins the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in an upset, stunning defending champion Curlin on the new synthetic surface at Santa Anita. Raven’s Pass, ridden by Frankie Dettori and sent off at 13-1 odds, posts a 1 3/4-length victory in his first race on such a surface.

2014 — Trevone Boykin throws a school-record seven touchdown passes and No. 10 TCU scored the most points in its history in an 82-27 rout of Texas Tech.

2015 — Kirk Cousins throws three second-half touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with 24 seconds left, to lead the Washington Redskins to the largest comeback in franchise history, a 31-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was up 24-0 in the second quarter, before Cousins runs for an 8-yard TD to get Washington on the board.

Compiled by the Associated Press

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

2003 — Florida’s Josh Beckett throws a shutout to lead the Marlins to a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Pitching on three days rest, Beckett allows five hits in Game 6 and captures MVP honors.

2017 — Houston’s George Springer hits a two-run drive in the 11th inning and the Astros win a thrilling home run derby at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 7-6 to tie the World Series at one game apiece. The teams combined for a Series record eight homers.

2024 — Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman hits 1st ‘walk-off’ grand slam in World Series history in 6-3 win over New York Yankees in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Ruby Evans became the first Welsh gymnast to win an individual medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships as Great Britain finished second and third in the women’s floor competition.

Evans claimed silver in Jakarta, Indonesia, with Abigail Martin also making the podium to cap a remarkable 24 hours for the British team after Jake Jarman and Luke Whitehouse secured a British one-two in the men’s floor final on Friday.

The haul made Britain the leading nation in the world in the floor discipline and former World Championships medallist Beth Tweddle told BBC Sport: “It’s just incredible to see the journey that British gymnastics as a whole has been on.

“Coming from where we were 20 years ago to now – four out of the six floor medals at this championships have come home to Great Britain.”

Evans, 18, finished runner-up behind Japan’s Aiko Sugihara with a score of 13.666, while Martin came third in her first World Championships.

The 17-year-old’s mark of 13.466 was the same as Romanian gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, but she was awarded bronze because her execution score was higher.

TORONTO — Yes, blame the bullpen. Not gonna even try to persuade you otherwise.

But, for the Dodgers, the blame for the disaster that was Game 1 of the World Series should not all fall upon the bullpen.

A star-studded lineup that sputtered through the previous two rounds of the playoffs sputtered again here Friday, this time without the cover of outstanding starting pitching.

In their past nine games — the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the league championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the World Series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays — the Dodgers are batting .219.

The Dodgers had seven hits in their NLCS opener, when Blake Snell threw eight shutout innings. He picked up the offense.

They had six hits in the World Series opener, when Snell gave up five runs in five-plus innings, and they could not pick him up.

The Blue Jays scored 11 runs. The Dodgers led the National League in runs during the regular season, but even then they have scored at least 11 runs just three times since the All-Star break. The Blue Jays have done it three times in this postseason alone.

“You can make it something if you want to make it something,” shortstop Mookie Betts said. “We’re more than capable of scoring 10, 11 in a game. It’s just hard to do in the postseason.

“Obviously, they just did it. They’ve been doing it the whole time, so it may not be hard for them. For us, we haven’t done it. But we’ll find out ways to win games.”

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts reacts during an at-bat in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

They had better find it soon. The Blue Jays are averaging seven runs per game in the postseason. The Dodgers have not scored seven runs in any game in the NLDS, NLCS or World Series.

“You look back at the last couple of weeks, there’s some pivotal at-bats that can flip games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “At times, I think that the offense looks great as far as building innings, but there’s some key at-bats that you got to win pitches and use the other side of the field, get a hit, take a walk, whatever it might be.

“I think that we can be better. We need to be better.”

The Dodgers had three hits in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position, which sounds pretty good until you realize all seven of those at-bats came in the second and third innings.

In the third inning, three of their final four batters hit with a runner in scoring position, and they scored once. But the second inning was worse: they had the bases loaded with one out for three successive batters, and again they scored once.

“We’ve got to cash in in that situation, especially against a team like that that’s swinging it really well,” Betts said. “I feel like that was a big point in the game that really changed things.

“That really changed the game.”

The Dodgers struck out 13 times, the Blue Jays four. The Jays ran their high-contact, low-strikeout offense to perfection Friday. The Dodgers led the NL in home runs this season, and they hit 50 more than Toronto, but they hit only one home run Friday: a two-run shot from Shohei Ohtani, with the team down by nine runs.

The Blue Jays’ starting pitcher for Game 2, Kevin Gausman, has a long memory. On Friday, he thought back to Oct. 14, 2021.

That was the day the Dodgers eliminated the 107-win San Francisco Giants in the NLDS. Gausman, working in relief, was the final pitcher for the Giants. Max Scherzer, also working in Toronto now, was the final pitcher for the Dodgers.

The final pitch of the game: a highly debated third strike to Wilmer Flores.

“I still think about the check swing on Wilmer Flores,” Gausman said. “I don’t think it was a swing, but, you know, that’s kind of water under the bridge.”

Four years later, Gausman hasn’t forgotten. Thing is, just because the Dodgers count on getting to the World Series every year does not mean they will. If the team with three Hall of Famers atop their lineup doesn’t get its bats rolling, the Dodgers might not forget this for years to come.

The NI squad she has returned to is markedly different to the one she was last included in a year and a half ago, given the influx of younger players.

That was necessitated by the retirements of Marissa Callaghan, Rachel Furness and Rachel Dugdale.

The only centurion in the current panel, McFadden knew her biggest selling point for getting back into the squad at this later stage of her career was the experience she has, and she hopes to pass on wisdom gained from over 20 years of playing to the younger generation.

“That is what I was saying when I was pleading my case to Tanya. I’ve always got that [experience], even if I’m not fit, I will always do the best for Northern Ireland and our group,” she added.

“I hope I’ve helped them this week, especially Abi Sweetlove. She’s at the start of her career, she’s unbelievable centre-half, she’s the future and hopefully I’ll be able to help her along because I have done it many a time and someone helped me along, so I want to help them.”

So, up next for McFadden and NI is building on a positive second-half display in Ballymena as they go to Reykjavik on Tuesday aiming to overturn the two-goal deficit.

The odds are against Oxtoby’s side given they failed to have a shot on target in the first leg, but McFadden still thinks they have an opportunity if they go there confident.

“We need a little bit more belief. We were able to get in their final third a bit more second half and with the belief, we have a chance.

“If we score early, they’re the big fish with the pressure on and hopefully we get a performance again.”

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Central League

Bernstein 28, Roybal 20

Contreras 55, Mendez 17

Hollywood 48, Belmont 0

Coliseum League

Dorsey 37, Washington 12

Crenshaw 6, King/Drew 2

Eastern League

Garfield 37, L.A. Roosevelt 30

Exposition League

Santee 61, Angelou 0

Marine League

Carson 50, Narbonne 0

San Pedro 49, Gardena 14

Metro League

Hawkins 38, Locke 6

Northern League

Eagle Rock 49, L.A. Wilson 7

Lincoln 35, L.A. Marshall 28

Southern League

Diego Rivera 33, West Adams 18

Valley Mission League

Granada Hills Kennedy 21, San Fernando 12

Sylmar 42, Reseda 0

Van Nuys 43, Panorama 36

West Valley League

Birmingham 23, Granada Hills 16

El Camino Real 45, Chatsworth 6

Taft 21, Cleveland 13

Western League

Fairfax 21, L.A. University 20

Palisades 46, LA Hamilton 30

Venice 21, Westchester 8

Nonleague

Fremont 30, Maywood CES 15

Los Angeles d. L.A. Jordan, forfeit

SOUTHERN SECTION

Almont League

Bell Gardens 43, Keppel 6

San Gabriel 27, Alhambra 20

Schurr 42, Montebello 7

Alpha League

San Clemente 28, Los Alamitos 9

Mission Viejo 37, Edison 20

Angelus League

Cathedral 28, St. Pius X-St. Matthias 14

Paraclete 42, St. Francis 35

St. Paul 41, Alemany 7

Baseline League

Chino Hills 27, Damien 19

Rancho Cucamonga 41, Etiwanda 7

Upland 37, Ayala 0

Bay League

Culver City 48, Lawndale 0

Leuzinger 27, Mira Costa 14

Palos Verdes 31. Inglewood 12

Big West Lower League

Corona Santiago 37, Corona 21

Great Oak 36, Temecula Valley 13

Murrieta Mesa 51, Riverside King 24

Big West Upper League

Vista Murrieta 42, Murrieta Valley 35

Bravo League

Corona del Mar 47, Tesoro 8

San Juan Hills 28, Villa Park 10

Yorba Linda 41, Newport Harbor 14

Channel League

Buena 28, Oxnard 26

Moorpark 42, Royal 6

Citrus Belt League

Beaumont 56, Citrus Valley 3

Cajon 67, Redlands 0

Redlands East Valley 43, Yucaipa 41

Conejo Coast League

Calabasas 42, Rio Mesa 14

Thousand Oaks 17, Newbury Park 7

Westlake 33, Santa Barbara 14

Cottonwood League

Silver Valley 36, Riverside Prep 33

Salesian 40, St. Anthony 0

Del Rio League

California 28, Santa Fe 23

La Serna 42, Whittier 8

Delta League

Trabuco Hills 28, Cypress 7

Desert Empire League

Palm Desert 35, Palm Springs 28

Desert Valley League

Coachella Valley 28, Twentynine Palms 0

Yucca Valley d. Indio, forfeit

Epsilon League

Crean Lutheran 31, Huntington Beach 28

Foothill 31, El Dorado 13

Foothill League

Golden Valley 43, West Ranch 28

Valencia 38, Hart 7

Foxtrot League

Aliso Niguel 17, Orange 10

Laguna Beach 49, Dana Hills 40

Gano League

Chaffey 63, Don Lugo 14

Rowland 44, Montclair 7

Gateway League

Downey 40, Warren 0

La Mirada 37, Paramount 16

Mayfair 42, Dominguez 18

Golden League

Knight 26, Littlerock 14

Palmdale 48, Eastside 10

Quartz Hill 41, Antelope Valley 7

Hacienda League

Chino 29, South Hills 22

Los Altos 49, Diamond Bar 35

Inland Valley League

Heritage 35, Citrus Hill 34

Perris 33, Canyon Springs 7

Iota League

Troy 21, Irvine 20

Ironwood League

Aquinas 46, Capistrano Valley Christian 7

Cerritos Valley Christian 35, Heritage Christian 25

Village Christian 62, Ontario Christian 14

Ivy League

Liberty 21, Rancho Verde 19

Orange Vista 52, Riverside North 14

Vista del Lago 55, Paloma Valley 54

Kappa League

Esperanza 27, Westminster 21

Segerstrom 14, Brea Olinda 7

Marina 14, La Palma Kennedy 7

Manzanita League

Anza Hamilton 31, California Military Institute 14

Vasquez 64, Desert Chapel 14

Marmonte League

Bishop Diego 35, St. Bonaventure 27

Oaks Christian 42, Camarillo 6

Oxnard Pacifica 42, Simi Valley 20

Mission League

Chaminade 52, Loyola 0

Gardena Serra 35, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 16

Sierra Canyon 40, Bishop Amat 0

Mission Valley League

El Monte 38, South El Monte 21

Gabrielino 61, Pasadena Marshall 0

Rosemead 21, Arroyo 13

Mojave River League

Hesperia 33, Sultana 28

Mountain Pass League

San Jacinto 63, West Valley 0

Mountain Valley League

Miller 14, Pacific 13

West Torrance 35, Compton Centennial 6

Pacific League

Burbank d. Glendale, forfeit

Pasadena 49, Arcadia 14

Pioneer League

North Torrance 48, South Torrance 14

Redondo Union 40, Peninsula 21

Torrance 49, Santa Monica 14

Rio Hondo League

Monrovia 35, San Marino 7

South Pasadena 48, Temple City 6

San Andreas League

Colton 56, Rim of the World 49

Kaiser 28, San Gorgonio 21

Skyline League

Arroyo Valley 38, Fontana 19

Bloomington 50, Riverside Notre Dame 18

Rialto 7, Carter 6

Sun Valley League

Banning 37, Cathedral City 6

Desert Hot Springs 35, Desert Mirage 20

Sunbelt League

Rancho Christian 7, Hillcrest 0

Riverside Poly 28, Valley View 10

Tango League

Loara 28, Garden Grove Santiago 27

Tri-County League

Agoura 25, San Marcos 6

Fillmore 24, Dos Pueblos 17

Santa Paula 27, Hueneme 16

Trinity League

Mater Dei 40, JSerra 7

Santa Margarita 28, Orange Lutheran 7

St. John Bosco 42, Servite 0

Valle Vista League

Alta Loma 21, Northview 20

Zeta League

Saddleback 42, Century 6

Nonleague

El Segundo 35, El Rancho 18

Desert Christian Academy 30, Viewpoint 6

INTERSECTIONAL

Rancho Dominguez 42, Verbum Dei 20

St. Monica 55, Franklin 21

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Majestic League

Cornerstone Christian 43, Highland Entrepreneur 0

Tri-Valley League

Sage Hill 42, Cate 16

INTERSECTIONAL

Fresno Christian 84, Hesperia Christian 28

CSDR 70, Model School for the Deaf (Washington D.C.) 24

Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker says he is “focused and prepared” before Saturday’s fight against Fabio Wardley, who hopes to rely on his punching power to get through their bout at London’s O2 Arena.

READ MORE: ‘I watched Parker from the pub, now I’m fighting him’

Listen to Joseph Parker v Fabio Wardley on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website & app on Saturday, 25 October.

TORONTO — The Dodgers played 162 games in 193 days during the regular season. Then they played 10 more times in 18 days in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

It was a grind that gave way to a routine as comfortable as an old shoe.

That routine was upended when the Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, giving them a week off before the start of the World Series, the team’s longest break since February. And the Dodgers looked anything but rested and refreshed in Friday’s 11-4 shellacking by the Toronto Blue Jays, which left them trailing a postseason series for the first time since last fall’s NLDS.

“I’m pretty sure the guys kind of felt the velocity a little bit more,” said Miguel Rojas, one of just a handful of Dodgers who spoke to the media after the loss. “But there’s nothing that we can do. That’s not going to be an excuse for us to underperform.”

It may not be an excuse. But it could be an omen.

This World Series is the fifth in which a team that swept its best-of-seven LCS, as the Dodgers did, faced a team that needed to go seven games to win its series, as Toronto did. The team that swept and got the break lost each of the four previous World Series, winning just two of 18 games.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts dismissed that history Friday.

“I really don’t think the week layoff had anything to do with tonight,” he said. “We were rested. I thought we were in a good spot. We had a 2-0 lead. So I don’t think that had anything to do with it.”

Blake Snell, the pitcher who gave up that lead, brushed off the break as well.

“There’s no excuses. I need to be better,” said Snell, who went 10 days between starts, his longest break since coming off the injured list in August. “I don’t care if it’s a month off. Find a way to be ready.”

He wasn’t against the Blue Jays. After averaging 16 pitches an inning in 14 previous starts, he needed 29 to get through the first inning Friday. And after giving up two runs and six hits in 21 innings this postseason, he gave up five runs and eight hits in just five-plus innings in Toronto, with two of those runs coming on Dalton Varsho’s fourth-inning home run, the only homer Snell has conceded to a left-handed hitter this year.

Emmet Sheehan, who followed Snell to the mound, hadn’t pitched in two weeks. He had his worst outing of the year, facing four batters and watching three of them score.

“I felt good going into the game. I felt the same as I have been,” he said. “I thought I made some good pitches, and they made some really good swings.

“It’s not a good feeling.”

A prolonged break can affect pitchers more than hitters because after throwing with a slightly fatigued arm all season, they suddenly feel fresh and strong and their pitches lose some of their movement.

“You don’t want to feel too good. You feel too good, you try to throw too hard because you feel good. And it doesn’t go where you want it,” said Will Klein, who mopped up for the Dodgers, pitching a scoreless eighth inning. “[The ball] doesn’t go where you want it to because you’re used to pitching a little down, like 90 or 95%. You’re never really at 100.

‘There’s such a thing [as] too fresh.”

Klein’s last appearance in a big-league game was a month ago; since then he’s been working out at the Dodgers’ facility in Arizona. He said the team tried to keep the rest of their pitchers in their familiar routine with bullpen sessions or simulated games, but it’s not the same as throwing in high-leverage situations against opposing hitters in a World Series game before 44,353 fans, as Snell, Sheehan and Klein had to do Friday.

And the history shows the Dodgers aren’t the first team who have been broken by the break.

But they had less than 24 hours to wait for Game 2, which means they’re back into the comfortable — if exhausting — routine that got them to the World Series in the first place.

“There’s another one tomorrow,” Klein said. “We can’t go and unlose today, as much as we’d like to. Thinking about today isn’t going to help you win tomorrow.”

Chelsea captain Reece James explains how Thiago Silva’s influence continues to have an impact on his career, and how it was good to catch up at the Club World Cup, as he sits down with Kelly Somers for The Football Interview.

Watch: Reece James – The Football Interview in full here

Ouch, Canada.

The World Series wasn’t supposed to start like this. The Dodgers weren’t supposed to begin their inevitable championship march like this.

Even playing in their raucous Rogers Centre north of the border in the opener Friday, the cute little Toronto Blue Jays were supposed to be a far inferior team, eh?

Uhhhh…

For baseball’s burgeoning dynasty, there suddenly looms disaster. For the dominating Dodgers, this is now a World Serious.

The Blue Jays didn’t just win Game 1, they hammered the Dodgers into a maple-leafy pulp, 11-4, battering their ace and bruising their ego and sending a message.

It was delivered in the ninth inning, when the fans rained a chant down on Shohei Ohtani, who spurned the Blue Jays in his free agent sweepstakes two years ago and whose two-run homer meant nothing Friday night.

“We don’t need you… we don’t need you.”

When the game ended shortly and mercifully thereafter, another unspoken message had been sent.

You know where you can stick your broom…

Truly, the only thing getting swept in this series is the Dodgers’ aura of invincibility, as the Blue Jays did exactly what they needed to do by hitting them precisely where it hurts.

Welcome to the postseason, Dodger bullpen.

Now get lost.

Wearing down ace Blake Snell for 29 pitches in the first inning and 100 pitches by the sixth, the pesky Blue Jays hitter loaded the bases with none out when Snell left the game for the maligned and recently ignored Dodger relievers.

Rather predictably, all Hortons broke loose.

Emmet Sheehan lasted four hitters and allowed three baserunners. Ernie Clement singled in a run, Nathan Lukes walked to force in a run and Andrés Giménez singled in a run, and have you ever heard of any of those guys?

Enter Anthony Banda, and exit an Addison Barger fly ball into the right-field stands for the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. Add an ensuing single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a home run from Alejandro Kirk and you pretty much get the picture.

The Dodgers gave up nine runs in the sixth inning, more than twice as many runs as they gave up in the entire four-game National League Championship Series win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Worse yet, they allowed, for the first time this postseason, some doubt.

Did the seven days off since the NLCS sweep ruin their timing as brief October vacations have done to Dodger teams in the past? After all, this is the fifth time in World Series history a team coming off a sweep played a team that was stretched to seven games, and in the previous four times, the team that was stretched won the series.

The Dodgers will roll out another ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in Game 2 Saturday. He pitched a complete game in his last start, so maybe there’s no cause to worry.

Or maybe the Blue Jays just gave them 11 good reasons to worry.

After all, Toronto began the game as a heavy underdog, and for three good reasons, but none of their fears were realized.

They were starting Trey Yesavage, a rookie pitcher who began the season in the Class-A Florida State League pitching for the Dunedin Blue Jays in front of 328 fans against the Jupiter Hammerheads. The 22-year-old was the second-youngest starting pitcher in World Series opener history. He had made just six total major-league starts, and just last week was shelled for five runs in four innings by the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS.

”I don’t want to be out there on the mound thinking too much because for me, I’m at best when I’m just black dead out there and not thinking at all,” he said before the game.

He indeed seemed clueless, but he survived three walks and four hits in four innings by yielding just two runs.

Second, the Jays were starting Bo Bichette at second base even though he had not played the position in six years and never in the major league. The team’s standout shortstop, had also not played anywhere in 47 days since he was sidelined with a sprained knee.

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” said Bichette.

You know what’s crazier? He singled, walked, turned a double play, and made a great stop-and-throw on a grounder before being removed for a pinch-runner in the sixth

Third, the Blue Jays were also starting an outfield trio known only to family and close friends. Kudos to all those who had Myles Straw, Daulton Varsho and Davis Schneider on your bingo card.

Varsho homered. Enough said.

“I think that there’s a lot of firsts for a lot of these guys… I think that players are going to feel certain things that they haven’t felt before,” said Jays manager John Schneider beforehand.

Afterward, that applied to the suddenly shaken Dodgers.

When Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts was asked Friday afternoon about the pressure his team felt, he said, “None. None whatsoever.”

Check that.

West Ham’s miserable Premier League campaign continued with a defeat at Leeds on Friday which ensured their worst start to a season for 52 years.

The result was their third consecuitve defeat under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who remains winless since replacing Graham Potter in September.

The Hammers, who sit 19th in the table, have recorded just one win this season and ironically it arrived against Nottingham Forest, when Nuno was in charge at the City Ground.

A dismal return of just four points in total represents West Ham’s joint-worst at this stage of a league campaign, with the club replicating that tally in the second tier in 1932-33 and 1973-74, when they finished bottom.

Having been appointed with the task of making sure West Ham don’t suffer a relegation that would leave them outside the top flight for the first time since 2011-12, Nuno, who took a point in his first match against Everton, is struggling to find answers.

“There is many problems in our club unfortunately. It is not up to us to hide ourselves behind the problems. Everyone has to be alive and to do much more and be in the right position,” said the Portuguese.

“We were not dealing with our defensive situations and I felt like we needed a striker to hold the ball, so maybe that’s not the greatest from me.

“These kind of mistakes are unacceptable in the Premier League.”

Nuno, also the first West Ham boss to fail to record a win from any of his first four Premier League games since Manuel Pellegrini in September 2018, added: “There is quality there, there is time, but nothing will happen if we don’t change.

“We must change our attitude, we must change the way we approach things, we must commit ourselves better, prepare better, work harder.

“All the things – that is the reality. We don’t expect things to change by themselves. Realising we have time can be a mistake if we don’t change things around quickly.”