career

The Lakers have found their point-of-attack, defensive-mind wing defender in guard Marcus Smart, who has agreed to a buyout with the Washington Wizards and plans to sign a two-year, $11-million deal with Los Angeles, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times on Saturday.

Smart, the 2022 defensive player of the year when he played for the Boston Celtics, will sign his deal contract after when he clears waivers. He has a player option after the 2025-26 season, meaning he can become a free agent next summer.

The Lakers were in need of a defensive wing after defensive ace Dorian Finney-Smith signed with the Houston Rockets.

Smart played in only 34 games last season, splitting time between Memphis and Washington. He dealt with a finger injury on his shooting hand last season. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 39.3% from the field.

Smart, 31, played in only 20 games during the 2023-24 season with the Grizzlies, his time limited by a finger injury and left foot sprain. During his time on the court, Smart averaged 14.4 points per game and shot 43% from the field, 31.3% from three-point range.

Smart was at his best during his nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, making the playoffs each year. He missed the playoffs the last two seasons in Memphis and Washington.

He started a career-high 71 games during the 2021-22 season, when he averaged 32.3 minutes per game, 12.1 points and shot 41.8% from the field, 33.1% from three-point range.

That was the same season Smart was the defensive player of the year. He’s also a three-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive first team.

With a starting backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, two players not known for their defense, the Lakers really needed a defensive-minded player like Smart.

The 6-foot-3 Smart has the size, strength (220 pounds) and athleticism to defend three positions — point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.

His soon-to-be addition, along with that of center Deandre Ayton and forward Jake LaRavia, gives the Lakers depth and talent to hopefully contend in the uber-tough Western Conference.

Smart was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Celtics.

He has been a starter and reserve over his career, having started 387 out of 635 games in an 11-year career.

During that time, Smart averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds, a sign of his all-around talents. He shot 38.8% from the field, 32.4% from three-point range and 77.6% from the free-throw line in his career.

But Smart is at his best on defense. His career defensive rating is 107.9.

He has the ability to move his feet and stay in front of his man. He’s a very good one-on-one defender, and that’s exactly what the Lakers need.

Theater and television actor Tom Troupe has died at 97.

Troupe died Sunday morning of natural causes in his home in Beverly Hills, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll.

Known for his extensive career in theater and TV, Troupe made his Broadway debut in 1957 playing Peter van Daan in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” A year later, he moved to Los Angeles and appeared in more than 75 TV series over the course of his career, including “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek,” “Planet of the Apes,” “CHiPs,” “Quincy M.E.” and “Who’s the Boss.”

However, he continued to act in stage productions, appearing in “The Lion in Winter,” “Fathers Day” and “The Gin Game,” all three of which also co-starred his wife, actor Carole Cook. He also starred in a single-character play he co-wrote called “The Diary of a Madman.”

Troupe also had roles in several films, including 1991’s “My Own Private Idaho,” starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix; 1970’s “Kelly’s Heroes,” which starred Clint Eastwood and Don Rickles; and 1959’s “The Big Fisherman.”

He and Cook were awarded the L.A. Ovation Award for Career Achievement in 2002 because of their extensive stage work over the years in Los Angeles.

Born in Kansas City, Mo., on July 15, 1928, Troupe got his start acting in local theater productions before he moved to New York City in 1948.

He won a scholarship to train with stage actor and theater instructor Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan before he went to fight in the Korean War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he returned to New York to act on the stage.

Troupe married Cook in 1964. The actor, who was known for her roles in “Sixteen Candles” and Lucille Ball’s “The Lucy Show,” died in 2023 at the age of 98.

Troupe is survived by his son, Christopher, daughter-in-law Becky Coulter, granddaughter Ashley Troupe and several nieces and nephews.

Television executive James Stark Bennett II, known for developing talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” has died at 78.

Bennett, who went by Jamie, died July 6 after a fight with cancer, according to his family.

He spent more than a decade at CBS, where he was an executive at television and radio stations in San Francisco and Chicago before coming to Los Angeles, where he served as vice president and general manager at KCBS-TV.

Bennett then moved over to the Walt Disney Co., where he served as senior vice president of Buena Vista Television Productions. In that role, he developed such shows as “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” “Siskel & Ebert” and the game show “Win, Lose or Draw.”

He later became president and chief executive at ACI, a Los Angeles-based TV and film distributor. When ACI was bought by Britain-based Pearson Television in 1995, Bennett and his family moved to London, where he ran the company’s worldwide production.

He eventually moved back to L.A., where he got involved in volunteer work and expanded his career beyond the entertainment industry by becoming chief operating officer at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. There, he was instrumental in helping the school establish its permanent base in L.A.’s Arts District, his family said. He also served on the board of the Ojai Music Festival, later becoming its president and CEO for five years until 2020.

Bennett was born in New York City on June 1, 1947. He later graduated from UC Berkeley, where he chaired a student-run summer program in Washington, D.C., and started his media career as the program director for the university’s radio station. After getting his MBA from Harvard Business School, he moved back to New York to take a job at CBS, which launched his media career.

He and his wife, Carolyn, eventually purchased an 11-acre farm in Ojai, which became their permanent residence. Bennett is survived by his wife, Carolyn, their three children and other family members.

Tommy John surgery was never supposed to go this far.

It was once a cross-your-fingers-and-pray fix for a career-ending injury. Now, MLB teams cycle through as many as 40-plus pitchers a year, knowing that surgery is a phone call away.

Just ask John himself, a left-hander who never threw all that hard, only reaching the mid-80s on his sinking fastball. The soft-throwing lefty was having his best year as a Dodgers starting pitcher in 1974.

He didn’t have the strikeout acumen of teammate Andy Messersmith, or the ace makeup of future Hall of Famer Don Sutton. But what John did have was consistency. John consistently pitched late into games, and sent opposing hitters back to the dugout without reaching first base.

“The game of baseball is 27 outs,” said John, now 82. “It wasn’t about throwing hard. It’s, how do I get you out?”

He was the first to go under the knife. The first to lead pitchers through a dangerous cycle of throwing as hard as possible, knowing the safeguard is surgery.

“I threw one pitch and boom, the ligament exploded,” John said.

John’s arm injury left a sensation akin to what an amputee feels after losing a limb. In 1978, he told Sports Illustrated, “It felt as if I had left my arm someplace else.” He didn’t feel pain. He felt loss. His left arm was his career. It was the direct cause for his toeing the Dodger Stadium mound in the first place. Then, John went on to pitch another 15 years in MLB.

It’s the same loss that Hall of Fame Dodgers left-hander Sandy Koufax felt when he retired at age 30 after numerous arm injuries, which could have likely been fixed if current elbow and shoulder surgeries had existed in 1966.

It’s the same loss that Texas Rangers team physician Keith Meister sees walking daily into his office.

Today, Meister can view MRI scans of elbow tears and can tell pitchers where and how they hold the baseball. The tear patterns are emblematic of the pitches being thrown in the first place. The solution — Tommy John surgery, a once-revolutionary elbow operation — replaces a torn or partially damaged ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. The operation is no quick fix. It requires a 13- to 14-month recovery period, although Meister said some pitchers may require just 12 months — and some up to 18.

Meister, who is currently tallying data and researching the issue, wants to be part of the change. Midway through an October phone interview, he bluntly stopped in his tracks and asked a question.

“What is the average length of a major-league career for a major-league pitcher?” he said.

Meister explained that the average career for an MLB pitcher is just 2.6 years. Along with numerous other interviewees, he compared the epidemic to another sport’s longevity problem: the National Football League running back.

“People say to me, ‘Well, that sounds like a running back in football,’” Meister said. “Think about potentially the money that gets saved with not having to even get to arbitration, as long as organizations feel like they can just recycle and, you know, next man up, right?”

Orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister, in his TMI Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery office in Arlington, Texas, in 2024, has advocated for changes to mitigate pitching injuries.

(Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News)

Financial ramifications play close to home between pitchers and running backs as well. Lower durability and impact have led to decreasing running-back salaries. If pitchers continue to have shorter careers, as Meister puts it, MLB franchises might be happy to cycle through minimum-salary pitchers instead of shelling out large salaries for players who remain on the injured list rather than in the bullpen.

The Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays have shuffled through pitchers at league extremes over the last five years. In the modern era — since 1901 — only the Rays and Dodgers have used more than 38 pitchers in a season three times each. Tampa used 40-plus pitchers each year from 2021 to 2023.

Last year, the Dodgers used 40 pitchers. Only the Miami Marlins tasked more with 45.

The Dodgers have already used 35 pitchers this season, second-most in baseball. The Rays tallied just 30 in 2024 and have dispatched just 23 on the mound so far this season. What gives?

Meister says the Rays may have changed their pitcher philosophy. Early proponents of sweepers and other high-movement pitches, the Rays now rank near the bottom of the league (29th with just 284 thrown) in sweeper usage entering Saturday’s action, according to Baseball Savant. Two years ago, the Rays threw the seventh most.

Tampa is rising to the top of MLB in two-seam fastball usage, Meister said, a pitch he says creates potentially much less stress on the elbow. Their starting pitchers are second in baseball in the number of innings, and they’ve used just six starting pitchers all season.

“It’s equated to endurance for their pitchers, because you know why? They’re healthy, they’re able to pitch, they’re able to post and they’re able to go deeper into games,” Meister said. “Maybe teams will see this and they’ll be like, ‘Wait a minute, look what these guys won with. Look how they won. We don’t need to do all this crap anymore.’”

The Dodgers, on the other hand, rank ninth in sweeper usage (1,280 thrown through Friday) and have used 16 starting pitchers (14 in traditional starting roles). Meanwhile, their starting pitchers have compiled the fewest innings in MLB. Rob Hill, the Dodgers’ director of pitching, began his career at Driveline Baseball. The Dodgers hired him in 2020. Since then, the franchise has churned out top pitching prospect after top pitching prospect, many of whom throw devastating sweepers and change-ups.

As of Saturday, the Dodgers have 10 pitchers on the injured list, six of whom underwent an elbow or shoulder operation — and since 2021, the team leads MLB in injury list stints for pitchers.

“There are only probably two teams in baseball that can just sit there and say, ‘Well, if I get 15 to 20 starts out of my starting pitchers, it doesn’t matter, because I’ll replace them with somebody else I can buy,’” Meister said. “That’s the Yankees and the Dodgers.”

He continued: “Everybody else, they’ve got to figure out, wait a minute, this isn’t working, and we need to preserve our commodity, our pitchers.”

Outside of organizational strategy changes, like the Rays have made, Meister has expressed rule changes to MLB. He’s suggested rethinking how the foul ball works or toying with the pitch clock to give a slightly longer break to pitchers. He said pitchers don’t get a break on the field the same way hitters do in the batter’s box.

“Part of the problem here is that a hitter has an ability to step out of the box and take a timeout,” Meister said. “He has to go cover a foul ball and run over to first base and run back to the mound. He should have an opportunity take a break and take a blow.”

Meister hopes to discuss reintroducing “tack” — a banned sticky substance that helps a pitcher’s grip on the ball — to the rulebook, something that pitchers such as Max Scherzer and Tyler Glasnow have called a factor in injuries. Meister has fellow leading experts on his side too.

“Myself and Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache are very good friends, and we talk at length about this,” said Meister.

Meister explained that the lack of stickiness on the baseball causes pitchers to squeeze the ball as hard as possible. The “death grip on the ball,” Meister said, causes the muscles on the inner side of the elbow to contract in the arm and then extend when the ball is released. The extension of the inner elbow muscles is called an eccentric load, which can create injury patterns.

The harder the grip, the more violent the eccentric load becomes when a sweeper pitch, for example, is thrown, he said.

“Just let guys use a little bit of pine tar on their fingertips,” Meister said, adding that the pitchers already have to adjust to an inconsistent baseball, one that changes from season to season. “Not, put it on the baseball, not glob the baseball with it, but put a little pine tar on their fingertips and give them a little better adherence to the baseball.”

According to the New Yorker, MLB is exploring heavier or larger baseballs to slow pitchers’ arm movements, potentially reducing strain on the UCL during maximum-effort pitches.

Meister, however, said there does not seem to be a sense of urgency to fix the game, with a years-long process to make any fixes.

In short, Meister is ready to try anything.

For a man who has made a career off baseball players nervously sitting in his office waiting room, awaiting news that could alter their careers forever, Meister wants MLB to help him stop players from ever scheduling that first appointment.

“To me, it’s not about the surgery any more as much as it is, what can we do to prevent, and what can we do to alter, the approach that the game now takes?” Meister said.

“It’s very, very dangerous.”

They lost a cherished teammate hours before they started training camp. But the Chargers receivers knew just what to do when they heard of Mike Williams’ sudden retirement.

“At this point [we’re] just treating it like the next man up,” receiver Quentin Johnston said. “Him leaving was unexpected, but at the same time, we just gotta fill in the blank and keep moving.”

Williams’ sudden departure has left an already questionable receiver group with even more to prove. The 6-foot-4 receiver was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career but was still expected to add a familiar, trustworthy face for quarterback Justin Herbert. When it came to winning 50-50 balls, Williams was one of the best ever, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said.

And in a group that was led by a standout rookie last year, the 30-year-old Williams was a much-needed veteran presence.

“It’s not easily replaceable,” Roman said. “But we like where everybody’s going. We like the guys we have, we just gotta work, keep getting better.”

Star receiver Ladd McConkey is already leading the way. Despite a record-setting rookie season, McConkey has already tweaked small details that could result in big improvements in his second season, Roman said. The former Georgia star’s work ethic already sets the tone: Roman walked by the receivers room at the Chargers’ practice facility Saturday morning and saw McConkey sitting alone studying Friday’s practice film.

But who will step up after McConkey? After his drop-plagued 2023 rookie season, Johnston improved drastically last year when he caught 55 passes for 711 yards receiving and a team-high eight touchdowns. But even the jump in production hasn’t quieted some critics who remain disappointed in the former first-round pick.

With Williams’ departure, Johnston could take an even bigger leap. Encouraged by the support of his teammates and coaches, he said his confidence is at an all-time high.

“I got what it takes to still be here,” Johnston said. “I just gotta go out there and prove that every day.”

Rookie Tre’ Harris can push Johnston on the outside. The 6-foot-3 Mississippi alumnus delivers some of the same traits as Williams, but Roman has started Harris in a role that more mirrors how former Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer played. Palmer, who signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency, had 584 yards receiving and one touchdown on 39 catches last season.

Harris, who caught 114 passes for 2,015 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns in two seasons at Mississippi after beginning his career at Louisiana Tech, insists to coaches he can play any position. But Roman is mindful to not overload the second-round pick, especially after he missed several days of training camp because of a contract dispute.

Harris reported to training camp Friday, one day after the whole team, but nearly a week behind quarterbacks and other rookies who reported July 12.

“It was music to my ears when I heard that he signed and he was getting in,” Roman said. “It’s so important for young receivers to be in camp. There’s been so many different adjustments, it’s just a different game. So far he’s been outstanding. A really smart guy. On top of everything. … Attention to detail, technique, really excited for him. So far, so good.”

Harris was a focal point of his first practice Friday, becoming a frequent target in team and seven-on-seven periods. Receiver Jalen Reagor kept a close eye on the rookie as the sixth-year, former first-round pick shouted instructions on which routes to run. They often huddled on the sideline after plays.

Reagor is on his third team after the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in 2020. Not only is he the Chargers’ most experienced receiver, he remains a reliable option outside with his versatility and speed.

Chargers wide receiver Jalen Reagor celebrates after making a catch against the New Orleans Saints in October.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“He does everything really well,” Herbert said. “I think he’s one of those guys, whether it’s the quick game, whether it’s the intermediate stuff or the deep balls like that, he’s definitely fast enough to be able to take the top off and he’s such a great route runner. He’s able to beat man coverage and another guy that you feel comfortable going to whether it’s zone or man, just finds a way to get open.”

Rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith sustained an undisclosed injury during the spring, but is back to full speed for training camp, Roman said.

The Chargers loaded up on offensive firepower during the draft, adding two rookie receivers and tight end Oronde Gadsden, a converted wide receiver who could add more lift to the passing offense. The additions appeared to be a signal from the front office that Johnston had to take another step forward in his career to maintain his place on the team.

But like the leaping touchdown pass he caught over his shoulder during Friday’s practice, Johnston took it all in stride.

“Water off a duck’s back,” wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal said during the spring. “I haven’t seen anything. I told him he’s a starter because he is and he’s operating that way.”

Etc.

Left tackle Rashawn Slater took a rest day during Saturday’s practice, Roman said. With right guard Mekhi Becton still celebrating his Super Bowl ring, right tackle Joe Alt shifted to the left in place of Slater, Trey Pipkins III subbed in at right tackle and Jamaree Salyer stepped in at right guard. Despite starting at right guard last year, Pipkins isn’t a top contender for a starting spot at left guard, where Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson have rotated during the offseason. Pipkins instead will be a swing tackle option off the bench, coach Jim Harbaugh said. … Running back Raheim Sanders missed a second consecutive day of practice Saturday.

Victoria Coren delighted fans with a major announcement about her BBC2 show – following her husband David Mitchell’s emotional confession about their relationship

Victoria Coren excited quiz enthusiasts everywhere with an update on social media this Saturday. The 52-year-old presenter, who has been hosting the mind-boggling BBC programme Only Connect since 2008, shared details about the release of new episodes with her fans.

Victoria informed her 665,000 followers on X: “We are past the mid-point of July, the air is warm, the dahlias are flowering. Is it time to start relaxing for the summer, winding down and having some fun? NO IT ISN’T. She then added: “Only Connect returns on Monday night, 8pm @BBCTwo.”

Her announcement was met with a flurry of messages from fans thrilled by the news that the quiz show would be back on screen in just a few days. One enthusiastic fan tweeted: “Thank heavens, you’ve answered my wife’s question of last Monday, or quiz night on BBC2 as we know it, ‘when is Only Connect back?’ Well now we know – thank you.”

Victoria then responded: “Did they not mention it last week? Understandably embarrassed, perhaps,” as another fan noted: “This feels early, reports the Express.

Another added: “This isn’t a problem, it’s delightful news, but it does feel early,” as Victoria agreed, saying: “It is a bit early, isn’t it?

Fans were overjoyed with the announcement, as another penned: “Whoop whoop , Monday night’s bbc 2 back to normal, I’ll sleep well tonight. While another chimed in: “Always chuffed when I get a connection or a sequence right.”

Victoria’s announcement follows a heart-wrenching revelation made by her husband David Mitchell. In his autobiography Back Story, the Peep Show actor revealed that he harboured deep feelings for his now-wife, Victoria, for years before they got together, but concealed his emotions from those closest to him.

In a heartfelt and honest confession, the 50 year old comic disclosed that his one-sided love for Victoria left a profound impact on his life following her initial rejection.

“I was hopelessly in love. I told no one about it,” he reveals in his memoir. “I didn’t tell my closest friends or my parents of the enormous sadness that overshadowed my life.”

Recently, Victoria shared a rare glimpse into her home life. The Only Connect host has two daughters – Barbara, 10, and June, two – with David, 51, and they have always shielded them from the public spotlight.

She told the new issue of Radio Times magazine: “My 10 year old loves The Masked Singer and old episodes of Poirot, just like her mother. The baby doesn’t have any screen time; she’s only 18 months old.

“She loves Bluey – an excellent TV show – but she doesn’t know it’s a TV show. She just thinks it’s a source of really great plastic dog Weebles.”

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This Morning fan-favourite Josie Gibson is embarking on a new venture away from her hosting duties.

ITV announced that This Morning favourite Josie Gibson is fronting her own TV show away from This Morning.

Described as embarking on a ‘renovation of a lifetime’, Josie is opening the doors to her new West Country home for ITV viewers.

Titled Josie Gibson’s Big Country Build, the series will see the 40-year-old undertake the ambitious plan to turn the dilapidated Somerset house into a modern 21st-century home.

As the camera follows the chaos that unfolds, Josie is on a mission to grow her own food and harness her own energy, highlighting her passion for the environment and sustainable living.

A synopsis for the show reads: “In a bid to ensure her new home and the stunning landscape around her is protected and preserved.

“From installing an underground heat pump to setting up auto-flowing beehives, Josie will explore ways to maintain her four acres of land in the most eco-friendly way.”

The series, which is produced by MGM Alternative UK, is expected to air in 2026 and will span across seven episodes.

Along the way, ITV viewers will see Josie team up with her brothers and scrap metal traders Josh and Charlie.

Her cousin ‘Builder Tom’ will also be lending a hand alongside a plethora of eccentric locals all willing to help Josie get her passion project into action.

Ahead of the series, Josie commented: “My dream is to build a house as eco and luxurious as possible, where you are immersed in the sanctuary of nature. I want to use the acres of land to try and do my best to have a little small holding.

“I want bees, birds, and badgers to all live in harmony. Though I’m becoming increasingly concerned that my harmonious dream is slowly turning into a construction nightmare.. I can’t wait to bring the audience along on this journey with me!”

ITV viewers will get to see the renovation project every step of the way as the This Morning star attempts to assemble her dream home.

With blacked-out windows, a walk-in wardrobe and an on-site gym, Josie has her work cut out.

The synopsis continued: “She adapts to new surroundings, Josie will be building lots of new friendships with neighbours who could prove integral towards making her renovation dreams a reality.”

Josie Gibson’s Big Country Build will broadcast across ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player in 2026.

ATLANTA — Seven days ago, Jacob Misiorowski was really only known by the most die-hard of baseball fans.

And even then, he was far from any sort of household commodity.

“I don’t even know who I’m pitching against,” future Hall of Fame Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said last week, a day before squaring off against the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie phenom who had made only four career starts prior.

“Is that the guy who twisted his ankle on the mound, the ‘Twisted-His-Ankle’ guy?’” Kershaw added, able only to recall a widely shared clip of Misiorowski having to exit his MLB debut a month earlier amid five hitless innings after turning his ankle on the downslope of the hill.

“I know he throws hard. I saw a couple highlights,” Kershaw continued.

But, as far as the 23-year-old’s reputation was concerned, that was it — both to Kershaw, and most casual observers of the sport.

Then, however, came the game that changed everything — for Misiorowski, Major League Baseball and the conversation around this year’s All-Star festivities in Atlanta.

Last Tuesday, Misiorowski had his official coming-out party with a dominant six-inning, one-run, 12-strikeout gem against the mighty Dodgers — easily the most electrifying outing of the young flamethrower’s nascent career.

Days later, in a move that stunned the sport, Misiorowski was unexpectedly added to the National League All-Star team — an immediately controversial move given his one total month of big-league service time.

On Monday, at an All-Star media day event near Truist Park in Atlanta, Misiorowski’s presence was still dominating story lines at the Midsummer Classic, especially after several members of the Philadelphia Phillies (who felt two of their pitchers, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suarez, were more deserving of All-Star nods even though they wouldn’t have pitched in the game) derided Misiorowski’s selection over the weekend as a “joke” and public relations stunt by the league.

It was the first question Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who will helm the National League team after winning last year’s World Series, fielded at a Monday afternoon news conference at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater.

And when Misiorowski took his seat at media day, he was immediately peppered with questions about the backlash to his inclusion, and how he felt about people who argued he wasn’t deserving of being in the game — especially his NL teammates from the Phillies.

“I mean, they’re not happy,” Misiorowski said with an awkward smile. “But they’re not upset with me. It’s nothing I did. So they were all nice to me. The clubhouse has been good.”

For all the visceral takes and viral reactions the Misiorowski story has generated in recent days, chances are it will blow over by the time Tuesday’s game rolls around.

Roberts confirmed Misiorowski will pitch in the contest, probably somewhere in the middle innings.

And while he said Misiorowski’s selection, coupled with the withdrawals from numerous other NL All-Star pitchers, required a “deeper conversation” about how the game could be improved, he added that he was all for having Misiorowski take part in this year’s event.

“For this young kid to be named an All-Star, I couldn’t be more excited for him,” Roberts said. “It’s gonna be electric. The fans, the media, you’re gonna love it. So for me, it’s an easy answer, because if it brings excitement, attention to our game, then I’m all about it.”

If it wasn’t for Roberts’ team, the Misiorowski drama might have never happened.

Entering his start against the Dodgers last week, Misiorowski had a 3.20 ERA, was coming off a five-run, 3 ⅔ inning clunker against the New York Mets, and (despite his 100-plus mph fastball and wicked repertoire of breaking pitches) was nowhere near the All-Star picture.

Even internally, he acknowledged, he was still getting comfortable in the majors.

But in that game against the Dodgers, Misiorowski bounced back from a leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani by giving up just three other hits. He mowed through the Dodgers’ league-leading offense with triple-digit fastballs and upper-90s mph sliders, which Dodgers catcher Will Smith called the nastiest current pitch in the sport. And he emerged with a newfound sense of belonging at the big-league level.

“That’s one of those games you look back on and you’re like, ‘OK, now we go,’” Misiorowski said Monday. “Now it starts.’”

Afterward, no one praised the young right-hander more than Kershaw, who started his postgame remarks about Misiorowski by quipping, “I know him now, huh?”

And now, a week later, so too does the rest of the baseball world; with Misiorowski’s dismantling of the Dodgers helping to thrust him into a spotlight he could have never imagined seven days earlier.

“I think it was just one of those things that, when it happened, it’s not really anything I’ve done,” he said. “I’m not gonna say no to MLB about coming to the game, so it is what it is.”

ATLANTA — The suspension of former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías ends Wednesday. The next day, Major League Baseball will remove him from its restricted list, and any team that wishes to sign him can do so.

Scott Boras, the agent for Urías, said the pitcher — the only player suspended twice for violating baseball’s policy on domestic violence and sexual assault — hopes to resume playing.

“He still has every intention to continue his career,” Boras said here Monday. “He’s getting in shape. Obviously, he’ll have options that are open to him.”

Boras declined to discuss any of those potential options Monday, since the suspension has not yet expired. It is believed that multiple teams have checked in on Urías, but it is uncertain whether a deal would be struck and, if so, he might be able to help a major league team.

“It depends on how teams view the situation and view his skill,” Boras said.

Boras said Urías has not pitched this year and would need time to work into major league shape. How much time he needs could determine whether he could help a team later this season or would need to aim for next season.

Urías, 28, last pitched for the Dodgers in 2023. He is completing a half-season suspension for domestic violence, levied after a witness video obtained by The Times showed he charged his wife in a September 2023 incident outside BMO Stadium, pulled her hair aside and shoved her against a fence. After the two were separated, the video showed Urias swinging at her with his left hand.

Urías was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence, but the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office determined that “neither the victim’s injuries nor the defendant’s criminal history justify a felony filing.” The city attorney’s office subsequently filed five misdemeanor charges against Urías. He pleaded no contest to one, the other four were dropped, and he agreed to enter a yearlong domestic violence treatment program.

He also agreed to complete a similar program in 2019, when he was arrested after an incident in the Beverly Center parking lot. Witnesses said he pushed his fiancee, she said she fell, and no charges were filed.

The league subsequently suspended him for 20 games. Under its policy, the league can suspend a player even if no charges are filed.

Urías was placed on administrative leave for the final month of the 2023 season, after which his contract with the Dodgers expired and he became a free agent.

He has not pitched since then.

Urías recorded the final out of the Dodgers’ World Series championship in 2020. He led the National League in victories (20) in 2021 and earned-run average (2.16) in 2022.

The former “King of the Beach” kept his crown tucked away Saturday night.

Clad in denim jeans and a plain white shirt, Sinjin Smith hovered on the sidelines of the sand.

When Hagen Smith — the son and spitting image of Sinjin — sailed a serve too far, Sinjin craned his neck back and clenched his jaws.

“On the court, he tells me to serve short, and I never listen,” Hagen said.

And when Hagen — a UCLA alum like his father — uncorked a spike that thudded into the sand untouched, Sinjin’s arm sliced the air as a grin stretched across his face and his applause echoed.

“I wasn’t disguising anything,” Sinjin said.

Anonymity didn’t stand a chance as Sinjin watched Hagen and Logan Webber locked in a razor-edged three-setter against the Palm Beach Passion that twice spilled past regulation.

But as Sinjin rode every rally, Hagen and Webber eked out a narrow victory, going 13-15, 18-16 and 18-16. The L.A. men’s duo remains undefeated through five weeks of AVP play, helping offset the L.A. Launch female duo’s first loss of the year earlier Saturday. Their combined records will determine whether they win the AVP League regular season crown.

L.A. Launch’s Hagen Smith spikes the ball as Logan Webber watches during their win over Palm Beach Passion’s Phil Dalhausser and Trevor Crabb at the Intuit Dome on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Two dozen years removed from his final outing on the sand, Sinjin carved his career on the chaos of close calls. But Friday, with his son trading kills in a battle that felt like it refused to end, Sinjin was dodging heart attacks.

As the crowd learned in, Sinjin leaned back.

“It’s nerve wracking to watch him — you couldn’t get a better match for the fans, but I hated it,” Sinjin said. “I want to win in two and go home.”

While Sinjin might’ve winced through every extra-point rally, Hagen soaked it all in — steady under pressure.. He may be “trying his best to live up to” his father, but to hear Sinjin tell it, Hagen had already surpassed the myth.

Sinjin Smith competes in the AVP Santa Barbara Open on 18 Aug. 18, 2001, in Santa Barbara.

(Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“He’s an unbelievable resource to me. I’ll ask him at like, midnight, ‘Hey, can you come out in the morning and coach me?’ He’s there,” Hagen said of Sinjin. “I’ve modeled my game after him, through and through. If I can be as anything like him as a player, I’m honored.”

Sinjin marveled at Hagen with the awe of a fan.

“He’s his own person. He’s playing for himself, trust me,” Sinjin said. “He may be wanting to prove something to me, I don’t know, but he’s done so much more than I ever expected. He’s so fun to watch — the fact that he’s my son, that’s just icing on the cake.”

Sinjin, the UCLA and International Volleyball Hall of Famer, tapped his temple twice when asked where he and his son aligned on the sand. The resemblance, he said, lives in the mind — because Hagen’s style has taken on its own shape, forged far from his father’s shadow.

“He jumps and he’s powerful and he moves in the sand,” Sinjin said. “I did everything pretty well, which was my strength, but he really excels in — for one, attacking the ball, he hits the ball harder and more explosively when he attacks than I ever was.”

For as long as Hagen could remember, Pauley Pavilion was the lighthouse in the distance — the promised land of his childhood dreams. And when he finally walked into the arena, his eyes fixed to a familiar face.

There was Sinjin, featured on the walls around the Bruins’ home.

“Getting to see that, it’s like, ‘Ah, this is home to me. I’ve got dad helping me out, I’ve got dad watching over me. Luckily I got to wear his number that was retired and that felt awesome,” said Hagen, who wore his father’s No. 22 jersey in college.

Sinjin played under Al Scates — the architect of UCLA’s volleyball dynasty and the winningest coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history. Under Scates and his 19 national titles, winning was the annual expectation.

And under Scates’ tutelage, Sinjin bookended his career with national glory, and flooded his cabinets with individual accolades — two All-American recognitions, a Most Outstanding Player distinction at the 1979 national championship and a stalwart of the historic undefeated 1979 squad.

L.A. Launch’s Hagen Smith, left, and Logan Webber, right, celebrate with L.A. Launch teammate Terese Cannon after Smith and Webber beat Palm Beach Passion’s Phil Dalhausser and Trevor Crabb during AVP League play at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“[Scates] was the best coach of all time in the United States,” Sinjin said. “Al had a knack for picking players that had more than just a physical game. They had a mental game as well. … There’s so many of them that Al trained and went on to be the best of the very best in either beach or indoors.”

Decades later, Hagen was coached by Scates’ protege John Speraw.

After rattling off the names of former teammates and sand-side partners, Sinjin paused, seemingly struck by a pattern he couldn’t ignore: “God,” he said, “there’s a lot of UCLA legends going around.”

Two of those share the same last name.

“[Sinjin] tried to get me into tennis,” Hagen said, “and I was like, ‘Dad, I just want to play volleyball. I just want to be like you.’”

Other AVP results

In other AVP action Saturday, Palm Beach Passion’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson handed L.A. Launch’s Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft their first loss, winning 12-15, 15-6, 15-10.

San Diego Smash’s Devon Newberry and Geena Urango defeated Miami Mayhem’s Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw 15-10, 15-11.

And San Diego Smash’s Chase Budinger and Miles Evans beat Miami Mayhem’s Chaim Schalk and James Shaw 11-15, 15-11, 15-13.

The television personality is one of nine celebrities taking part in a new plastic surgery reversal programme

90 Day Fiancé star Larissa Lima has confessed fears her OnlyFans career will be impacted by her decision to reverse various plastic surgery procedures.

The reality star admits she regrets her 1,500-cc breast implants in E! Entertainment’s new series, Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind.

Hosted by RuPaul’s Michelle Visage, the candid show follows nine celebrities as they decide whether to ditch their cosmetic enhancements for a more natural look.

In the first episode, streaming now on Hayu, Larissa reveals how many procedures she has received since 2018. She detailed: “Lipo on my knees, thighs, tummy tuck, BBL three times. I removed it and got a butt lift. I got two boob jobs, fat removal, lipo in my chin. And I think that’s it. Oh, nose job. I also got a six-pack, vaser liposuction.”

But the Brazilian-born star has since grown to regret the enhancements. “I just wish I could go back in time,” she told fellow castmate Alan McGarry.

Explaining how her surgery journey began, Larissa said: “I got my first surgery [when] I was doing 90 Day Fiancé. After I got my boobs and my nose [done]. I said ‘Oh this is amazing.’ Like I won the lottery.”

After launching her OnlyFans account in 2020, the 38-year-old decided to enlarge her breast implants with hopes it would increase her income.

She explained: “I make money on OnlyFans and I thought well ‘Bigger boobs [are] gonna make more money’ and I thought ‘What could go wrong?’

“When I started to make money on OnlyFans, I’m not gonna lie, I was very happy. But to make the big money you need to do a lot.”

But choosing to ditch the implants could negatively impact her career, and the Larissa is ready for that shift.

When asked how reversing the procedures will impact her OnlyFans audience, she confessed: “Maybe they will not like the reverse but [I already have] my foot out.”

Elsewhere in the show, Larissa opened up about her tough childhood. The TLC star revealed that she was bullied by other kids.

“Growing up, I was bullied and this really made me feel very sad. Kids are very cruel sometimes.” This led her to pursue beauty because, as she sees it, “people really love beautiful people”.

“I always wanted to look like Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith,” she said.

Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind Episode 1 is available to stream now on Hayu.

THE number of summer jobs available has fallen to the lowest level for seven years, as cautious firms cut back on hiring.

Figures from job-matching platform adzuna.co.uk show seasonal vacancies down by 13 per cent on 2024, but there are still more than 20,000 roles on offer nationwide.

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The temporary roles can boost your CV, help you learn new skills and even open up a permanent role.

Adzuna’s Andrew Hunter said: “A summer job might not seem like a big deal, but it’s one of the smartest moves a young jobseeker can make right now.

Beyond the extra cash, these roles offer a chance to build up the kind of soft skills that AI can’t replicate — emotional intelligence, communication, interpersonal skills and teamwork.”

Among the roles which are seeing a surge in hiring are lifeguards, festival crew, theme park assistants and hospitality staff.

Here are Sunemployment’s top tips to land a summer job to supercharge your career . . . 

Seek out a summer role which can lead to long-term work: Not all seasonal roles end when the sunny weather does. Big firms will often have year-round opportunities.

For example, start serving drinks in a beach bar, then move on to an apprenticeship or front-of-house role for a pub or restaurant chain.

Try an alternative industry: They may not seem like an obvious choice, but plenty of sectors from trains, airlines, hotels and coaches to gardeners, warehouses and call centres recruit for the summer.

All of these offer permanent contracts to summer staff.

Use a recruiter: Fed up applying for summer roles then getting ghosted? Recruitment consultants can put your CV in front of hiring managers to speed up the whole process.

Zahida Ahmed joined South Western Railway aged 21 as a temporary event supervisor through Adecco.

Although the initial job only lasted a week, she continued to work through the recruiter and is now a contract consultant with the firm.

Zahida, from Sunbury, Surrey, said: “My summer job was transformative and allowed me to step confidently into the working world and discover a career path I hadn’t considered before.”

Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Recruiters can offer people from every background a chance at a job by working at a festival, concert or sporting event this summer, or something calmer in an office, shop or construction site.

“Agency work is a fantastic way to get experience over the summer in ways that suit you — and even kick-start your career.”

HOLIDAY park operator Haven has 1,200 roles on offer. There are positions in areas including food and beverage, activities and leisure, security and accommodation services.

Ed Camp, 28, joined the firm in summer 2019 on a seasonal contract as a commis chef at the Littlesea park’s Mash And Barrel restaurant.

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He was later offered a permanent job and put on the Grow to Team Manager talent programme. He is now the restaurant’s kitchen team leader managing 16 staff. Ed said: “I’m excited to see where my journey takes me next.”

Apply at jobs.haven.com.

SIX TIPS RELATIVE TO WORK

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THIS week saw the Gallagher brothers take to the stage together for the first time in 16 years. While working with family isn’t always so stressful, it may still throw up extra challenges.

Peter Duris, co-founder of Kickresume.com, said: “A family member on your team means having a colleague you can really trust.

“But, as in the case of Oasis, it can also mean spending too much time together or making big, stressful decisions with someone who knows how to push your buttons.”

Here, he shares his advice.

1. Set clear boundaries between your work and personal life: If your co-workers are family, it’s a necessity.

You might choose to use email only for work-related communication, while using your phone’s messaging apps for things like planning your dad’s birthday party.

2. Make sure the fact that you’re family doesn’t shape how you treat each other at work, so you don’t favour family members over others.

3. Keep your professional expectations the same: Never expect more or less because someone is family. Expecting more might make things more stressful and harm your personal relationship.

4. Be mindful of your past: Working with someone who knows you really well can be stressful, especially if there is already some tension between you.

For instance, if you’ve always had a bit of a competitive relationship with your sibling, or maybe grew up feeling like you were compared to each other, working together can be very tricky.

If you find yourself getting wound up, it might help to stop and think, “What am I really annoyed about?” When working on a project together, focus on your shared goals.

5. Consider your policies: Many UK companies have policies relating to family members, such as banning direct relatives being line managers over each other. These help you prevent a conflict of interest when it comes to issues like pay rises or performance reviews.

6. Sort your succession planning: If you work for a family business where multiple generations are involved, take professional advice on succession planning to avoid damage down the line.

MAKE FAST ‘BUCKS

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Starbucks has opened applications for its accelerated leadership programme – a fast track for future store managers.

The course offers a Level 3 management qualification which usually takes three years to achieve – but 20 trainees will be able to get it in 13 months.

Positions are available in major cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow. No previous hospitality or work experience is required.

Alex Rayner, general manager of Starbucks UK, said: “Whether you’re leaving school or exploring a fresh start, Starbucks is a place where you can work with great people.”

Apply by July 21 at corndel.foleon.com/starbucks/starbucks-learner-hub.

Stacey Solomon is dipping her toes into something brand new as she takes on a new business away from our TV screens

Stacey Solomon is absolutely thrilled to be venturing into new territory with her brand. The reality TV sensation’s haircare line, REHAB, is expanding its empire with the launch of REHAB. Retreat, their most ambitious range to date featuring indulgent products like the Quenching Body Milk, Nourishing Hydrate Body Oil, and the Detoxifying Scalp and Body Scrub.

REHAB co-founders Vicky Ellis and Anastasia Tozer shared with Daily Star: “Expanding into bath and body is a pivotal moment for REHAB, it’s a natural evolution of our mission to deliver transformative, ritual-led self-care beyond just hair.”

They continued, outlining their vision for the new collection: “This new category allows us to bring our results-driven ethos and sensorial luxury into every part of the daily routine, a head-to-toe experience designed to restore, replenish and REHAB. your skin.”

The duo expressed their pride in introducing innovative ideas and “patent-pending technology” to the market, aiming to redefine standards in body care, reports the Daily Star.

Stacey herself couldn’t contain her excitement: “I’m over the moon that REHAB. has launched our new ‘REHAB. Retreat’ Collection. It’s been two years in the making, but we’re finally diving into a whole new world!”.

She added, highlighting the extensive research behind the launch: “There’s been so much research behind the scenes to find the best way to keep skin nourished, healthy and hydrated – and we’re so excited for you to try it! We’re insanely proud of how far our brand has come. Thank you to every single person that’s supported us!”.

The Loose Woman stars new business venture is adding to her whopping £7million fortune. The all-woman founded haircare brand first captured Stacey’s attention years ago but noe decision to become part of the team.

The Sort Your Life Out anchor, 35, invested her own cash into the small haircare, owning a third of the firm in doing so. REHAB has also been hailed the fastest-growing beauty brand on the FEBE 100 list for 2025, in yet another boost for the trio.

The awards – which are only eligible for firms with annual revenues over £3million – show the company is thriving.

More detailed stats from the awards, which have the full title For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs, show UK-based REHAB’s revenue is up 450 per cent in 2025. This comes despite the fact it only has seven staff on its books.

The collection has now expanded into bodycare products as well as haircare as it expands its offering further.

REHAB was founded by two female best friends who say they were “trying to keep up with multiple jobs, children, and their London based social lives”.

Describing themselves on their website, they said: “Busy women with a single mission – transform tired hair to its full healthy, glossy potential.”

CHICAGO — Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star closer and World Series champion with the Chicago White Sox, has died, the team announced Saturday. He was 44.

The White Sox said Jenks died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, where he was being treated for adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer.

Jenks helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series, saving four games in six appearances during the postseason. He was an All-Star in each of the next two seasons while saving 41 games in 2006 and 40 in 2007.

He retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

“He was embarrassing guys, good hitters, right away,” former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said in a video tribute.

Jenks saved 173 games for the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 before finishing his career with 19 appearances in 2011 for the Boston Red Sox. For his career, he was 16-20 with a 3.53 ERA and 351 strikeouts in 348 appearances, all in relief.

“He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate,” White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”

Jenks began his career with the Angels, who drafted the hard-throwing right-hander in the fifth round of the 2000 amateur draft. He was eventually placed on assignment and picked up by the White Sox.

He is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a previous marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.

“As a teammate,” said former White Sox outfielder Aaron Rowand, “he was the best.”

Bubbly presenter Katy Hill hosted many popular TV shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s and even had her own Capital FM radio show – these days she works in an entirely different profession and looks very different

Blue Peter legend Katy Hill is now working in a totally different career and has set up her own business after rising to fame in the late 90s on some of the biggest TV and radio shows there were.

She hosted the much-loved kids’ show CBBC from 1995 to 2000, before moving to BBC One’s Live and Kicking until 2001. During her time on Blue Peter she was known for taking on daring stunts and even became the first civilian to fly with the Red Arrows. After her success on the show and thanks to her popularity she went on to host Top of the Pops, Football Fever, BBC’s Holiday and her own weekend show on Capital FM.

Katy, who is now 54, also regularly contributed to glossy mags like Cosmopolitan Hair and Beauty, Hello! and Closer, and it was in 2004 that she bagged second place on Channel 4’s The Games. Later in her career, she hosted radio shows for Heart Radio, penned weekly blogs and stepped in as a relief presenter on ITV’s Daybreak, reports OK!.

However, these days, Katy is less of a fixture on our telly boxes. as she’s now a life coach, having launched her own business. Describing herself as an ‘Internationally Certified Success and Confidence Coach’, she frequently posts motivational content on social media. Katy also runs her own newsletter, The Limitless List, which offers inspiring quotes and messages.

In addition to her TV career, she also offers programmes, live groups and one-on-one coaching to support her members. Katy’s Instagram bio states: “The shy kid who refused to play small and spent 30 years on TV! Now empowering women like YOU to UNLOCK your CONFIDENCE and CLAIM the SUCCESS you deserve!”

Katy is happily married to Trey Farley, her former co-host on Live and Kicking. The pair have been happily married for more than two decades and are parents to two children, Kaya and Akira. In July 2023, Katy and Trey marked their 20th wedding anniversary, with the former TV presenter posting a heartfelt tribute to her spouse on social media.

She uploaded pictures from their wedding day and wrote: “20 Years of US! 20 Years of Mr and Mrs Farley! What a ride we’re on @rocaflix … nobody else I’d rather be doing LIFE with! Happy 20 babe! Let’s make more amazing memories! X (Ours was the Hans Zimmer version – obvs! )”.

Before tying the knot with Trey, Katy was previously married to her childhood love, Andrew Frampton. They got hitched in 1999 but parted ways in 2001.

When Clayton Kershaw made his major league debut as a gangly 20-year-old with a devastating curveball, he was considered a one-in-a-million talent.

On Wednesday he entered a much smaller club, becoming the 20th pitcher in history to strike out 3,000 batters. The milestone came in the sixth inning on his 100th pitch of the night, a 1-and-2 slider the Chicago White Sox’s Vinny Capra took for a called strike.

Kershaw then walked off the mound alone with his thoughts before being mobbed by his teammates on the warning track in front of the dugout. The Dodgers marked the moment with a video of his considerable career highlights on the video boards above the outfield pavilions.

An hour later the Dodgers had even more to celebrate when Freddie Freeman’s two-out RBI single capped a three-run ninth-inning rally in a walk-off 5-4 win.

“It’s the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who doubted many more pitchers will ever join the 3K club.

“You’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to be good early in your career, you’ve got to be good for a long time,” he said. “I’m a fan first and I’ve kind of appreciated longevity and moments like that, as opposed to one moment in time. The consistency is something that should be valued.”

Roberts said before the game he would manage differently as Kershaw approached the milestone and he did, allowing him to start the sixth inning despite having made 92 pitches, the most he’s thrown in a game in more than two years.

He would need just eight more. Capra was the 27th batter Kershaw faced and the 15th he took to a two-strike count.

“It’s a little bit harder when you’re actually trying to strike people out,” Kershaw said. “I never really did that before.”

But he could sense the sellout crowd of 53,536 pulling for him every time he got close.

“They wanted it for me so bad,” he said. “And strikeouts tonight, I didn’t really do my part. But you could feel the tension and the fans. They were trying to will me to do it.”

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The Dodgers entered the ninth trailing 4-2 but loaded the bases with no outs on a single by Michael Conforto and walks to Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim.

Shohei Ohtani drove in one run on a ground ball to second, hustling up the line to avoid the double play. Mookie Betts followed with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left-center to score Edman with the tying run.

Ohtani then stole second, scoring two batters later on Freeman’s single to right.

That kept Kershaw, who gave up a season-high nine hits, from taking his first loss of the season. But the Dodgers may have suffered an even bigger loss on the first pitch of the Capra at-bat when Chicago’s Michael Taylor slid hard into Max Muncy on an unsuccessful attempt to steal third.

Muncy, who hit a team-high .333 in June, writhed on the ground before being helped off the field, favoring his left knee. His condition was not immediately known.

Roberts said Muncy will undergo an MRI exam on Thursday but added “that we feel optimistic and our hope is that it’s a sprain.”

Taylor also left the game with a left shoulder bruise.

Nearly three hours earlier Kershaw had been greeted by a loud ovation when he stepped onto the field to stretch about 40 minutes before game time. But the loudest roar — aside the one for the record strikeout — came when Kershaw bounded out of the dugout to start the sixth.

“The energy in the crowd definitely palpable,” he said. “That ovation was something that I’ll never forget, for sure. And then the toast after the game with everybody. I’ll remember those things.”

The White Sox, meanwhile, wanted no part of the party. They forced Kershaw to labor through a 29-pitch first inning in which he faced six hitters, giving up a run and three hits. And it could have been worse, with a leaping Conforto robbing Lenyn Sosa of a three-run home run at the bullpen gate in left field for the final out.

Will Smith, announced as an All-Star starter along with Freeman and Ohtani earlier in the day, got that run back with two out in the bottom of the first, lining a full-count pitch into the left-field bleachers. White Sox opener Brandon Eisert did not return for the second inning and Andy Pages greeted his replacement rudely, driving Sean Burke’s first pitch over the wall in center for his 17th homer.

The Dodgers’ lead was short-lived, however, with Chase Meidroth opening the Chicago third with a single, then trotting home on Austin Slater’s two-run homer. Chicago added another run later in the inning on a one-out double from Andrew Benintendi and an RBI single from Edgar Quero.

Kershaw and the Dodgers, however, endured and at the end of the night the team had a win and the pitcher had joined an exclusive club.

“It’s an incredible list,” Kershaw said. “I’m super, super grateful to be a part of it.”

Etc.

Before Wednesday’s game, pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen threw to hitters for the first time since going on the injured list in April. Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, went on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation April 6 while Treinen has been sidelined because of forearm tightness since April 19. “They’ll go again in a couple days,” Roberts said. “But both guys looked really good.” Right-hander Tyler Glasnow, also out since April because of shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to make his third minor league rehab start for Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Staff writer Ira Gorawara contributed to this report.

Dave Roberts had some goals in mind for starting pitcher Dustin May on Thursday. And they had little to do with the final result.

“The first thing is his ability to go deeper in games,” the Dodger manager said. “The sweeper has got to be a more effective pitch. His sinker has got to be more effective.

“I know he’s working through some delivery things with the pitching coaches. I’m kind waiting to see what to expect tonight.”

May would give Roberts far more than he asked for, setting down the first 16 batters in order and pitching into the eighth inning for the first time in his career in a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

The win was the Dodgers’ fourth in a row and ninth in their last 10 games.

The start was May’s 16th of the season and the seven innings he threw gave him 89.2 for the year, both career highs. Consistency, however, has been an issue. He won just once in June, when his 5.67 ERA was highest among Dodger starters.

His first start in July was a different story, with May (5-5) giving up just two hits and striking out nine — one shy of his career high — in seven shutout innings before tiring in the eighth.

The Dodgers needed just three batters to give the right-hander the lead with Shohei Ohtani drawing a lead-off walk, then scoring on Freddie Freeman’s one-out double into the right-field corner.

Freeman padded that lead in the third, going the other way and looping a two-run double into the left-field corner. It was Freeman’s first three-RBI game in nearly two months. When Michael Conforto followed two batters later with a two-run homer, it was 5-0 Dodgers.

And the lead could have been larger: Freeman lost a homer of his own in his next at-bat when Chicago right fielder Michael Tauchman reached a couple of rows into the right-field bleachers near the foul pole to bring his fifth-inning drive back.

Mookie Betts closed the Dodgers’ scoring with a one-out solo homer in the seventh, just his second since May 19.

May, meanwhile, was cruising, talking a perfect game into the sixth before Brooks Baldwin singled sharply to right. He took a shutout into the eighth before Baldwin ended that, too, with a two-run homer.

May got help from a couple of sterling defensive plays, with Conforto taking a hit away from Miguel Vargas with a sliding catch in left to the start the fifth and Freeman diving to his right to stab Josh Rojas’ low line drive to start the sixth.

Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates followed May to the mound, throwing a hitless inning apiece to close out the win.

It wasn’t so much the culmination of a career as it was another signpost pointing the way to the Hall of Fame.

It certainly wasn’t the last pitch Clayton Kershaw will ever throw for the Dodgers, but it will likely be among the most memorable.

Because when Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra took a 1-2 slider for a strike to end the sixth inning Wednesday night, Kershaw became just the 20^th pitcher in major league history to record 3,000 strikeouts.

More people have flown to the moon than have struck out 3,000 major league hitters. And for Kershaw, who has been chasing history since he threw his first big-league pitch as a skinny 20-year-old, entering such an elite club will be a big piece of his legacy.

Only now he has the wisdom and the grace to realize it was never about him in the first place.

“It’s an incredible list. I’m super, super grateful to be a part of it,” Kershaw said. “But if you don’t have anybody to celebrate with, it’s just doesn’t matter.”

Kershaw would know since he’s one of the most decorated players in history. Twice a 20-game winner, a five-time ERA champion and two-time world champion, he’s won three Cy Young Awards, was a league MVP and is a 10-time all-star.

“The individual stuff,” he repeated “is only as important as the people around you.”

So while Kershaw stood out when reached the 3K milestone on the 100^th and final pitch he threw in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win, he refused to stand apart, pausing on his way off the field to point at his family sitting in their usual seats in the front row of the loge section. He then accepted hugs from teammates Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández.

But he saved his warmest embrace for manager Dave Roberts, who bounded up the dugout steps to greet him.

“We’ve been through a lot together,” said Roberts, who has guided Kershaw through doubts and disappointments, through high points and lows in their 10 years together.

“I’m one of the few people in uniform that has been through them,” Roberts said. “That was kind of what the embrace was.”

Kershaw, 37, is just the fourth left-hander to reach 3,000 strikeouts but more important, he said, is the fact he’s just the second in a century, after Bob Gibson, to do it with the same team. No pitcher, in fact, has spent more years in a Dodger uniform that Kershaw.

“I don’t know if I put a ton of stock in being with one team early on,” he said. “Over time you get older and appreciate one organization a little bit more. Doc [Roberts] stuck with me, too. It hasn’t been all roses, I know that.

“So there’s just a lot of mutual respect and I’m super grateful now, looking back, to get to say that I spent my whole career here. And I will spend my whole career here.”

Kershaw struck out the first batter he faced in his Dodger debut 18 years ago, getting the Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker to wave at a 1-2 pitch. It was the first of three strikeouts he would record in his first big-league inning. So even from the start, the K in Kershaw — the scorebook symbol for a strikeout — stood out more than than the rest of the name.

In between Schumaker and Capra, Kershaw fanned nearly 1,000 different hitters, from CJ Abrams and Bobby Abreu to Ryan Zimmerman and Barry Zito.

He’s stuck out (Jason) Castro and (Buddy) Kennedy, Elvis (Andrus) and (Alex) Presley and (Billy) Hamilton and (Alex) Jackson. He’s whiffed (Scott) Cousins and brothers (Bengie and Yadier Molina), a (Chin-lung) Hu and a Yu (Darvish), a Cook (Aaron) and a (Jeff) Baker as well as a Trout (Mike) and multiple Marlins (Miami).

Former Giant Brandon Belt was Kershaw’s most frequent victim, striking out 30 times in 62 at-bats. Fewer than 50 batters have faced him at least five times without striking out, according to Baseball Reference.

Along the way Kershaw’s unique windup, the right knee pausing as he lifts both hands just above his cap, has become an instantly recognizable silhouette for a generation of Dodger fans.

There’s only one other left-hander in team history that can compare with Kershaw, yet he and Sandy Koufax are so different the comparisons are more contrasts than anything.

Kershaw has been brilliant over the entirety of his 18-year career, winning 10 or more games 12 times. He’s never finished a season with a losing record and his career ERA of 2.52 is the lowest of the last 105 years for pitchers who are thrown at least 1,500 innings. Even at 37, he’s unbeaten in four decisions.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks off the mound after recording his 3,000th career strikeout as right fielder Andy Pages, left, and first baseman Freddie Freeman, right, react behind him.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Koufax was 36-40 with an ERA above 4.00 through his first six seasons. And while Koufax’s career was ended by injury before his 31^st birthday, Kershaw has pushed through repeated problems with his back, shoulder, knee, toe, elbow, pelvis and forearm.

Only Don Sutton has won more games in a Dodger uniform than the 216 that belong to Kershaw, who will soon be enshrined next to Koufax and Sutton in the Hall of Fame.

“Early on they were talking about this next Sandy Koufax guy, this big left-hander. Really didn’t have an idea where the ball was going, but pretty special,” said Roberts, who retired as a player after Kershaw’s rookie season. “It’s much better to be wearing the same uniform as him.”

But Roberts has seen the other side, when the young promise gives way to pitfalls. He’s seen Kershaw battle so many injuries, he’s spent nearly as much time on the injured list as in the rotation over the past five seasons. Alongside the brilliance, he’s seen the uncertainty.

So with Kershaw approaching history Wednesday, Roberts loosened the leash, letting him go back to the mound for the sixth inning despite having thrown 92 pitches, his most in more than two years.

“I wanted to give Clayton every opportunity,” he said. “You could see the emotion that he had today, trying to get that third strike. But I think it just happened the way it’s supposed to happen, in the sense that it was the third out [and] we got a chance to really celebrate him.”

Each time Kershaw got to two strikes, something he did to 15 of the 27 hitters he faced, “I said a few Hail Marys” Roberts said.

“It’s the last box for Clayton to check in his tremendous career,” he added, saying he doubted many more pitchers will ever reach 3,000 strikeouts. “You’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to be good early in your career, you’ve got to be good for a long time.”

And Kershaw has been all of that.

That, Roberts said, was behind the second long hug he and his pitcher shared in the dugout Wednesday night as a highlight reel of Kershaw’s career played on the video boards above both outfield pavilions. The sellout crowd, which had long been on its feet, continuing cheering, eventually drawing Kershaw back out onto the field to doff his cap in appreciation.

“That ovation,” he said “was something that I’ll never forget, for sure.”

Because who wants to celebrate alone?

DENVER — Clayton Kershaw got to the precipice of history on Thursday afternoon. And now, when he inevitably crosses the 3,000 career strikeout milepost, it will almost certainly happen on his home mound.

In the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Colorado Rockies, Kershaw struck out five batters over a six-inning, one-run start to move to 2,997 punchouts for his career.

For a moment, it seemed as if Kershaw might be able to eclipse the threshold on Thursday. At the end of the sixth inning, he had thrown only 69 pitches while mowing through a free-swinging Rockies lineup.

Alas, manager Dave Roberts gave his 37-year-old left-hander an early hook, turning a narrow late-game lead over to his bullpen — and preserving the opportunity for Kershaw’s milestone moment to happen back at Dodger Stadium during next week’s homestand.

“I would argue there might be a temptation to take him out [today] and let him go for it in front of the home fans,” Roberts said pregame, when asked if he would consider extending Kershaw’s leash to let him chase his 3,000th strikeout on Thursday. “I’m not going to force anything.”

Ever since Kershaw returned from offseason foot and knee surgeries in May, and showed an ability to produce even with a diminished fastball and increasing mileage on his arm, his pursuit of 3,000 strikeouts has felt less like an “if” than a “when.”

Entering Thursday, his career total was up to 2,992, leaving him just eight shy of becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB history, and only the fourth left-hander, to join the prestigious 3K club.

“I guess ultimately the last box he needs to check for his future Hall of Fame career is that 3,000-strikeout threshold,” Roberts said. “We’re all waiting in anticipation.”

More impressively, though, Kershaw has been winning games and limiting runs for the Dodgers (51-31), improving to 4-0 with a 3.03 earned-run average through eight starts this season.

“I think there’s good days and bad days, good pitches and bad pitches,” Kershaw said. “Not as consistent, not as perfect as I would want. But the results have been OK. And at the end of the day, we’re winning games that I’ve been on the mound. So I’m thankful for that. Just a product of being on a great team.”

Kershaw wasn’t exactly expecting to reach the 3,000 mark Thursday, acknowledging that “eight in Colorado is never going to be easy to do.”

Over his first two innings, however, he quickly inched closer. Thairo Estrada whiffed on a curveball in the first inning. And though Brenton Doyle hit a solo homer in the second, Kershaw set Michael Toglia and Orlando Arcia both down swinging with a slider and curveball, respectively.

“I just love that edge that he gives each start day,” Roberts said. “We certainly feed off that.”

Kershaw didn’t get another strikeout until the end of the fifth, retiring the side with a slider that froze Braxton Fulford for a called third strike. An inning before that, he was bailed out by his defense after his lone walk, when Miguel Rojas turned a spinning double-play up the line at third base to erase the free pass.

“It could’ve been one run in, runner on second, nobody out,” Kershaw said. “So to turn that double-play there was kind of a game-changer. … Biggest play of the day.”

Still, in the sixth, all eyes returned to Kershaw’s strikeout total after Tyler Freeman was rung up on a generous outside strike call to finish off an eight-pitch at-bat.

Though it would have required striking out the side, Kershaw was as little as one inning away from No. 3,000.

Instead, Roberts decided to end his day, ensuring that the next time Kershaw takes the mound — likely to be next Wednesday at home against the Chicago White Sox — he will need only three more strikeouts to do something only two pitchers before have ever done: Have a 3,000-strikeout career while playing for only one team.

“It would be very special,” Kershaw said of potentially reaching the milestone at Dodger Stadium. “It would be.”

Ohtani to pitch Saturday

While Kershaw mowed through the Rockies (18-63), Shohei Ohtani delivered the biggest swing of the day for the Dodgers, padding what was only a 2-1 lead in the seventh with a solo home run to right, his NL-leading 28th of the year.

The blast came hours after the other big news of the day, with Roberts confirming pregame that the two-way star will make his next start as a pitcher on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

That game will mark Ohtani’s third pitching outing of the season and could be his first in which he goes beyond the first inning. Last week, Roberts hinted at the possibility of Ohtani — who is still building up in his return from Tommy John surgery — pitching into the second inning, but he has continued to leave any final decisions open-ended.

IT is a scenario we’ve all witnessed – or perhaps even lived through ourselves.

Boy meets girl. Boy cheats on girl. Girl tells friends they’re definitely over. Girl secretly thinks she can change boy. Girl takes boy back. Boy doesn’t change.

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You can change the genders whichever way around, but regardless, we’re about half way through this storyline so far with Love Island‘s Helena and Harry.

The couple were over before they began because of the footballer’s wandering eye, with Helena moaning about being made to look like a mug.

She appeared to have conveniently forgotten however, about running to the Hideaway with Harry while he was coupled up with Shakira – just 56 hours after meeting.

Despite an intimate night in the boudoir, Harry then snogged saucy sexpot Yasmin behind Helena’s back before ending up back with Shakira again.

Through tears last night, Harry admitted to having regrets about ‘cheating’ on Helena, who has barely been able to look at him since.

But before Helena could take him back, she was whisked away for a sleepover with bombshell Giorgio.

He’s not the air stewardesses’ usual type, but he’s the perfect distraction to stop Helena reuniting with Harry.

I have no doubt Helena will end up back with Harry in a storyline set to rumble on this series, but I’m here to warn her that holding out for him will RUIN her career.

Aside from her obvious similarities to Love Island legend Olivia Attwood, Helena’s got the potential to be a stand-out star of the series thanks to her hilarious wit and bombshell beauty.

She had the villa in hysterics when, during a game of Spin the Bottle, she dared ex Harry “to go home”.

But if she doesn’t stick to her guns and stay far away from Harry, she’s going to come across more like pushover Chloe Burrows who kept going back for Toby Aromolaran than brave Liberty Poole who dumped Jake Cornish and left the villa on her own accord.

By proving she knows her worth and can resist Harry’s temptation, Helena will secure herself an army of female fans they can look up to.

She’ll be able to capitalise on this by landing lucrative deals with empowering female brands instead of facing heartbreak once they’re out the villa when Harry inevitably cheats.

I say this because a leopard never changes its spots – and if he’s already untrustworthy while living 24/7 under the same roof, then I don’t hold out much hope.

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My assumption is also based on what Harry told me before going into Love Island.

While the 30-year-old was in isolation days before the series launch, Harry’s ex said he dumped her for Love Island – despite claiming he was going to Bali for the summer.

When I confronted him about this, Harry played Mr Innocent.

“Oh that sounds so terrible, wow,” he exclaimed.

“No, we were casually dating and I told her I was going away for the summer and we left it there. I didn’t ‘dump’ anyone.”

In fact, Harry went on to rubbish the idea he was as much of a “player” in dating as he was on the pitch.

“I think that is the reputation footballers get, but I can only be myself and that’s not who I am,” Harry insisted to me.

“I’m not a player.

“I’m 30. I’ve got a mullet. I’m ready for something serious.”

As he said this, with a twinkle in his eye and dimple in his smile, it was difficult not to fall for Harry’s charm.

But Helena needs to be strong and resist – or face being played by a player who has no intention of settling down.