game

Dodgers fans Aiden Mashaka and his dad, Akida Mashaka.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

How long have you been a Dodgers fan?

Akida: What are you talking about? Kirk Gibson! I’m Tommy Lasorda, baby!

How much did you pay for your ticket?

Akida: $900. We bought our tickets from a third party. I’ve been asking my brother-in-law how much I owe him, but he’s such an amazing human being. He’s like “Don’t worry. I got this!”

Was it worth it?

Akida: Of course it’s worth it. We’re seeing the Dodgers World Series. The flight costs more than $900. If you have it, it’s worth it. If you don’t have it, it’s not worth it — you can watch it on TV. If I was still in school, I would be watching on TV. But I am a 53-year-old man, after many years of life, so I can spend $900 to watch the Dodgers.

Aiden: This is maybe my second or third game that I’ve been to for the Dodgers. Being at the World Series, like the grand finale, I feel like it’s a great time to be here. I’m really proud of my dad, my auntie and my uncle for bringing me here. I want to thank them.

Akida: Can we get a crying emoji?

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. That was an incredible game.

Game 3 thoughts:

—Brad Paisley sang the U.S. national anthem. JP Saxe sang the Canadian national anthem. Apparently Bruce Springsteen and Paul Shaffer were unavailable.

—Hideo Nomo threw out the first pitch. If Lance Rautzhan was still alive, I’m sure it would have been him.

First inning

—Tyler Glasnow has to limit walks. Runners can steal on him and things could get out of hand in a hurry.

—I really could have lived without seeing highlights of George Springer in the 2017 World Series.

—Eight pitches to get out of the top of the first. That’s great.

—Leadoff double for Shohei Ohtani, which is a good sign. If he starts hitting again…..

—Now if only Freddie Freeman could get going.

Second inning

—Dodgers got a break there. A verrrrry slooooow strike call and Bo Bichette thought it was ball four and got picked off first. You have to wait for the call. Of course, we’d all be a lot more irate if it happened to the Dodgers.

—Two hits and a walk, and no runs scored.

—This is why you leave Teoscar Hernández alone. Yes, he looks terrible with four strikeouts in one game, but the next game he homers in his first at-bat.

Third inning

—Mookie Betts has become one of the best fielding shortstops in baseball. It’s so amazing to watch. To move to shortstop later in your career and excel is virtually unheard of.

—It may be time to give Alex Call a shot in the lineup in place of Andy Pages.

—Ohtani is back. He doesn’t get cheated on his home runs.

—Middle infielders need to learn to keep the tag on the runner in case his foot bounces off the bag. A few outs seem to be missed that way. Freeman’s foot bounced off the bag on his steal and he would have been out if Bichette maintained the tag.

—Dino Ebel gambles a lot at third base. There’s no way Freeman was going to score on a hard hit ball to Addison Barger, who has one of the best arms in the game. Keep him at third, and run up Max Scherzer‘s pitch count. This could be important later.

Fourth inning

—Tommy Edman‘s error was the first error of the series for either team.

—And it proved costly.

—You can’t give good teams extra outs, especially in the postseason.

—And then in the bottom half, the Dodgers go down quietly. This all stemmed from Freeman being thrown out at home. Ebel never should have sent him.

Fifth inning

—It seemed to be a struggle all night for Glasnow. He has erratic control, and that’s deadly against a team like Toronto. Now we go to the porous Dodger bullpen. Can they hold Toronto? If so, the Dodgers can come back. If not, this game could get ugly quickly.

—Anthony Banda is first man up. And he did fine to end the inning.

—I love the ad with Ken Griffey Jr. playing the organ. I mean, it no Limu Emu (and Doug) but it’s very good.

—Bringing in a left-hander to face Ohtani. Can he respond?

—He does. And that’s why he’s the best player in baseball.

—Freeman comes through too. Blue Jays manager John Schneider brought in Mason Fluharty to get Ohtani and Freeman, hoping he could also get Mookie Betts. Instead, he gets Betts, but can’t retire Ohtani or Freeman. Sometimes you can push all the right buttons and it doesn’t work.

—I wonder if Blue Jays fans are yelling at Schneider right now.

—I’m just glad Schneider was able to find work again after “Smallville” was canceled.

—Wait, I’m being told that’s a different John Schneider. No wonder Tom Welling isn’t one of his coaches.

Sixth inning

—Justin Wrobleski in to pitch now. Another left-hander. Why not stick with Banda? Playing three games in three days may have something to do with it.

—Maybe they can count on Wrobleski now too.

—Inning ends on another nice play by Betts.

—I also like the Bateman, not Batman, commercials. I’ve liked Jason Bateman ever since one of his first roles in the sitcom “It’s Your Move.”

—Great play by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base throwing Teoscar out at third. But some bad baserunning. No need to take that chance with two out. That’s twice the Dodgers have run themselves out of an inning. What would have happened in those inning otherwise? We’ll never know.

Seventh inning

—George Springer hurt himself on a swing. Don’t like Springer, but I don’t want anyone to be injured. People cheering when he was taken off should be embarrassed.

—Hey, Blake Treinen came in and let the Blue Jays get ahead. Who would have guessed.

—I guess Dave Roberts is never going to give up on Treinen. I know they don’t have a lot of right-handed options, buy what about Will Klein. I mean, we KNOW what Treinen is going to do at this point. Maybe we can find another budding star. And if he can’t do it, you get him out quickly just like you did Treinen.

—This Ohtani guy is pretty good.

—My wife: “Why is he always up with the bases empty. Drop him down in the lineup.”

—Here’s a great thing about Ohtani. People told him “You can’t hit and pitch, you have to pick one.” And he refused to listen. Not to get over saccharin here, but you can apply that to your life, and it’s a great lesson for kids. If you have a dream, don’t let people tell you the many reason you can’t do it. You never know unless you try,

Most home runs in one postseason:

2020 Randy Arozarena, 10
2025 Shohei Ohtani, 8
2023 Adolis Garcia, 8
2020 Corey Seager, 8
2011 Nelson Cruz, 8
2004 Carlos Beltrán, 8
2002 Barry Bonds, 8

Eighth inning

—Jack Dreyer, last seen when Don Mattingly was the manager, now pitching.

—And just like that, Dreyer gives up two hits and is done. We’ll see him again in 10 years.

—It’s nice, and sad, to see the Dodgers wearing a No. 51 on their caps to show support for Alex Vesia.

—Roki Sasaki always looks scared. He’s not, he just has that look.

—A bobble by Max Muncy stops a possible double play. That could be important.

—Sasaki gets out of it. The Dodgers are now out of reliable relievers. They better score in the bottom of the eighth.

—That Amazon commercial where the teenage daughter walks in on her dad exercising in shorts that don’t fit right is a little creepy.

—Samuel L. Jackson is great in everything.

—Chris Bassitt pitching for the Blue Jays.

—The Dodgers go down meekly.

—The heart of the Blue Jays lineup bats in the ninth. Big inning. If the Dodgers get out of it, I think they will win.

Ninth inning

—Sasaki gets Guerrero, then pitches to Isiah Kiner-Falefa like he’s Babe Ruth and walks him.

—Great, great play by Tommy Edman, redeeming his earlier error.

—Great at-bat by Andy Pages with a poor ending.

—Intentionally walking Ohtani with the bases empty. Wow.

—And that’s why you hold the tag. And that’s why analytics hates stolen bases.

—We go to the tenth. The two best teams in baseball, battling it out in extra innings. This is fun, folks.

Tenth inning

—Emmet Sheehan in the game. He has been terrible this postseason. Can he told things around.

—More bad baserunning, this time by the Blue Jays. Davis Schneider had no chance to score on that, and Guerrero was on deck.

—Sheehan got hit hard. Does he come back out in the 11th if there is an 11th?

—Dodgers strand runners on first and second. We go to the 11th. And I can’t find my asthma inhaler.

Eleventh inning

—What a great game.

—Sheehan looked like the old Emmet Sheehan there.

—Braydon Fisher now pitching for the Blue Jays. The Dodgers traded Fisher to the Blue Jays on June 12, 2024 for the immortal Cavan Biggio, who is now with the Angels. Biggio played in 30 games for the Dodgers, hitting .192 and getting himself a World Series ring.

—Kiké Hernández has been very quiet this World Series.

—They walk Ohtani again with the bases loaded. This is against the spirit of the game. They should make a new rule: Walk a batter with the bases empty and he automatically gets placed on second.

—Ohtani has reached base every at bat. You have to wonder if this will be a problem tomorrow when he pitches.

—The Dodgers have wasted a lot of scoring opportunities.

—Where is my asthma inhaler?

Twelfth inning

—Sheehan is in there again. Clayton Kershaw is warming up. Are the baseball gods conspiring to get Kershaw into one more World Series game?

—The Dodgers walk the No. 9 hitter. You don’t see that often. Will they regret it? Giménez hit worse that Schneider during the season.

—And here comes Kershaw. Bases loaded, two out. Twelfth inning. No pressure at all.

—The baseball gods have set this up for Kershaw to get one more World Series win. Now the Dodgers need to score in the bottom half.

—Ellen Kershaw‘s reaction had more emotion than most two-hour movies.

—If Kershaw never pitches again, that was a great moment to go out on.

—Will Smith tried to win it for Kershaw with a couple of home run swings.

—Another left-hander comes in, Eric Lauer, who was a starter until Shane Bieber (the Game 4 starter) came off the IL.

—And the Dodgers go down quietly.

—Seriously, I think the dog took my asthma inhaler.

Thirteenth inning

—Edgardo Henriquez, who has not retired a batter this postseason and has an ERA of infinity, is now pitching.

—The Dodger Stadium crowd is very quiet and sounds tired. Must be thinking about that hour wait in the parking lot while trying to go home.

—Leadoff double is just what the Dodgers needed.

—And look at Miguel Rojas. Hasn’t played all series and lays down a perfect bunt.

—Now Alex Call, who rarely plays. Can he be the hero?

—Man on third, one out. You have to score here.

—And of course they are going to walk Ohtani.

—And they walk Betts intentionally too. Wow. Pitching to Freeman with the bases loaded.

—And the Dodgers fail to cash in. Freeman is not having a good series.

—I think maybe my grandson hid my inhaler.

Fourteenth inning

—Rojas and Call stay in the game. Henriquez back on the mound. Will Klein is the only reliever left.

—Henriquez has looked good, but how long can he pitch?

—That foul ball by Giménez hit both of his legs. Baseball players must have tons of bruises at the end of the season. And it’s amazing that catchers can even walk.

—Someone on the Dodgers just needs to hit a home run and end this.

—And Will Smith came close.

—You know what Fox should do? Go around before the game and find some normal, average people at the game. Ask them their name and where they are from. Then, instead of showing the celebrities, “Justin Bieber is here. Sean Hayes is here,” say “Henry Blake from Lancaster is here with his wife Lorraine.” “Sherman Potter is here from Carson with his wife Mildred.”

—And Muncy came close before walking.

—Dieter Ruehle‘s fingers must be cramping by now.

—Tommy Edman has not been Tommy Tanks so far this postseason.

—And we go to the fifteenth. I believe a UFO flew down and teleported my inhaler away.

Fifteenth inning

—Will Klein now pitching for the Dodgers, who are now out of relievers. The Blue Jays are out of position players.

—The terrible Dodgers bullpen has been incredible tonight. 10.1 innings, 10 hits, four walks, eight strikeouts, one run. Now I’ve probably jinxed them, so they better score now.

—If Call reaches first, would they walk Ohtani intentionally?

—We won’t find out. He grounded to second.

—And they walked Ohtani again. He has reached base all eight of his plate appearances.

—Betts and Freeman need to cash this in.

—They do not. We go to the 16th. The record for longest World Series game is 18 by the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2018.

—We go to the 16th. I’ve given up on finding my asthma inhaler. I’ll just go ahead and pass out.

Sixteenth inning

—A lot of people are going to call out sick to work tomorrow.

—This has reminded me why I don’t obsess over every Dodger win or loss during the season. I get paid to watch and write about it. Truly a blessed life.

—Klein looks like a guy who should be higher on the Dave Roberts trust tree.

—According to the Fox telecast, the Dodgers will bring in a position player after Klein pitches the next inning. That would be very sad to see.

—Sixteen innings, and Hyeseong Kim still can’t get in a game.

—Dodgers are going down very quietly every inning.

Seventeenth inning

—You can’t say enough about this performance by Klein. Three innings, one hit, four strikeouts.

—If it’s true the Dodgers are bringing in a position player to pitch the next inning, then they really need to score now.

—Yoshinobu Yamamoto has volunteered to pitch the next inning. Will they need him?

—Brendon Little now pitching for the Blue Jays. He is their last reliever.

—Call singles. Will they walk Ohtani?

—They basically walked him. Didn’t give him anything to hit. Pitched around him.

—Again, the Dodgers can’t cash in. Who pitches the 18th?

—I need to shave again.

Eighteenth inning

—Klein’s arm must be about to fall off. His fastball is a couple miles per hour slower this inning. If the Dodgers win it all, he certainly earned his World Series ring.

—Kiner-Falefa was out at first.

—You’d think with all the power on these teams, someone would have hit one out. Must be a marine layer at the game.

—Klein’s career high in pitches is 36. He made 72 tonight.

—Max Muncy bats third this inning. He won the last, and previously the only 18-inning game with a home run in the bottom half of … Game 3 … against Boston in 2018.

—But we don’t need to wait for him. Freeman comes up big once again. He has cemented his Hall of Fame status the last two seasons.

—What an incredible game. Incredible. With the best ending, unless you are a Toronto fan. Two great teams. It seemed every player had a moment. Two bad bullpens were dominant.

—They get to do it again in a few hours.

—For those keeping track of this (and I appreciate the emails from those who are), Hannah and Mason were not in their assigned spots for the game, but came home in the 14th inning, and then the Dodgers won.

—My prediction remains, Dodgers in five.

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

In case you missed it

Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer lifts Dodgers to 18-inning win in World Series Game 3

What are your superstitions and lucky items to help the Dodgers win the World Series?

Mookie Betts on winning the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award

Shaikin: What are the motives behind Frank McCourt’s Dodger Stadium gondola plan?

Hernández: Don Mattingly reveals why his Dodgers managerial career ended a decade ago

Dodgers keep Andy Pages in Game 3 starting lineup; Shohei Ohtani laughs off Toronto chants

And finally

Freddie Freeman walks it off for the Dodgers, again. 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.

I may be revealing a secret cherished by columnists the world over, but I admit that among the columns we relish writing the most fall into the “I told you so” genre.

Case in point: In April last year, in a column about the gambling mess ensnaring Shohei Ohtani’s then-interpreter, I warned that the pro sports leagues’ enthusiastic embrace of betting would inevitably produce a major scandal.

“It might not surface in the next months or even years,” I wrote, “but it will happen.”

The calendar, as it turned out, ticked over at 19 months. Last Thursday, federal prosecutors charged National Basketball Assn. player Terry Rozier and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones with fraud and money laundering in connection with a scheme to fix bets on NBA games. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was charged in a separate indictment linking him to a Mafia scheme to fix poker games; Jones was also named in that indictment.

The NBA has placed Billups and Rozier on leave. They’re both due to appear in federal court in Brooklyn over the next few weeks to enter pleas, though both have asserted their innocence.

It may not be easy for the league to wash its hands of this mess. All the professional sports leagues spent years shunning gambling as a threat to their public image of integrity before embracing the siren call of big-time sports betting, bringing gambling companies and their ever-increasing customer base into their tents. But the NBA was ahead of the crowd.

In a 2014 op-ed, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver effectively cried “uncle” in the league’s battle against gambling.

“For more than two decades,” he wrote, “the National Basketball Association has opposed the expansion of legal sports betting, as have the other major professional sports leagues in the United States.” The leagues supported a 1992 federal law prohibiting sports betting except in grandfathered venues, such as Las Vegas.

They took a stern position against players and personnel caught betting on their games and their sports, dating to 1919 and the so-called Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series for the benefit of a gambling ring. Major League Baseball hired an austere federal judge, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, as its commissioner and gave him unchecked authority to clean up the game. He banned the eight players from baseball forever.

In recent times, Silver observed in his op-ed, the American appetite for sports betting has only risen. Accordingly, he called for legalizing the practice so it could be “brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated.”

(The 1992 law was overturned by the Supreme Court, and legalized sports betting spread coast to coast.)

Given the subsequent developments, one can tag Silver for his childlike innocence in counting on the government to regulate an industry collecting billions of dollars a year from millions of users while operating with a legal imprimatur.

Silver wrote that among his “most important responsibilities as commissioner of the N.B.A. is to protect the integrity of professional basketball and preserve public confidence in the league and our sport.”

When I asked the NBA if Silver has had second thoughts about his 2014 op-ed, the league replied, “We continue to believe that a legal, regulated, and monitored sports betting market is far superior to an illegal one operating underground,” and suggested that a single federal regulator would be preferable to the existing state-by-state patchwork, though the activities alleged in the federal indictments almost surely would be crimes in any state. Silver did say during a broadcast interview Friday that the case gave him “a pit in my stomach.”

The league’s ability to monitor the behavior of its own people is questionable. Consider a March 23, 2024, Charlotte Hornets game against the New Orleans Pelicans. According to the indictment, Rozier let the gambling conspirators know that he would take himself out of the game early, allowing them to profit from bets that his stats would fall short of bookmakers’ expectations.

The NBA, alerted by sports wagering companies to “aberrational behavior” involving Rozier in the game, investigated but later said it could find any “violation of NBA rules.”

The NBA can hardly claim to have been blindsided by the new indictments. Only last year, another federal gambling case erupted involving NBA games.

In that case, prosecutors alleged that a gambler named Ammar Awawdeh forced then-Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter to take himself out of a game early. That led gamblers who knew of the arrangement to bet that his stats for the game would fall short of expectations; those insiders made more than $100,000 on their bets, the prosecutors charged.

According to text messages filed with the 2024 indictments, Awawdeh acknowledged “forcing” Porter to participate in the scheme to help clear some of his gambling debts.

Awawdeh engaged in plea negotiations in the case, but the outcome couldn’t be determined. Porter pleaded guilty to related federal fraud charges, and is scheduled to be sentenced in December. The NBA has banned Porter for life.

Awawdeh was also named in last week’s indictment over the alleged poker scam.

In recent years, the pro leagues have cozied up to the gambling industry, claiming that their interest is merely “fan engagement” — that is, keeping TV viewers in front of their sets even during blowout games.

Only 11 states bar sports gambling today. They include the customary anti-gambling holdouts Utah and Hawaii, and California, where ballot measures to legalize sports gambling were defeated in 2022. As I mentioned in 2024, the perils of this expansion are manifest.

They’ve created a new underclass of gambling addicts while largely failing to fulfill their advocates’ assurances that state-sponsored and regulated gambling would produce a new, risk-free revenue stream for state and local budgets. The outcomes of some games have come under suspicion even where no evidence of fixing has been found.

The leagues have gone beyond just tolerating gambling; they’ve made partnership and sponsorship deals with the major sports gambling companies. The two leading companies, FanDuel and DraftKings, are official corporate gambling partners of the NBA, National Football League and Major League Baseball.

During broadcasts and steaming of games, it’s common to see in-game statistical projections on-screen — what are the chances of this hitter striking out, or hitting a home run, for instance.

During the seventh inning of Game 2 Saturday, Fox flashed a projection that there was a 36% chance that Yoshinobu Yamamoto would pitch 9+ innings. (He went the distance.)

The only reason to offer such projections is to feed the appetite for in-game proposition, or “prop,” bets. These are fundamentally bookmakers’ estimates. They don’t tell ordinary viewers anything they need to know to enjoy the coming innings, but do give bettors something to chew on before putting money down on the proposition “will Yamamoto pitch a complete game?”

In-game prop bets, as it happens, are like heroin to the vulnerable, offering instant gratification (or dismay). They “may be associated with risky gambling behavior,” according to the National Council on Problem Gaming. Draftkings heavily promotes prop bets on its sportsbook web page.

In a memo issued Monday, the NBA singled out prop bets as trouble spots: “In particular,” the memo says, “proposition bets on individual player performance involve heightened integrity concerns and require additional scrutiny.”

The major gaming companies have rolled out new ways to keep bettors betting. Smartphone apps, for example. In the old days no one could place a legal sports bet without traveling to Las Vegas, a built-in curb on problem gambling. Today, anyone with a smartphone can place a bet, often without certifying their age or financial resources.

“The advent of smartphones in 2007 and the Supreme Court decision in 2018 opened the door to fully frictionless, 24/7 legal gambling,” problem gambling experts Jonathan D. Cohen and Isaac Rose-Berman wrote recently.

I asked FanDuel and DraftKings if they accepted any responsibility for problem gaming in the U.S. DraftKings didn’t reply. A spokesman for FanDuel told me by email that the company “takes problem gambling seriously and continually works to identify at-risk behavior … including when a customer attempts to deposit significantly more than what they typically do,” or “excessive time on site, chasing losses or signals from customer service interactions.” In those cases, the company sometimes imposes deposit limits or timeouts or can exclude the user entirely.

That brings us to the latest indictments. The feds identified seven NBA games in 2023 and 2024, including the 2023 game in which Rozier allegedly tipped confederates to his decision to bench himself.

Among the others were a 2023 Trail Blazers game in which gamblers were tipped that the team would sit its best players so it would lose, thereby acquiring a better position in the upcoming NBA draft; and two Lakers games in which Jones allegedly tipped gamblers that star LeBron James, a friend since they played together on the Cleveland Cavaliers, was hurt and wouldn’t be playing.

“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight,” Jones allegedly told a contact before the first game, against the Milwaukee Bucks. James sat it out and the Lakers lost. James isn’t identified by name in the indictment, but its description of his roles helped identify him. James hasn’t made a public comment about the case, but he hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing.

Can anything stem this tide? The smart bet at this moment is “no.” There’s just too much money riding on the continued expansion of sports betting: DraftKings has more than doubled its revenue since 2022, reaching $4.8 billion last year, and nearly doubling its monthly average users to 3.7 million. FanDuel is owned by a British gambling conglomerate, so its U.S. sports revenue is difficult to parse.

That’s a lot of money to be thrown around promoting more sports gambling, making it harder for governments to regulate and for sports leagues to turn up their noses at the income. Keeping their image for integrity intact in this world of greedy and needy players and voracious gamblers is only going to get harder.

Freddie, meet Freddie.

It was excruciating. It was exhausting. It was ecstatic.

It was Fred-die, Fred-die, Fred-die, forever.

Repeating history, rocking the Ravine, winning the unwinnable, Freddie Freeman has done it again for the Dodgers, knocking a baseball for a second consecutive October into probably a second consecutive championship.

In the 18th inning of the longest World Series game in baseball history Monday, nearly seven hours after it started, Freeman smashingly ended it with a leadoff home run against the Toronto Blue Jays to give the Dodgers a 6-5 victory and a two-games-to-one lead.

This time last year he was hitting an extra-inning, walk-off grand slam against the New York Yankees that propelled the Dodgers to the title. At the time, he was being compared to Kirk Gibson and his memorable 1988 World Series homer.

This time, he can only be compared to himself, a guy who was struggling so much in the postseason that both Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts had been intentionally walked in front of him late in the game.

Three times in extra innings, he could have ended the game with a hit. Three times he left runners stranded.

But, finally, Freddie once again became Freddie, driving the ball deep over the center field fence, thrusting his right hand in the air, and watching his teammates dancing and jumping and screaming with a jubilation not previously seen by this workmanlike team this postseason.

“I don’t think you ever come up with the scenario twice,” said Freeman. “To have it happen again, it’s kind of amazing, crazy, and I’m just glad we won.”

Nobody seemed happier than Ohtani, who left the scrum to run down to the bullpen to embrace teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Despite throwing a complete game two days ago, Yamamoto was preparing to pitch in this game because the Dodgers had run out of arms.

It was that kind of night. It was two seventh-inning stretches. It was umpires nearly running out of baseballs. It was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. eating in the dugout.

“It’s one of the greatest World Series games of all time,” said Dodger Manager Dave Roberts while meeting the media after midnight. “Emotional. I’m spent emotionally. We got a ball game later tonight, which is crazy.”

When Ohtani returned toward the dugout he was hugged by water-spraying teammates, and for good reason.

Throughout the night Ohtani once again wrapped Dodger Stadium in his giant arms and shook it down to its ancient roots.

The win was set up after Tommy Edman made a perfect relay throw to the plate to gun down Davis Schneider in the top of the 10th, then Clayton Kershaw dramatically worked out of a base-loaded inherited jam in the 12th.

But before Freeman’s homer, Ohtani owned the night.

He led off the game with a ground-rule double. Then he gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a third-inning homer. Then he closed a 4-2 deficit with a fifth-inning RBI double. Then he tied the game at 5-all with a seventh inning home run.

Then, his aura became even crazier.

Four times in a five-inning stretch from the ninth inning to the 15th, Ohtani was intentionally walked — drawing a fifth walk on four pitches in the 17th. Twice the bases were empty. Once he had to pause at second base to relieve leg cramping. It was nuts.

Imagine a player so dangerous he is given a base four times with a World Series game on the line. One can’t imagine. That’s Ohtani.

“He’s a unicorn,” said Freeman. “There’s no more adjectives you can use to describe him.”

Remember 10 days ago when Ohtani had three home runs and struck out 10? Monday night was nearly as impressive because it was in the World Series, his four extra-base hits tying a record that had last been set in 1906.

And, yeah, he pitches again Tuesday in Game 4, so by the time you comprehend all this, he may have done it again.

“Our starting pitcher got on base nine times tonight,” said Freeman with wonder.

Ohtani was so good, he was better than the Dodgers bad, which included bad baserunning, bad fielding, and a bit of questionable managing.

The Dodgers stranded the winning run on base in the ninth,10th, 11th, and 13th, 14th and 15th inning and 16th…and really should have won it in the 13th.

That’s when Roberts surprisingly batted for Kiké Hernández after a Tommy Edman leadoff double. Miguel Rojas bunted Edman to third, but Alex Call and Freeman couldn’t get him home.

That was only one of numerous potentially game-changing plays on a night when the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead, fell behind 4-2, tied it up at 4-all, fell behind 5-4, then tied it up again in the seventh. Who’d have thought it would remain tied for the next 11 innings?The Dodgers left 18 men on base. They were two-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Max Muncy went 0-for-7. Mookie Betts went 1-for-8. Freeman was just 2-for-7.

“Weird how the game works sometimes, huh?” said Freeman.

The official time of this one was 6:39, which wasn’t so long that one thought of actor Jason Bateman’s reminder to the crowd during a pregame cheer. He noted that the Dodgers had not clinched a World Series championship at Dodger Stadium since 1963.

Two wins in the next two days and they’ll finally do it again.

After Monday’s doubleheader sweep, it’s hard to believe they won’t.

Teoscar Hernandez, who had struck out in all four of his at-bats in game two, opened the scoring for the Dodgers with a home run in the second inning.

Ohtani doubled the lead with a solo shot of his own in the third, before the Blue Jays’ bats woke up in the top of the fourth inning.

A fielding error by second baseman Tommy Edman allowed the Canadians to put two men on base, Alejandro Kirk lifted his second homer of the series over the centre-field fence for a 3-2 lead, before Andres Gimenez’s sacrifice fly made it 4-2.

Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer became the first man to pitch for four different teams in the World Series, but he departed in the fifth inning and that was the cue for the Dodgers to level the scores.

Ohtani’s third hit of the night scored Enrique Hernandez, before Freeman drove in Ohtani from second base for 4-4.

The pendulum swung back towards Toronto in the seventh when Bo Bichette’s line drive to the right field corner allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr to score from first base, but Ohtani’s second homer of the night tied the scores again at 5-5, and the game remained deadlocked after that.

Both sides stranded multiple baserunners on several occasions, and neither was able to conjure a run with the bases loaded.

Ohtani was intentionally walked, external four times and was caught stealing second base, while Toronto pinch-runner Davis Schneider was thrown out at home plate in the 10th, and veteran Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw made a cameo appearance from the bullpen in his final series before retirement.

Eventually, with both sides running out of bench players, Freeman lifted reliever Brendon Little over centre field to win it.

The series continues with game four on Tuesday, again at Dodger Stadium, when Ohtani will be the starting pitcher.

Injuries nearly swallowed the Lakers whole Monday night, leaving them short on ballhandlers, key role players and star power.

They were down seven players and they were playing on back-to-back nights to top it off, leaving the task daunting for the Lakers.

Still, the Lakers had to press on against the odds, which they were unable to overcome in falling 122-108 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Austin Reaves did his best to keep the Lakers in the game, scoring 41 points one night after scoring a career-high 51 at Sacramento. Reaves now has scored 143 points in the first four games this season, tying him with Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor (1962) for the most points in Lakers’ history over that span to start the season.

Rui Hachimura (16 points) and Deandre Ayton (16 points, eight rebounds) tried to help out.

But with guard Luka Doncic (left finger sprain, lower left leg contusion) and LeBron James (right sciatica) out, it was going to be tough for the Lakers. Then with guards Marcus Smart (right quad contusion) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) down, it meant the Lakers were in deeper trouble without much of their backcourt. Add Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain), Jaxson Hayes (right patellar tendinopathy) and Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) sitting the bench in street clothes, and it was too much for the Lakers to deal with.

The Lakers have two more games this week, at Minnesota on Wednesday night and at Memphis on Friday, meaning L.A. will have played four games this week while not being whole.

Along with Reaves and Ayton, the Lakers started Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia.

The Lakers’ bench consisted of Dalton Knecht, Bronny James, Chris Manon and Christian Koloko, the last two of whom are on two-way contracts — leaving them with nine available players.

“I don’t expect anybody to do more than they’re doing,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “What we challenged the guys on before the game was playing with an edge. And that’s a habit that I think takes time to form. We saw glimpses of it throughout the preseason. You’re just kind of waiting on it. You hope you get it opening night. And then you finally start seeing it when we’re in Game 2 against Minnesota. And I thought the guys throughout the game yesterday [in Sacramento] just had a terrific competitive edge. That’s what we need. And that’s regardless if we have a full roster or … how many guys are out? Six? Seven? Seven. Seven guys out. Yeah, we gotta do it.”

Taking care of the basketball was one of the problems the Lakers had. Then again that wasn’t a total surprise, considering the Lakers really had just one ballhander in Reaves and he was harassed all night by Portland.

The Lakers turned the ball over 25 times, leading to 28 points for the Trail Blazers.

The Lakers didn’t do it from the three-point line in the first half, missing 11 of their 12 attempts. They finished the game going seven for 27 from the three-point line.

New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo had a long day Sunday, having suffered what appears to be a season-ending ankle injury and reportedly undergoing surgery that night.

Nonetheless, the player who has become one of the breakout stars of the 2025 appeared to be up early Monday.

Skattebo took to his Instagram Story to post a video showing clips of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, receiver Darius Slayton, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor all expressing concern for their injured teammate following New York’s 38-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

“My guys love tall boys,” Skattebo wrote in the caption, making an apparent reference to his relatively small (by NFL standards) 5-foot-11 stature.

Skattebo was injured midway through the second quarter after attempting to catch a pass over the middle. His right foot appeared to get caught under another player and was bent in an unnatural direction. Players from both teams huddled around Skattebo in concern as he was treated by medical staff.

Even the notoriously harsh Philadelphia fans gave their NFC East rival’s rising star a standing ovation as he was carted off the field with an air cast on his leg. Skattebo responded by waving in appreciation.

“I feel absolutely terrible for the young man,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “Looked bad. You feel for anybody that goes down and has a really bad injury. I know the players feel the same way about Skatt.”

Dart added: “That’s my boy, man. That sucks. It’s just the worst part of the game.”

The Giants said Sunday that Skattebo had suffered a dislocated ankle and would undergo surgery that night. ESPN reported Monday morning that the fourth-round draft pick out of Arizona State remained in the hospital after the previous night’s surgery and was “doing well given the circumstances of what was described as an emergency situation.”

Skattebo leads Giants this season with 410 rushing yards in 101 carries with five touchdowns. He also has 24 receptions for 207 yards with two touchdowns, including one on an 18-yard pass from Dart in the first quarter of Sunday’s game.

Skattebo’s injury leaves New York with second-year player Tyrone Tracy Jr. and seven-year veteran Devin Singletary at running back. On Sunday, Tracy had 10 carries for 39 yards and two receptions for 14 yards while Singletary rushed twice for no yards but had a 28-yard reception.

For the season, Tracy has 45 carries for 159 yards with one touchdown and 10 catches for 68 yards; Singletary has 28 carries for 84 yards and three receptions for 28 yards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I must be dreaming, because I am almost positive I watched someone pitch a complete game.

Game 2 thoughts:

—Alessia Cara performed the Canadian anthem, and Bebe Rexha performed the U.S. anthem before the game. Apparently, Bryan Adams was unavailable.

—Don’t get mad and call me un-American, but the Canadian national anthem is beautiful.

—Joe Carter threw out the first pitch. Apparently Dave Stieb was unavailable.

—I was concerned after the first inning. It was a repeat of Game 1. Dodgers score, but Blue Jays threatened before being retired without a run scoring. Just like Game 1.

—This time however, Yoshinobu Yamamoto settled into a groove and was dominant. If someone told me after that inning, where Yamamoto threw 23 pitches, that he would pitch a complete game, I would have laughed.

—Nice to see Will Smith hit a home run. It was his first extra-base hit of this postseason. It seemed to fire the team up. It certainly fired Smith up.

—Blue Jays fans were mad at manager John Schneider for not removing Kevin Gausman sooner. Complaining about a manager and how he handles pitchers? Sounds familiar.

—I’m just glad Schneider was finally able to find steady work so many years after “The Dukes of Hazzard” was canceled.

—Wait, I’m now being told that is a different John Schneider. I guess that explains why Tom Wopat isn’t one of his coaches.

—Teoscar Hernández is three for his last 22 with nine strikeouts and struck out in all four of his at-bats in Game 2. He is going through one of those phases where he chases pitches well out of the zone. Hopefully he snaps out of it.

—Justin Dean made a very nice play in center field in the ninth inning, showing why the Dodgers have him on the roster. The jump he got on the fly ball was incredible. He has now been in 11 of the 12 postseason games without coming to the plate, though he did score a run as a pinch-runner.

—You have to wonder what Hyeseong Kim thinks. He’s been on the roster for every round of the postseason, but has only played in one game, as a pinch-runner.

—Many of you don’t like John Smoltz because he talks too much. And I agree, he needs to cut down a bit, but what he says is usually very good. Plus, he’s very vocal in pushing back against the ridiculous pitch-count theory, that 100 pitches is the limit. I appreciate him for that.

—Yamamoto was in a zone. It was like he saw nothing else except Smith behind the plate. The Toronto crowd is loud, and it didn’t seem to bother him at all.

—Some numbers about Yamamoto:

He’s the fourth pitcher to retire the last 20 or more batters of a postseason game, joining Don Larsen of the Yankees, who retired all 27 batters in his perfect game against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. St. Louis’ Grover Cleveland Alexander, who retired 21 Yankees in a row in Game 2 of the 1926 World Series and Boston’s Dutch Leonard, who retired 20 Phillies in a row in Game 3 of the 1915 World Series.

No Dodger had ever retired 20 batters in a row in a postseason game. The previous high was 19 by Carl Erskine in Game 5 of the 1952 World Series.

It was only the eighth time a Dodger pitched consecutive complete games in the postseason, joining Orel Hershiser (three consecutive in 1988), Sandy Koufax in 1963 and 1965 World Series, Sal Maglie (1956), Johnny Podres (1955), Whit Wyatt (1941) and Sherry Smith (1920).

—But more importantly, it was a wonderful throwback to the way baseball used to be. A pitcher going deep into the game, dominating an opponent even though he may be tiring. Getting big congrats from teammates for a job well done. That’s how legends are made.

—And the best part, in both his complete games, is the little smile Yamamoto gives after he gets the last out.

—The Blue Jays turn to Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber in Games 3 and 4.

—The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series five years ago today.

—My prediction remains, Dodgers in five.

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

Postseason stats

How the Dodgers and Blue Jays have done this postseason:

Batting

Alex Call, .750/.857/.750, 3 for 4, 2 walks

Ben Rortvedt, .429/.500/.571, 3 for 7, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 K’s

Miguel Rojas, .375/.444/.375, 3 for 8, 1 RBI

Will Smith, .314/.400/.400, 11 for 35, 1 homer, 6 RBIs, 4 walks, 10 K’s

Kiké Hernández, .273/.333/.364, 12 for 44, 4 doubles, 5 RBIs, 4 walks, 13 K’s

Mookie Betts, .271/.364/.396, 13 for 48, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 RBIs, 6 walks, 6 K’s

Tommy Edman, .262/.295/.429, 11 for 42, 1 double, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 2 walks, 14 K’s

Teoscar Hernández, .229/.275/.500, 1 double, 4 homers, 11 RBIs, 3 walks, 16 K’s

Max Muncy, .229/.386/.429, 6 for 28, 1 double, 2 homers, 2 RBIs, 8 walks, 9 K’s

Shohei Ohtani, .224/.333/.633, 11 for 49, 1 triple, 6 homers, 11 RBIs, 8 walks, 19 K’s

Freddie Freeman, .222/.340/.400, 10 for 45, 5 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 7 walks, 11 K’s

Andy Pages, .093/.133/.116, 4 for 43, 1 double, 1 RBI, 11 K’s

Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1, 1 K

Team, .244/.331/.416, 18 doubles, 2 triples, 16 homers, 44 walks, 113 K’s, 4.58 runs per game

Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., .431/.500/.843, 22 for 51, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 7 walks, 4 K’s

Ernie Clement, .429/.442/.592, 21 for 49, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 8 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 K’s

Bo Bichette, .333/500/.333, 1 for 3, 1 walk

Nathan Lukes, .318/.375/.386, 14 for 44, 3 doubles, 8 RBIs, 4 walks, 7 K’s

Addison Barger, .300/.378/.575, 12 for 40, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBIs, 5 walks, 8 K’s

George Springer, .259/.349/. 593, 14 for 54, 6 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, 12 K’s

Alejandro Kirk, .255/.316/.529, 13 for 51, 2 doubles, 4 homers, 10 RBIs, 5 walks, 8 K’s

Daulton Varsho, .255/.296/.510, 13 for 51, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 2 walks, 13 K’s

Andrés Giménez, .244/.292/.400, 11 for 45, 1 double, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 2 walks, 5 K’s

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .200/.200/.280, 5 for 25, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 K

Anthony Santander, .200/.250/.200, 3 for 15, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 5 K’s

Myles Straw, .182/.250/.182, 2 for 11, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 3 K’s

David Schneider, .154/.313/.251, 2 for 13, 1 double, 3 walks, 5 K’s

Joey Loperfido, 0 for 1

Team, .294/.352/.510, 27 doubles, 1 triple, 23 homers, 37 walks, 76 K’s, 6.38 runs per game

Pitching

Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 2 walks, 1 K

Justin Wrobloeski, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP

Will Klein, 0.00 ERA, 1 IP, 1 hit

Tyler Glasnow, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 8 walks, 18 K’s

Roki Sasaki, 1.13 ERA, 3 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, 6 K’s

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-1, 1.57 ERA, 28.2 IP, 17 hits, 5 ER, 4 walks, 26 K’s

Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 19 K’s

Blake Snell, 3-1, 2.42 ERA, 26 IP, 14 hits, 7 ER, 8 walks, 32 K’s

Alex Vesia, 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 3 walks, 4 K’s

Blake Treinen, 7.36 ERA, 1 save, 3.2 IP, 5 hits 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K’s

Anthony Banda, 8.10 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 3 K’s

Emmet Sheehan, 17.18 ERA, 3.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 ER, 3 walks, 2 K’s

Clayton Kershaw, 18.00 ERA, 2 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 3 walks

Edgardo Henriquez, infinity, 0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 walks

Team, 10-2, 3.06 ERA. 4 saves, 109 IP, 74 hits, 37 ER, 42 walks, 116 K’s

Blue Jays

Chris Bassitt, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 1 hit, 5 K’s

Jeff Hoffman, 1.13 ERA, 2 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 walks, 13 K’s

Kevin Gausman, 2-2, 2.55 ERA, 24.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 ER, 9 walks, 18 K’s

Max Scherzer, 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 4 walks, 5 K’s

Seranthony Dominguez, 2-0, 3.38 ERA, 8 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 5 walks, 7 K’s

Trey Yesavage, 2-1, 4.26 ERA, 19 IP, 14 hits, 9 ER, 10 walks, 27 K’s

Shane Bieber, 1-0, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 16 hits, 6 ER, 3 walks, 15 K’s

Louis Varland, 0-1, 4.63 ERA, 11.2 IP, 10 hits, 6 ER, 2 walks, 13 K’s

Mason Fluharty, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 8 K’s

Eric Lauer, 6.75 ERA, 4 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 6 K’s

Braydon Fisher, 7.94 ERA, 5.2 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 3 walks, 8 K’s

Yariel Rodríguez, 10.13 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 1 K

Brendon Little, 0-1, 12.00 ERA, 3 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 4 walks, 2 K’s

Tommy Nance, 13.50 ERA, 1.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 walk

Justin Bruihl, 54.00 ERA, 0.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER

Team, 8-5, 4.38 ERA, 2 saves, 115 IP, 96 hits, 56 ER, 53 walks, 128 K’s

In case you missed it

World Series: George Springer says he will focus on game, not boos, at Dodger Stadium

Shaikin: No more dead-arm nightmares for Dodgers and their uncomplicated pitching strategy

Hernández: What Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete games reveal about the Dodgers’ star pitcher

Healthy and energized, Will Smith’s resurgence coming at a perfect time for Dodgers

Plaschke: As tied World Series returns to Dodger Stadium, George Springer and Max Scherzer beware

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s complete-game repeat a brilliant oddity ripped from a bygone era

Arellano: He’s just happy to root for the Dodgers again after almost dying during the last World Series

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a masterclass, Dodgers win World Series Game 2 | Dodgers Debate

Max Muncy talks World Series Game 2 win, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s performance

What it’s like to experience a World Series game at Cosm Los Angeles

And finally

Highlights from Game 2 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.

After taking his normal round of infield grounders during the Dodgers’ off-day workout Sunday, Kiké Hernández jogged to center field and spent a noticeable amount of time fielding fly balls there.

On the eve of Game 3 of the World Series, it might not have been a coincidence.

After using the same nine players in their starting lineup in six straight games since the start of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers have been considering a change for Monday — one that could drop struggling second-year slugger Andy Pages to the bench.

While the Dodgers’ overall offense has been inconsistent this postseason, Pages has endured the most glaring slump. He has collected just four hits in 43 at-bats, registering a .093 average. He has 11 strikeouts, no walks, and only one extra-base knock, providing little pop or spark from the No. 9 spot.

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged before Game 2 that he was mulling whether to keep Pages in the lineup. And though the 24-year-old outfielder, who had 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in the regular season, had a hit and run scored on Saturday, Roberts reiterated Sunday that making a move with Pages was “still on the table” and “front of mind.”

“Just trying to figure out where he’s at mentally, physically,” Roberts said. “The performance hasn’t been there. So thinking of other options, yeah.”

One reason the Dodgers have stuck with Pages is because of their limited defensive alternatives — including, first and foremost, utilityman Tommy Edman being restricted to only second base this October because of a lingering ankle injury.

Edman, who split time last postseason between center field and shortstop, did say this weekend that his ankle was feeling better (even though he didn’t close the door on potentially needing surgery this offseason). But Roberts noted that Edman “hasn’t taken a fly ball out there in a month,” casting continued doubt over his ability to play anywhere else.

Without Edman, Hernández is the only other true center-field option for the Dodgers to use in their starting lineup, having also played there during the team’s World Series run last year. This postseason, Hernández has been a fixture in left (while also mixing in at third base). But if he were to slide to center field for Game 3, it could open left field for someone like Alex Call.

Call, a trade deadline acquisition who was a part-time player down the stretch in the regular season, does not represent as much of a power threat as Pages, but is a better contact hitter with more on-base ability.

Of course, the Dodgers’ offensive inconsistencies have gone beyond Pages.

They have not topped five runs in a game since the wild-card round. They have hit just .216 as a team since the start of the division series. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are still batting under .225 in the playoffs. Mookie Betts is batting .136 since the start of the NLCS.

During their Game 2 win, Roberts felt the club missed a lot of hittable pitches against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, before Will Smith and Max Muncy finally broke through with home runs in the seventh.

That, Roberts felt, was a sign his lineup was “a little bit in between” in its approach, squandering opportunities to do damage against fastballs over the plate while also trying to protect against breaking stuff out of the zone.

“They have made good pitches, but we have missed pitches as well,” Roberts said. “I do think that coming home, I feel that we’re back into a little bit of a rhythm offensively.”

Perhaps shaking up the lineup will help, as well.

Nick Mangold’s long, blond hair and bushy beard made him instantly recognizable. His gritty, outstanding performance on the field for the New York Jets made him one of the franchise’s greatest players.

Mangold, a two-time All-Pro center who helped lead the Jets to the AFC championship game twice, has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 41.

The Jets said in a statement that Mangold died Saturday night from complications of kidney disease. His death came less than two weeks after the two-time All-Pro selection announced on social media that he had kidney disease and needed a transplant. He said he didn’t have relatives who were able to donate, so he went public with the request for a donor with type O blood.

“I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have had more time,” he wrote in an Oct. 14 message directed to the Jets and Ohio State communities.

“While this has been a tough stretch, I’m staying positive and focused on the path ahead. I’m looking forward to better days and getting back to full strength soon. I’ll see you all at MetLife Stadium & The Shoe very soon.”

Mangold said he was diagnosed with a genetic defect in 2006 that led to chronic kidney disease. He was on dialysis while waiting for a transplant.

“Nick was more than a legendary center,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “He was the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade and a beloved teammate whose leadership and toughness defined an era of Jets football. Off the field, Nick’s wit, warmth, and unwavering loyalty made him a cherished member of our extended Jets family.”

The Jets announced Mangold’s death about an hour before they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38 for their first win of the season. A moment of silence was held in the press box before the game. Mangold grew up in Centerville, Ohio — about 45 miles north of Cincinnati — but remained in New Jersey, close to the Jets’ facility, after his playing career ended.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn was a scout for the franchise during Mangold’s playing career.

“A true Jet, through and through. … He was the heart and soul of this team,” Glenn said.

Mangold was a first-round draft pick of the Jets in 2006 out of Ohio State and was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. He helped lead New York within one win of the Super Bowl during both the 2009 and 2010 seasons and was enshrined in the Jets’ ring of honor in 2022. Mangold was among 52 modern-era players who advanced earlier this week in the voting process for next year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Mangold was the anchor of New York’s offensive line his entire playing career, spending all 11 seasons with the Jets.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to lace them up with you every Sunday,” Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, Mangold’s teammate for eight years, wrote on X. “I will miss you and forever cherish our moments in the locker room. Love you buddy.”

Mangold started every game during his first five seasons and missed only four games in his first 10 years before an ankle injury limited him to eight games in 2016, his final season.

“It’s brutal,” former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan said during “Sunday NFL Countdown” while fighting through tears. “Such a great young man. I had the pleasure of coaching him for all six years with the Jets (from 2009-14). I remember it was obvious I was getting fired, my last game, Mangold’s injured — like, injured — and he comes to me and says, ‘I’m playing this game.’ And he wanted to play for me.

“That’s what I remember about this kid. He was awesome. And it’s just way too young. I feel so bad for his wife and family. (This is) rough.”

Mangold was released by the team in 2017 and didn’t play that season. The following year, he signed a one-day contract with the Jets to officially retire as a member of the team.

“Rest in peace to my brother & teammate Nick Mangold,” tweeted former running back Thomas Jones, who played three years with Mangold. “I keep seeing your smiling face in the huddle bro. One of the kindest people I’ve ever met. One of the greatest interior linemen to ever play the game. This one hurts. Surreal.”

Several other former teammates mourned the loss of Mangold.

“Absolutely gutted,” former wide receiver David Nelson, who played with Mangold for two seasons, wrote on X. “One of the best guys I’ve ever met — true legend on and off the field.”

Former kicker Jay Feely, Mangold’s teammate for two seasons, tweeted: “Heartbreaking news this morning. Nick and I played together with the Jets and loved to banter about the Michigan/Ohio St rivalry. He was a natural leader, a great player, thoughtful, kind, & larger than life.”

Mangold’s No. 74 jersey remained a popular one for fans to wear at games, even nine years after playing his final NFL game. He was active with charitable events and often dressed as Santa Claus for the team’s holiday celebrations for children.

“Nick was the embodiment of consistency, strength, and leadership,” Jets vice chairman Christopher Johnson said in a statement. “For over a decade, he anchored our offensive line with unmatched skill and determination, earning the respect of teammates, opponents and fans alike. His contributions on the field were extraordinary — but it was his character, humility, and humor off the field that made him unforgettable.”

Mangold is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their children Matthew, Eloise, Thomas and Charlotte. Nick Mangold’s sister, Holley, was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the super heavyweight division of the weightlifting competition.

Waszak writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Jay Cohen and freelance reporter Jeff Wallner contributed to this report.

Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt connects for a double against the Cincinnati Reds during Game 2 of the National League Wildcard Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 1.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Neither Alex Call nor Ben Rortvedt had appeared in a playoff game until this season. And though neither Dodger reserve got off the bench in the first two games of the World Series, they’re a lot closer to the action then they expected to be before the July trades that brought them to Los Angeles.

“It’s really cool. I’m just soaking it all in,” said Call, who came over from the Washington Nationals at the deadline.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” added Rortvedt, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, then spent most of the summer in triple A before being called up when Will Smith got hurt in early September. “I’ve been taking it more day by day, so it hasn’t kind of struck me as much as people think it would. Definitely when this is done I’m really going to reflect and kind of realize how crazy it has been to kind of be on this team and be where we are now.”

Call, 31, who also played with the Cleveland Guardians in a five-year big-league career, appeared in one game in each of the Dodgers’ first three playoff series, going three for four with two walks, getting hit by a pitch and scoring a run.

“It’s kind of crazy because it feels like it should have been harder,” Call said of reaching the World Series. “With the Nats, it’s like we were going to have to grind our way all the way to the top. And then you get to come over the Dodgers and you’re the favorites, World Series champs. You’ve got probably the best roster ever assembled, with amazing stars up and down the lineup, and then they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we want Alex Call on our team.’

“That’s kind of an amazing compliment.”

Rortvedt, 28, who also played with the Yankees and Minnesota Twins in four seasons, started the first four games of the postseason and hit .429.

“If I pinch myself, it’s kind of like I’m not sure [I’m here,]” he said. “I just try to be as prepared as I can, understand the magnitude of things, and just try to be prepared and try to slow everything down and do my best.”

TORONTO — Who would have guessed?

Who would have guessed that in a starting rotation of giants and alphas, the most important pitcher would be the diminutive 27 year old with the mischievous smile who plays the role of everyone’s little brother?

From a distance, Yoshinobu Yamamoto doesn’t look like someone who figures to contend in the coming years to be the best pitcher in the world.

He stands only 5-foot-10. He’s not mean in the way frontline starters sometimes are. He’s extremely considerate of others, even people who offer minimal, if any, transactional value — or more precisely, his focus and confidence in his work don’t blind him to their sensitivities.

Beneath the mask of normality, however, there is something in Yamamoto capable of fueling the kind of complete-game performance he delivered in the Dodgers’ 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the World Series.

Yamamoto wants to be great. Or perhaps he has to be.

Look, and you will see it. Listen, and you will hear it.

Yamamoto has often shared his admiration of Clayton Kershaw, but it’s clear he doesn’t see him as just a mentor. He sees him as a benchmark by which should measure himself.

When Kershaw announced his retirement last month, Yamamoto spoke of how grateful he was to play alongside him for two years. He talked about how much he learned from him. What was particularly interesting was what he said after.

“I think from my heart that I want to be an ace pitcher like Kershaw,” Yamamoto said in Japanese, “and I want to do my best to one day surpass my great senior.”

Kershaw has 223 career victories. He won a most valuable player award. He won three Cy Young Awards.

Not only does Yamamoto want to be better than Kershaw, he’s bold enough to state that ambition publicly.

Yamamoto did something Kershaw never did against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series by pitching a complete game in the postseason.

Eleven days later, he did it again, this time against the Blue Jays in the World Series.

The last pitcher to throw a complete game in a World Series was Johnny Cueto, and he did it 10 years ago. The last pitcher to throw consecutive complete games in the postseason was Curt Schilling, and he did it 24 years ago.

Yamamoto was the Dodgers’ most dependable starter in the regular season. As a second-year major leaguer, he made a team-high 30 starts, posting a 12-8 record with a 2.49 earned-run average.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto reacts to recording a strikeout to close out the first inning of Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

His game has reached another level in the postseason, and in doing so, he might have saved the Dodgers, who were in trouble after Blake Snell’s implosion resulted in a loss in the opening game of this World Series

“I felt we had to win today no matter what,” Yamamoto said.

With his 105-pitch masterpiece, Yamamoto spared manager Dave Roberts the unpleasant duty of opening the gates to hell — pardon me, the bullpen — and tied the series at one game apiece. The next three games will be played at Dodger Stadium.

The historic performance by Yamamoto had an ominous start, as George Springer led off in the first inning with a double and advanced to third base on a single by Nathan Lukes.

Yamamoto escaped the jam by retiring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho in order, but his pitch count was already at 23.

“I didn’t think I could get to the end,” Yamamoto said.

The ever-optimistic Roberts was hopeful Yamamoto could complete six innings, which would task the bullpen with covering the last three. Roberts never had to prepare the smoke and mirrors required to navigate the final third of the game. Yamamoto gave up a run in the third inning but retired the last 20 batters he faced.

How he pitched reflected the reality of the Dodgers’ bullpen situation — essentially, that converted starter Roki Sasaki was the only reliever who could be trusted. Midway through the game, Yamamoto started throwing cutters, which induced contact and limited his pitch count.

“Fundamentally, my pitching style is to throw as much as I can in the strike zone,” Yamamoto said. “It’s a style in which I aim in the strike zone and throw with as much effort as I can.”

Before this postseason, the last time Yamamoto pitched a complete game was in 2023, for the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese league.

So when Yamamoto recorded the final out of his start against the Brewers, he forgot his custom of embracing the catcher.

“It had been so long, I didn’t know where to go,” he said.

On Saturday, he knew, walking toward home plate and clasping hands with Will Smith. The guess here is that he won’t forget again. If he doesn’t pitch another complete game in these playoffs, he figures to pitch a few of them over the next handful of seasons.

He wants more.

There are plenty of people speculating how one of the most popular baby names for those born this year and in 2026 in the United States and Japan will be Shohei after what Shohei Ohtani accomplished in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, hitting three home runs and striking out 10 in the Dodgers’ clinching win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

What’s also clear is how much inspiration Ohtani is providing for high school baseball players who want to hit and pitch like him.

“It’s pretty crazy to do, especially as the leadoff hitter, to strike out three, then hit a home run. He doesn’t have time to regroup,” Huntington Beach junior pitcher/outfielder Jared Grindlinger said. “It’s definitely inspiring to know it’s possible to do both at the next level. I hope other kids become two-way players.”

Grindlinger might be the best two-way player in the Southland next spring. He throws fastballs in the 90s and has lots of power as one of the best players from the class of 2027. He said he has studied Ohtani’s experiences.

“He goes through struggles,” he said. “It’s not like he goes 20 for 20. It’s good to know you’re going to fail and bounce back and it’s going to be all right.”

Joshua Pearlstein, an All-City outfielder and pitcher at Cleveland, said he was in awe watching Ohtani’s performance on television.

“It’s inspiring to me,” he said. “I was in shock. It was pretty cool to see him do everything at the same time. I think the biggest challenge is working on both at practice. It’s a challenge but I’m up for that challenge.”

Pearlstein said he studied when Ohtani was in high school in Japan, how “he was putting in the work every day. It inspires me to work at home to achieve the same goals he has reached.”

Another two-way player is Birmingham sophomore pitcher/shortstop Carlos Acuna, a diehard Dodgers fan.

Sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna of Birmingham is also a hitter.

(Craig Weston)

“It’s awesome,” Acuna said. “That’s who I want to be like as a pitcher and hitter.”

Coaches have to be careful with two-way players because you don’t want to place too much of a burden on them at practices, something that might lessen or affect one of their skills.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman told The Times: “When you’re getting older and older, you kind of veer toward one avenue. I do think you’re starting to see more at the college level and potentially letting guys [do both] because of Shohei , which is really cool because he’s changing the game. I don’t know if you’re going to see another person. Most people don’t see what Shohei is doing in between and underneath. He’s two different people and has to do it day in and day out.”

Grindlinger agrees practices are where a balancing act takes place.

“I get to do my pitching stuff first, then my hitting stuff afterward,” Grindlinger said. “Or my dad will throw to me afterward. You have to plan around it. Sometimes I can’t do heavy lifting because I have a bullpen day. It’s definitely a challenge but a fun one.”

TORONTO — There might be no greater reminder of how far the Dodgers have come than the opposing pitcher on Monday. When the World Series returns to Dodger Stadium for Game 3, the starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays is scheduled to be Max Scherzer.

You may remember his brief tenure with the Dodgers four years ago, which ended with an elimination game in which Scherzer said he could not pitch. The Dodgers lost, the last domino in a cascade triggered by a front office that miscast its humans as widgets in a search for even the tiniest of edges.

Don’t just take my word for it. This was the word from Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez at the time: “Dodgers analytics dept really misused probably the best rotation in all of baseball. …They need to figure out a way to let starters be who they really are and let them pitch how they are used to.”

In the 2021 postseason, by choice, the Dodgers used an opener three times, a 20-game winner as a middle reliever, and a Hall of Fame starter as a closer. There would be no parade.

In the 2024 postseason, and not by choice, the Dodgers ran four bullpen games. There would be a parade.

In 2025, the Dodgers are simply throwing out a top-flight starting pitcher in every game. Presumably, there is nothing for the front office to overthink here.

Just sit back and enjoy the show — on Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s second straight complete game show. This must be less stressful, at least.

“I don’t think it’s less stressful,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said to an inquiring middle-aged reporter with gray hair getting a little too noticeable. “We’ve got matching hair.”

Still, there isn’t much mystery in the Dodgers’ 10-2 postseason record. In every game in which their starting pitcher has gotten an out in the sixth inning, they have won. In every game in which their starting pitcher has not gotten an out in the sixth inning, they have lost.

To the rotation of Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, take a bow.

To Andrew Friedman and his front office, take a bow too. Just because your ownership provided you with a $1.35-billion rotation does not guarantee that you will leave well enough alone.

In the final month of the season, remember, the Dodgers entertained a flurry of ideas about how to best combine a talented rotation and an iffy bullpen into an effective October staff.

Would they deploy Ohtani in relief? Would they use their best arms as often as possible, as the Washington Nationals did in 2019, when they used their top three starters — Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg — as starters and relievers?

The Dodgers let their starters be starters. The conventional wisdom does not always need to be challenged.

“Clearly, Blake Snell, Yama, Glasnow, Shohei, all really good pitchers,” Prior said. “I think we can all agree that they’re all really good pitchers, and any team would probably roll them out in a playoff game.

“So I don’t think this is any master plan.”

Said catcher Will Smith: “I think that’s just this team. We have four starters now that are pitching their best. … We’re just riding those guys.”

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow is set to start Game 3 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times )

That brings us back to 2021, when the front office decided the best way to approach the winner-take-all finale of the division series against the San Francisco Giants was to use reliever Corey Knebel as an opener, 20-game winner Julio Urías from the third through the sixth innings, closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning and Scherzer as the closer.

That is the kind of all-hands-on-deck approach better suited to the end of a World Series. The Dodgers won that game against the Giants, but Scherzer could not complete five innings in his first championship series start and said he could not take the ball for his next start, an elimination game.

“My arm’s been locked up the past couple of days,” Scherzer said then.

He said that he would be the one at risk if he were not honest with the Dodgers about his condition, rather than trying to push through.

“Guys, when they lie, they go out there and they take on too much, then they blow out,’’ he said. “That’s the ultimate risk here.”

That line of thought did not go over too well in some corners of the clubhouse. Urías was miffed because he believed the Dodgers did not believe in him. Walker Buehler, who started on short rest as a late replacement for Scherzer, gave up four runs in four innings. The Dodgers were eliminated.

Scherzer’s last World Series start, for the Texas Rangers in 2023, lasted three innings. He isn’t thinking about the Rangers, or for that matter the Dodgers.

“I wouldn’t be looking backwards at all for any motivation,’’ he said here Saturday. “I have plenty of motivation. I’m here to win and I’ve got a clubhouse full of guys who want to win too. So we’re a great team and that’s the only thing I need to think about.”

The only thing the Dodgers need to worry about on Monday, at least based on their postseason run: Can they get six or seven innings from Glasnow? If they can, they should be halfway to the World Series championship.

Highlights from the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the World Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a rare four-hitter to get the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers back in the World Series.

Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto flipped the World Series script in favour of the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are headed home for three games and flying high after a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 on Saturday.

Yamamoto was spectacular while pitching a complete game, striking out eight batters and walking none, while Will Smith drove in three runs, including a solo home run in the seventh inning that put the Dodgers ahead for good.

“Yeah, he was just locked in tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto. “It was one of those things he said before the series: losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight.”

The win leve;led the best-of-seven series at 1-1 and put the star-studded Dodgers back on track in their bid to become Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first repeat champions in 25 years.

Baffled hitters

A day after a humbling 11-4 defeat that exposed the thinness of the Dodgers’ bullpen, and may have allowed some doubt to creep into their clubhouse, the team turned the ball over to their ace in the hopes he could right the ship.

Making his first start since pitching a complete-game gem in the National League Championship Series, Yamamoto again went the distance, and left Blue Jays hitters baffled one day after they were seemingly hitting pitches at will.

“Going into the game, the pregame bullpen, I was feeling really good with the splitter,” Yamamoto said about his signature pitch.

“I’m very happy and proud of the fact that I was able to bring a big contribution and give a chance for the team to win.”

Fast Start

The Dodgers made a fast start as Freddie Freeman hit a two-out double in the first inning before Smith singled to put the visitors ahead 1-0.

Toronto threatened in the bottom half of the inning, getting runners on first and third with no outs, but Yamamoto retired the next three batters to get out of the jam and never looked back.

Yamamoto was so dominant that he retired the final 20 batters he faced on the night, a remarkable run that started when he got Alejandro Kirk out on a sacrifice fly that scored George Springer in the third.

“He made it hard for us to make him work,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Yamamoto’s performance. “He was in the zone, split was in and out of the zone. It was a really good performance by him.”

‘Pitchers duel’

The Dodgers, who also had their hands full with Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, broke through in the seventh when Smith homered into the second deck in left field before Max Muncy’s solo shot two batters later.

Los Angeles added two more runs in the eighth on a wild pitch before Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Shohei Ohtani.

Gausman, who prior to Smith’s homer had retired 17 Dodgers batters in a row, took the loss after allowing three runs and striking out six batters in 6-2/3 innings.

“I thought Kev matched [Yamamoto] pitch for pitch, really,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “They both had low pitch counts. It was kind of a classic pitchers’ duel, and they made a couple more swings.”

Game 3 is on Monday.

Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and catcher Will Smith starred as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 to draw level at 1-1 in the best-of-seven World Series.

Japanese right-hander Yamamoto needed only 105 pitches to record his second successive complete game of the postseason.

Meanwhile, Smith led the Dodgers’ offence with three runs batted in (RBI) as the Blue Jays had a night to forget.

In contrast to the free-scoring opener, game two was a pitching duel for long stretches at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

The Dodgers went ahead in the top of the first inning when Smith drove in Freddie Freeman, but were tied down after that by Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who retired the next 17 Dodgers hitters he faced without allowing a baserunner.

Though the Canadian side drew level in the bottom of the third inning when Alejandro Kirk’s sacrifice fly scored George Springer, the game remained deadlocked until the top of the seventh when Smith and Max Muncy both lifted Gausman over the left-field fence with solo home runs to give the 2024 champions a two-run cushion.

The Blue Jays fell apart in the top of the eighth as, with the bases loaded, the Dodgers scored on a wild pitch, before Smith recorded his third RBI of the evening to make it 5-1.

And while the Dodgers’ bullpen had taken a beating in game one, Yamamoto was able to give his relievers a night off as he pitched all nine innings without any late scares.

The series now switches to Los Angeles for the next three games, with game three at Dodger Stadium on Monday evening.

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.”

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.

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.

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‘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.

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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.

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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…

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