start

The BBC has confirmed the start date for the second series of The Night Manager, as a new trailer has been released for the upcoming series.

After nearly ten years of anticipation, BBC viewers were delighted to discover that a fresh instalment of The Night Manager was being developed.

In 2016, the gripping thriller proved hugely successful as it chronicled former soldier Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) working as a hotel night manager who becomes enlisted by British intelligence operative Angela Burr (Olivia Coleman).

The eagerly-awaited second instalment will resume years following the dramatic conclusion, with audiences witnessing Jonathan as a junior MI6 operative managing a discreet surveillance team in London dubbed ‘The Night Owls’.

This week, the BBC unveiled a thrilling trailer for the upcoming series, confirming it will broadcast on January 1.

The preview reveals Jonathan in his fresh position, whilst a narrator directs him to ‘watch, listen and report’. Yet the voice then sternly warns: “You do not hunt down.”

Cutting to Colombia, the MI6 operative must investigate Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva), suspected of trafficking weapons into the nation with British Intelligence assistance, reports the Express.

Adopting a fresh identity, Jonathan becomes deeply entangled in a deadly conspiracy. Betrayal appears imminent as he challenges Agent Burr, declaring she ‘lied’ to him, prompting her reply: “I had no choice!”

A montage of rapid-fire sequences follows, featuring heart-stopping pursuit scenes and Jonathan fleeing through a structure as explosions erupt around him.

In a chilling moment, Jonathan is seen being restrained by Teddy as he questions, ‘Who are you, Matthew?Why are you really here?” While a woman’s voice accuses him of ‘playing her’.

The trailer, shared on social media, sparked an immediate reaction from fans, with many expressing their excitement for the show’s return. One fan exclaimed: “Wow wow wow wow.” Another chimed in: “FINALLY!!!!”

Speaking about the series, Tom Hiddleston told the BBC: “The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. “”The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect.

I’m so looking forward to reuniting with Simon and Stephen Cornwell, David Farr and Stephen Garrett, and to working with Georgi Banks-Davies to tell the next chapter of our story. I can’t wait.”

The BBC has also confirmed that The Night Manager will be returning for another series following this upcoming one.

Tune into the new series of The Night Manager from 1 January on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and from 11 January on Prime Video where available.

Zohran Mamdani has won the election to be the next mayor of New York City, knocking out political heavyweight Andrew Cuomo. In less than a year, Mamdani has gone from being a little-known state assemblyman to becoming one of the most high-profile politicians in the United States.

How did he do it, and what could happen now? Start Here with Sandra Gathmann explains.

This episode features:

Joseph Stepansky | US reporter, Al Jazeera Digital

Christina Greer | associate professor of political science at Fordham University and cohost of the FAQ NYC podcast

Andres Bernal | lecturer at the School of Labor and Urban Studies of the City University of New York

Don’t start planning any parades just yet. Hold off on those February plans to travel to Santa Clara.

The Rams still have a long way to go make the playoffs and try to advance to the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium.

Their 34-10 victory Sunday over the struggling New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium was no revelation or landmark win. But the Rams did something important. Something championship-caliber teams are supposed to do: They convincingly dispatched of a weaker opponent before 72,055.

Matthew Stafford passed for four touchdowns, receiver Puka Nacua returned from an ankle injury in spectacular fashion, and the defense dominated again as the Rams won their third game in a row, improved to 6-2 and showed that the Dodgers might not be the only L.A. team hoisting a championship trophy.

“We’ll see if we can continue to do some good stuff like they did,” coach Sean McVay said of the World Series champions.

The Rams’ victory put them atop the NFC West heading into next Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

“I like the fact that we’re getting better,” McVay said, adding, “There’s just a good vibe.”

On most fronts, anyway.

The Rams’ first victory over an NFC opponent did not come against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles or the rival 49ers, teams the Rams lost to in part because of kicking-game disasters.

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the first half Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

And those issues remain: Joshua Karty missed a field goal and an extra point.

So McVay’s patience with the kicking game is wearing thin. And no team will win a title without a competent one.

McVay once again said he had confidence in Karty, but that was after he said “it can’t continue like this … it’s gone on for too long,” and “it’s not getting better,” among other things.

Can the Rams be a championship team without an adequate placekicking unit?

“No,” McVay said. “It’s going to cost us — it’s cost us already. It’s been a momentum killer. … The harsh truth of it is this is not sustainable.”

But if the Rams solve the kicking issue and stay healthy — Nacua said he would play against the 49ers after leaving the game in the second half because of a chest injury — and McVay can keep his team focused against division opponents and other playoff contenders, the Rams might earn their own parade.

Stafford is positioning himself to lead one.

Already a fixture on NFL career passing lists, the 17th-year pro is enjoying another sensational season.

As he did in 2021, when he passed for 41 touchdowns and led the Rams to a Super Bowl title, Stafford is playing at a level that should have him in the most-valuable-player discussion.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes in front of Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan during the first quarter Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday his two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and one each to Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee increased Stafford’s season total to 21, with only two interceptions.

Stafford, who passed for five touchdowns in an Oct. 19 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars, completed 24 of 32 passes for 281 yards and extended to five his streak of games without an interception.

Stafford’s wife and their daughters attended the game wearing No. 22 Dodgers jerseys, a salute to retiring pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Stafford’s high school teammate.

Now Stafford is chasing a second Super Bowl title.

“It’s not like we’ve got it all figured out,” he said, adding, “Got to keep continuing to find ways to put more points on the board.”

Nacua sat out against the Jaguars because of an ankle injury. But he said in the days leading up to the game that he was “feeling fantastic.”

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, left, celebrates with wide receiver Davante Adams after catching a touchdown pass in the second quarter Sunday against the Saints.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

He looked like it at the outset, making two catches for first downs to start a drive that ended with Stafford’s touchdown pass to Higbee. The veteran tight end, in an apparent salute to the Dodgers, celebrated by taking an imaginary swing and then doing their post-hit celebration.

Adams then followed his breakout three-touchdown performance against the Jaguars with the first of two more red-zone touchdowns. The 12th-year pro is tied for eighth all time with 111 touchdown catches.

Early in the second quarter, Stafford and Nacua went for the home run, connecting on a 39-yard pass that Nacua hauled in for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead.

Stafford’s short strike to Adams in the third quarter put the game out of reach, and Kyren Williams’ short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter provided the finishing touch.

Williams rushed for 114 yards and Blake Corum ran for 58 on a day when the Rams once again utilized all four tight ends in the pass and run attacks.

Meanwhile, the Rams defense made it rough on Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in his first start.

Several Rams defensive players tackle Saints quarterback Tyler Shough in the second quarter of the Rams’ 34-10 win Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Lineman Braden Fiske got his first sack of the season, linebacker Nate Landman forced another fumble, and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. intercepted his first pass as a Ram.

“We’re growing at a great rate,” Landman said, “and we’re going to peak at the right time.”

The game against the Saints was the start of a stretch that includes two home games after the 49ers. Only two remaining nine games — a late November trip to play the Carolina Panthers and a late December trip to play the Atlanta Falcons — will require the Rams to travel farther east than Arizona.

A lot can happen between now and the start of the playoffs. But the Rams look like the Super Bowl contender they were built to be.

RYANAIR’S new boarding pass rules are being rolled out this month – and passengers could face being caught out at the airport.

From November 12, the budget airline will no longer offer printed boarding passes.

Desks at the airports will no longer offer the option to print them – which currently has a fee of £55.

Instead, passengers will have to use the Ryanair app to get their mobile boarding pass.

However, it is thought as many as 15 per cent of Ryanair passengers don’t use smartphones.

CEO Michael O’Leary said: “Between 85 and 90 per cent of passengers show up with smartphones.”

FLY AWAY

Ryanair launches new UK flights to barely-known city in Europe which has £3 beers

GROUNDED

Ryanair to axe another 800,000 seats to Europe this winter

The airline has advised that even if you lost your phone or the battery dies at the airport, you will still be able to travel as long as you have checked in.

The gate agent will instead be able to assist and print one.

Airports will still have desks for checking in.

Some destinations such as Morocco still require a printed boarding pass, so passengers will have to show their digital boarding pass and will then be able to get a printed version at the airport.

Anyone who doesn’t check in before their flight will have to pay a check in fee at the airport.

The scrapping of boarding passes was initially planned for May, but this was then delayed to November 3, then to November 12.

Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said at the time: “This move to 100 per cent paperless boarding passes from November 2025 will allow us to deliver an enhanced travel experience for customers, streamlined through the myRyanair app during our less busy Winter schedule.”

It’s not the only big change that the budget airline recently rolled out.

Ryanair recently increased the size of the free bags passengers can take with them into the cabin.

Previously, the size of the small personal item was 40x20x25cm.

However, new bag sizers rolled out across all airports last month have since increased this to 40x30x20cm.

The additional 5cm means an increase of capacity from 20l to 24l, and takes it to a similar size of other airlines.

In the mean time, here is a new city you can fly to with Ryanair from the UK that you might not have heard of.

TORONTO — The Dodgers have forced a Game 7 in the World Series.

And Shohei Ohtani is expected to be their starting pitcher.

In what will be just four days removed from his six-plus-inning, 93-pitch start in Game 4 of this World Series, Ohtani will likely serve as the team’s opener in Saturday’s winner-take-all contest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

While Ohtani almost certainly won’t make a full-length start, he should be able to get through at least two or three innings (depending on how laborious his outing is). Four or five innings might not be out of the question, either, even in what will be only his second career MLB outing pitching on three days’ rest.

The only time Ohtani did so was in 2023, when he followed a rain-shortened two-inning start at Fenway Park against the Red Sox with a seven-inning outing four days later.

Saturday, of course, will come under entirely different circumstances, in what will be the first seventh game in a World Series since 2019.

By starting Ohtani, the Dodgers would ensure they wouldn’t lose his bat for the rest of the game, thanks to MLB’s two-way rules. If he were to enter in relief during the game, the only way he could stay in afterward is if he shifted to the outfield (since MLB’s rules stipulate that a team would lose the DH spot under such circumstances). Starting him also eliminates any complications that would come with trying to find him time to warm up if his spot in the batting order arose the inning prior — something that would have made it potentially more difficult for him to be able to close out the game.

Ohtani has completed six innings in each of his three previous pitching appearances this postseason, with a 3.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 18 innings.

The Dodgers should have options behind Ohtani. Tyler Glasnow will likely be available after needing just three pitches to get the save in Friday’s wild finish. Blake Snell also said he would be available after his Game 5 start on Wednesday.

In the bullpen, Roki Sasaki figures to be at manager Dave Roberts’ disposal, as well, despite throwing 33 pitches in one-plus inning of work on Friday.

Roberts said everyone short of Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be available.

DEL MAR — Sometimes the toughest part of owning a horse is deciding what to name it. If you own a bunch of horses, you run out of logical names pretty quickly. You can only do a play on the sire’s name so many times. And if you name it after a living person, you need permission from that person.

But every once in a while happenstance is your guide.

Ned Toffey has been the general manager of Spendthrift Farm for 21 years. Spendthrift saw an Into Mischief colt it liked and bought the yet unnamed colt as a yearling for $650,000. Now the tough part, naming him.

Toffey had just completed an interview with a publication and it was trying to promote it on social media. The only problem is they got a couple of first letters transposed and sent out posted a message on X calling the longtime Spendthrift executive Ted Noffey. Innocent mistake. Once notified it was corrected but not before a few screenshots were taken.

John Velazquez smiles after riding Ted Noffey to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile horse race in Del Mar on Friday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Noffey went with the joke.

Now people will remember that colt as the winner of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, pushing his name to the top of Kentucky Derby future pools.

His win wasn’t a surprise as he has won all four of his races, but none this prestigious on the first day of the two-day Breeders’ Cup held at Del Mar. All five of the races on Friday were worth no less than $1 million with nine more on Saturday.

Ted Noffey, the horse, was the favorite and was within a length of the lead all the way around the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-old males, winning by a length.

“It pretty much unfolded like we thought it would,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “I’m just glad that he was able to keep finding more.”

Brant, the $3 million purchase for trainer Bob Baffert, went to the lead and was in front until the top of the stretch when Ted Noffey inched past and then kept going. He ended up winning by a length over Mr. A.P.

“I was happy with the trip, [Brant] just got tired,” Baffert said. “The lack of two turns caught up with him. He was beat by a real good horse, and they ran really fast. I think he will move up off this race.”

Brant finished third and Baffert’s other horse, Litmus Test, finished fourth. Ted Noffey was the favorite and paid $3.60 to win .

The other $2 million race, the Juvenile Fillies, was won by Super Corredora ($19.60 to win), whose last race was a maiden win, the only time this has happened in this race.

Southern California based John Sadler had to go 42 races before he won his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2018 when he won the Classic with Accelerate.

“My journey has been, there was a time when they’d say, he’s the best trainer that hasn’t won a Breeders’ Cup,” Sadler said. “They stopped asking that after Accelerate. So we’ve won quite a few of them now. So, I’m very pleased with that.

“And as you’re an older trainer, which I am at this point (he’s 69), these are the races you want to win. I think I hold most of the categories here at Del Mar, right behind Baffert—number of wins, number of stakes wins and money earned. The big days are especially rewarding.”

The 2-year-old filly led the entire 1 1/16 mile race and was the front half of a Southern California exacta with Baffert’s Explora finishing second. Hector Barrios was the jockey and it was his first Breeders’ Cup win with a three-quarters of a length victory.

The first race of the day, the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, was won by Cy Fair ($12.00), a horse named after a high school in Texas and trained by George Weaver. Everyone gave Aidan O’Brien a good shot to win the five-furlong race since he had three horses in the race and his next win would give him 21, the most ever, breaking a tie with the late Wayne Lukas.

O’Brien had to wait for the last race of the day, the $1 million Juvenile Turf over one mile to pick up No. 21. Gstaad ($4.40) was the favorite and didn’t disappoint coming off the pace at the top of the stretch and winning by three-quarters of a length.

The other Breeders’ Cup race of the day, the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, was won by Balantina ($43.20) by 1 ¼ lengths, the largest margin of the day. She came from well off the pace in the one mile race with a strong stretch drive for trainer Donnacha O’Brien, Aidan’s son.

The first day of the Breeders’ Cup is all 2-year-old races, but Saturday is where all the money is, $23 million in purses to be exact. It’s headed by the $7-million Classic, a 1¼ mile race for horses of any age or sex. The race, and the whole event, took a major blow when Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner and top-ranked horse in the country, was scratched after he spiked a fever early in the week. He was the 6-5 morning line favorite.

Everyone was looking forward to the rematch of Sovereignty and Journalism (5-1 adjusted odds), who finished one-two in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. McCarthy, who trains Journalism and owner Aron Wellman replaced jockey Umberto Rispoli after they didn’t like his ride in the Pacific Classic. Jose Ortiz picked up the mount.

“I think it’s unfortunate that Sovereignty is not in there but this is probably one of the best Classics we’ve seen in about 20 years,” McCarthy said. “We’ll bounce out of there and try and be tactical and try to be within four or five lengths of the lead.”

There should also be some interest in Fierceness (5-2), who won the Pacific Classic after a terrible break when he ducked near the rail breaking from the one. He drew the one for this race too.

“He’s got to break straight and establish the position he wants and run his race,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “His best race gives him a big chance, if he can deliver that.”

Among others in the race are Santa Anita-based Baeza (10-1), who won the Pennsylvania Derby; Japanese horse Forever Young (7-2), winner of the Saudi Cup; last year’s winner Sierra Leone (7-2); and Nevada Beach (20-1) for Baffert and winner of the Los Alamitos Derby and the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita.

Another race to watch on Saturday is the $5-million Turf in which Rebel’s Romance is trying to become the first three-time winner of this race and the third horse to ever win three Breeders’ Cup races, joining Goldikova and Beholder.

TORONTO — It was a miserably cold, rainy and gray afternoon outside Rogers Centre on Thursday.

Inside the stadium, however, the Dodgers found some rays of emotional sunshine.

No, this is not where the team wanted to be, facing a 3-2 deficit in the World Series entering Game 6 on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

And no, there was not much to feel good about after a disastrous 48 hours in Games 4 and 5 of this Fall Classic, in which the Dodgers relinquished control of the series and allowed their title-defense campaign to be put on life support.

But during an off-day workout, the club tried to rebound from that disappointment and reframe the downtrodden mindset that permeated the clubhouse after Game 5.

Every player showed up to the ballpark, even though attendance was optional after a long night of travel.

“That was pretty exciting for me, and just speaks to where these guys are at,” manager Dave Roberts said. “They realize that the job’s not done.”

Roberts brought some levity to the start of the workout, too, challenging speedster Hyeseong Kim to a race around the bases — only to stumble face-first on the turn around second while trying to preserve his comically large head start.

“Cut the cameras,” Roberts yelled to media members, as he playfully grabbed at his hamstring and wiped dirt off his sweatshirt.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reacts after falling while challenging Hyeseong Kim to a race on the basepaths during a team workout at Rogers Centre on Thursday.

(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

Then, the Dodgers got to work on their primary task: Trying to sync up an offense that had looked lost the last two games, and has scuffled through much of October.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this … and I could dive into my thoughts,” Roberts said of the team’s offensive struggles, which he noted could include another lineup alteration for Game 6.

“But I think at the end of the day,” Roberts continued, “they just have to compete and fight in the batter’s box. It’s one-on-one, the hitter versus the pitcher, and that’s it. Really. I mean, I think that that sort of mindset is all I’ll be looking for. And I expect good things to happen from that.”

In the losses at Chavez Ravine, the majors’ second-highest scoring offense struggled to hone that ethos. The Dodgers scored only three runs, racked up a woeful 10 hits and looked more like the version of themselves that stumbled through much of the second half of the season before entering the playoffs on a late-season surge.

Their biggest stars stopped hitting. Their teamwide approach went by the wayside. And in the aftermath of Game 5, they almost seemed to be searching for their identity as a team at the plate — trying to couple their naturally gifted slugging ability, with the need to work more competitive at-bats and earn hittable pitches first.

“We’re just not having good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy said.

“We’ve got to figure something out,” echoed shortstop Mookie Betts.

Take a quick glance at the numbers in this World Series, and the Dodgers’ hitting problems are relatively easy to explain.

Shohei Ohtani (who took another Ruthian round of batting practice Thursday) does not have a hit since reaching base nine times in the 18-inning Game 3 marathon. Betts (who spent as much time hitting as anyone Thursday) has bottomed out with a three-for-25 performance.

Other important bats, including Muncy and Tommy Edman, are hitting under .200. And as a team, the Dodgers have 55 strikeouts (11 more than the Blue Jays), a .201 overall average and just six hits in 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

“We got a lot of guys who aren’t hot right now, aren’t feeling the best,” Edman said Wednesday night. “But we got to turn the page, and hopefully we can swing it better the next couple days.”

“As a group,” Kiké Hernández added, “it’s time for us to show our character and put up a fight and see what happens. … It’s time for us, for the offense, to show up.”

Better production from Betts would be a good start.

On Wednesday night, the shortstop did not mince words about his recent offensive struggles, saying he has “just been terrible” after batting .164 in 13 games since the start of the National League Division Series.

Roberts tried to take some pressure off the former MVP in Game 5, moving him from second to third in a reshuffled batting order. But after that yielded yet another hitless performance, Roberts further simplified the task for his 33-year-old star.

“Focus on one game, and be good for one game,” Roberts said. “Go out there and compete.”

On Thursday, that was Betts’ focus, with multiple people around the team noting a quiet and renewed confidence he carried into his off-day batting practice session. He had long talks with hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, special assistant Ron Roenicke and Roberts around the hitting cage. He searched for answers to a swing that, of late, has generated too many shallow pop-ups and mishit balls.

Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts, left, Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman wait on the infield during a pitching change in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“He looked great,” fellow hitting coach Aaron Bates said. “Actually, his head was in a good place. Good spirits. The whole group, guys were great. Everyone came and showed up and hit and got their work in.”

For the Dodgers to save their season, it isn’t only Betts who will need to find a turnaround.

While Blue Jays starters Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage pitched well in Games 4 and 5, the Dodgers also seemed to struggle to adapt their plan of attack — getting stuck in an “in-between” state, as both Roberts and several players noted, of both trying to attack fastballs and protect against secondary stuff.

“Sometimes we’re too aggressive,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “Sometimes we’re too patient.”

“It seems like at-bats are snowballing on us right now,” Kiké Hernández added. “We’re getting pitches to hit, we’re missing them. And we’re expanding the zone with two strikes.”

Being “in-between” was a problem for the Dodgers late in the season, when they ranked just 12th in the majors in scoring after the All-Star break. That it is happening again raises a familiar question about the identity of the club.

Do they want to be an aggressive, slugging lineup that lives and dies by the home run? Or more of a contact-minded unit capable of grinding out at-bats and stressing an opposing pitcher’s pitch count. Roberts’ emphasis on better “compete” signaled the need to do more of the latter.

Freeman echoed that notion leading up to Game 5.

“If we’re going up there just trying to hit home runs, it’s just not the name of the game,” Freeman said. “We just need to check down and have, like, almost a 0-1 mindset. Just build innings, extend ‘em, work counts, be who we are.”

So, how do they actually go about doing that, ahead of a Game 6 matchup with a pitcher in Kevin Gausman who excels at mixing his fastball and splitter?

“Basically, you have to keep to your strengths,” Bates said. “And see what the next pitcher brings to the table.”

The only silver lining: The Dodgers have been in this spot before.

Last year, at the very start of their World Series run, they faced a similar situation in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, winning back-to-back games with clutch offensive outbursts that helped catapult them to an eventual World Series title.

“We can do it again,” Freeman said.

“I think we’re a more talented team than we were last year,” Kike Hernández added.

Entering Friday, they will have two games to prove it. Now or never. Do, or watch their dreams of cementing a dynasty die.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell.

Game 5 thoughts:

—Magic Johnson, part owner of the Dodgers and perhaps the greatest Lakers player of all time, sent out a very important tweet before the game: “With the Series being 2-2, Game 5 is very important. Whichever team wins takes control of the Series!”

—That’s the type of insight you can only get from someone who has been there.

—Magic also threw out the first pitch before the game. Apparently, Kurt Rambis and Norm Nixon were unavailable.

—But really, Magic throws out the first pitch? All the great Dodgers in history who are still around, and you pick the Lakers star?

First inning

—So what’s going to happen tonight? Will Blake Snell be locked in? Will the offense show up?

—Some lineup changes, Mookie Betts drops to third and Will Smith moves to second. Andy Pages hits the bench and Alex Call starts and bats ninth.

—This is not the start the Dodgers were looking for.

—We don’t know if Snell has his good stuff yet because we haven’t seen any of his pitches. Just home runs.

—That’s a great way to take the crowd out of the game.

—And, as usual, the Dodgers go down quietly.

Second inning

—Trey Yesavage looks like a much better pitcher than he did in Game 1. He strikes out the side as the Dodgers continue to just swing at everything.

—What happened to the patience? They know it works, because they talk about it.

Third inning

—A rare misplay from Mookie Betts at short. He seemed to be in too big a hurry to throw the ball. It happens.

—The problem with this Blue Jays team is there’s no one on it to dislike, other than George Springer. And he’s not playing. They have a bunch of baseball players and no giant superstar.

—This is Trey Yesavage’s season:

April 8: First career start in single A
May 20: First high-A start
June 12: First double-A start
Aug. 14: First triple-A start
Sept. 15: First start in the majors
Oct. 5: First postseason start
Oct. 13: First ALCS start
Oct. 24: First World Series start
Oct. 29: Second World Series start

—Super Kiké has finally arrived. But can the Dodgers eventually hit a home run with runners on base?

—Major league players voted Kyle Schwarber the NL player of the year. That’s a surprise.

—This game won’t end 2-1.

Fourth inning

—Another terrible defensive play by Teoscar Hernández. He has been brutal in the field this year.

—And really, despite the rules of scoring a game, he should be given an error on that play. It should be a single and two-base error.

—And the Blue Jays immediately cash it in.

—Remember last season, when some Dodgers were bragging afterward that they knew they could take advantage of a sloppy Yankees team, which was poor on fundamentals on defense? That has been the Dodgers for much of this season. Poor at the basics and defense. What goes around, comes around.

—Quick everyone! Gather around the TV! It’s the in-game manager interview!

—Tommy Edman ends the inning. Whatever happened to Tommy Tanks?

Fifth inning

—Mary Hart got a foul ball after it bounced off her husband!

—The Dodgers have turned into strikeout machines.

—Once again, Shohei Ohtani will lead off an inning. No one on base. The switch to Call has not paid off.

Sixth inning

—I believe that Liberty Mutual seagulls commercial was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

—Snell really settled down after that first inning. The third run wasn’t his fault. The Blue Jays are making him work, but he’s not giving in.

—Moving Smith to the two spot hasn’t really paid off. Better to move Freeman to the two spot.

—Eleven strikeouts for Yesavage.

Seventh inning

—You know, the Dodgers have never won a World Series when Game 3 went 18 innings.

—Edgardo Henriquez comes in during a tough spot. This is where not having Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and the real Blake Treinen hurts.

—Blue Jays score a run on a single and three wild pitches (one was initially called a passed ball, but it was really a wild pitch). What was that about the Yankees not being fundamentally sound again?

—And the wheels come off again. It’s now 5-1. And with this Dodger offense, there’s no coming back.

—Why do we blame the Dodger offense for being bad and not give credit to the Blue Jays’ pitching? After all, when Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches a gem, we give him the credit and we don’t say the other team’s offense is weak. Human nature, I guess. Seeing everything through the lens of the team you root for.

—I’m not sure why they go to Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal for their comments during the game. They don’t say anything we don’t already know and … the game is still going on!

—And an inning-ending double play. Masterful game from Yesavage.

Eighth inning

—No game tomorrow. The Dodger offense will take batting practice and go 2 for 27 with 10 strikeouts.

—Another wild pitch. Will Smith caught all 18 innings in Game 3, and he looks like he’s moving slow back there. The Blue Jays’ main catcher, Alejandro Kirk, did not catch all 18 innings.

—The Dodgers have one of the oldest rosters in the league. The average age of their position players this season was 30.7 years old. That was the oldest in the majors. And they are playing like how I feel after spending a day at Disneyland.

—It’s funny, because my inbox is filling up with emails from people saying this team is an embarrassment or a disgrace. Really? The series isn’t over. The Dodgers won the World Series last year. If this team is an embarrassment or a disgrace to you, then you should move on with your life and find another sport to watch, because baseball isn’t for you.

Ninth inning

—Blake Treinen is in the game! It’s 6-1, so he’ll probably pitch a perfect inning.

—And he did.

—It looks like Mary Hart gave up on the game. She took her foul ball and went home.

—On the telecast, John Smoltz wondered what the team batting average was for teams who went into a World Series after sweeping an LCS when the other team went the full seven games. Well, if he read this newsletter, he would know! We covered that in the preview! Come on John, subscribe!

—And that’s that. The Dodgers made 27 outs, 46 of them by strikeout.

—Game 6 is Friday. Joe Davis and Smoltz seemed very confident about Yamamoto, but everyone was very confident about Snell coming into this series and the Dodgers lost both of those games.

—Last two games combined took less time than Game 3.

—My prediction remains, like I’ve said all along, Dodgers in seven.

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

World Series stats

Batting

Dodgers

Teoscar Hernández, .318/.375/.455, 7 for 22, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 7 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .316/.500/.895, 6 for 19, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBIs, 7 walks, 5 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .250/.400/.450, 5 for 20, 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 4 walks, 4 K’s
Will Smith, .238/.333/.381, 5 for 21, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 2 walks, 6 K’s
Kiké Hernández, .211/.200/.368, 4 for 10, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 10 K’s
Max Muncy, .150/.261/.350, 3 for 20, 1 double, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 3 walks, 8 K’s
Alex Call, .143/.250/.143, 1 for 7, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Tommy Edman, .143/.217/.190, 3 for 21, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 6 K’s
Mookie Betts, .130/.231/.130, 3 walks, 5 K’s
Andy Pages,.067/.067/.067, 1 for 15, 2 K’s
Miguel Rojas, 0 for 2
Team, .201/.296/.354, 5 doubles, 8 homers, 24 walks, 55 K’s, 3.6 runs per game.

Justin Dean, Hyeseong Kim and Ben Rortvedt have not batted during the series.

Blue Jays

Addison Barger, .471/.500/.647, 8 for 17, 1 homer, 5 RBIs, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., .364/.500/.636, 8 for 22, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, 6 walks, 2 K’s
Alejandro Kirk, .333/.458/.667, 6 for 18, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 5 walks, 4 K’s
Ernie Clement, .318/.304/.364, 7 for 22, 1 double, 2 RBIs, 2 K’s
Bo Bichette, .313/.389/.313, 5 for 16, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 2 K’s
George Springer, .273/.333/.364, 3 for 11, 1 double, 3 K’s
Ty France, .250/.250/.250, 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 K
Nathan Lukes, .250/.333/.313, 4 for 16, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks. 3 K’s
Daulton Varsho, .227/.346/.455, 1 triple, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, 4 K’s
Davis Schnedier, .222/.300/.556, 2 for 9, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 4 K’s
Andrés Giménez, .158/.261/.158, 3 for 19, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 9 K’s
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .063/.118/.063, 1 for 16, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Tyler Heineman, 0 for 3, 1 K
Myles Straw, 0 for 8, 3 K’s
Team, .261/.341/.389, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 7 homers, 22 walks, 44 K’s, 5.8 runs per game

Pitching

Dodgers

Will Klein, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 K’s
Justin Wrobleski, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 K’s
Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Edgardo Henriquez, 0.00 ERA, 2 IP, i hit, 2 walks, 2 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks
Clayton Kershaw, 0.00 ERA, 0.1 IP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1-0. 1.00 ERA, 9 IP, 4 hits, 8 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 K’s
Blake Treinen, 5.40 ERA, 1.2 IP, 5 hits
Shohei Ohtani, 0-1, 6.00 ERA, 6 IP, 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Blake Snell, 0-2, 7.71 ERA, 11.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 walks, 11 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 2 K’s
Anthony Banda, 18.00 ERA, 3 IP, 6 hits, 1 walk
Team, 2-3, 4.58 ERA, 53 IP, 53 hits, 22 walks, 44 K’s

Blue Jays

Eric Lauer, 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 2 hits, 5 walks, 3 K’s
Chris Bassitt, 0.00 ERA, 4 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 5 K’s
Jeff Hoffman, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walk, 4 K’s
Shane Bieber, 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP. 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 K’s
Trey Yesavange, 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 11 IP, 7 hits, 3 walks, 17 K’s
Seranthony Dominguez, 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 3.1 IP, 1 hit, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Kevin Gausman, 0-1, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP. 4 hits, 6 K’s
Mason Fluharty, 5.40 ERA, 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 K’s
Braydon Fisher, 5.40 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 hits, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Max Scherzer, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Louis Varland, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 3 K’s
Brendon Little, 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 K
Team, 3-2, 3.06 ERA, 53 IP, 38 hits, 24 walks, 55 K’s

In case you missed it

Plaschke: Disappearing Dodgers backed to the brink of disaster after World Series Game 5 loss

Dodgers’ offensive woes send them into a World Series tailspin with Game 5 loss

World Series Game 5: Dodgers fall, on brink of losing the World Series | Dodgers Debate

Freddie Freeman on the Dodgers’ World Series Game 5 loss

Hernández: Why Shohei Ohtani’s Game 4 failure will drive him to pitch again in this World Series

And finally

A palate cleanser from Game 5. One year ago today, the Dodgers win 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.

• The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 is hosted by Qatar and will kick off on November 3, with the final on November 27.
• The tournament will start with two matches: South Africa vs Bolivia, and Costa Rica vs the United Arab Emirates.
• The U-17 World Cup final will take place at Doha’s 45,000-seat Khalifa International Stadium.
• All matches until the final will be played across eight pitches at the Aspire Zone complex in Al Rayyan.
• The U-17 World Cup 2025 is the first to be played in the 48-team format instead of the previous biennial 24-team tournaments.
• The 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups for the tournament, with 104 matches in total.
• The group stage will run until November 11, with the 32-team knockout stage scheduled to begin on November 14.

Here are the details on the teams, groups, format, match fixtures, kickoff times and venues for FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025:

Groups and teams

⚽ Group A: Qatar, Italy, South Africa, Bolivia
⚽ Group B: Japan, Morocco, New Caledonia, Portugal
⚽ Group C: Senegal, Croatia, Costa Rica, United Arab Emirates
⚽ Group D: Argentina, Belgium, Tunisia, Fiji
⚽ Group E: England, Venezuela, Haiti, Egypt
⚽ Group F: Mexico, South Korea, Ivory Coast, Switzerland
⚽ Group G: Germany, Colombia, North Korea, El Salvador
⚽ Group H: Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia, Zambia
⚽ Group I: USA, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Czechia
⚽ Group J: Paraguay, Uzbekistan, Panama, Ireland
⚽ Group K: France, Chile, Canada, Uganda
⚽ Group L: Mali, New Zealand, Austria, Saudi Arabia

Format

The top two nations in each group automatically qualify for the knockout rounds, while the eight best third-place teams will also proceed further.

Winners of the last-32 advance to the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.

In knockout fixtures, if a game is level at the end of normal playing time, no extra time shall be played, with a penalty shootout determining the winner.

Match schedule

⚽ Group Stage

3 November 

Group A: South Africa vs Bolivia (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group C: Costa Rica vs United Arab Emirates (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group C: Senegal vs Croatia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Group B: Japan vs Morocco (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group D: Argentina vs Belgium (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group B: New Caledonia vs Portugal (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group A: Qatar vs Italy (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group D: Tunisia vs Fiji (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

4 November 

Group F: Ivory Coast vs Switzerland (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group H: Brazil vs Honduras (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm /12:0 GMT)

Group F: Mexico vs South Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Group E: Haiti vs Egypt (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group G: Germany vs Colombia (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group E: England vs Venezuela (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group G: North Korea vs El Salvador (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group H: Indonesia vs Zambia (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

5 November 

Group I: Tajikistan vs Czechia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group J: Panama vs Ireland (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group J: Paraguay vs Uzbekistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00pm/13:00 GMT)

Group L: Austria vs Saudi Arabia (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group L: Mali vs New Zealand (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group I: USA vs Burkina Faso (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group K: France vs Chile (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group K: Canada vs Uganda (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

6 November 

Group A: Bolivia vs Italy (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group B: Portugal vs Morocco (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group B: Japan vs New Caledonia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Group D: Argentina vs Tunisia (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group D: Fiji vs Belgium (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group C: United Arab Emirates vs Croatia (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group A: Qatar vs South Africa (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group C: Senegal vs Costa Rica (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

7 November 

Group E: England vs Haiti (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group G: El Salvador vs Colombia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group G: Germany vs North Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Group E: Egypt vs Venezuela (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group F: Mexico vs Ivory Coast (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group F: Switzerland vs South Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group H: Brazil vs Indonesia (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group H: Zambia vs Honduras (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

8 November 

Group I: Czechia vs Burkina Faso (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group K: Uganda vs Chile (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group L: Mali vs Austria (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Group K: France vs Canada (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group I: USA vs Tajikistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group J: Paraguay vs Panama (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Group J: Ireland vs Uzbekistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group L: Saudi Arabia vs New Zealand (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

9 November 

Group D: Fiji vs Argentina (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group D: Belgium vs Tunisia (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group B: Portugal vs Japan (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group B: Morocco vs New Caledonia (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group C: United Arab Emirates vs Senegal (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group C: Croatia vs Costa Rica (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group A: Bolivia vs Qatar (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group A: Italy vs South Africa (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

10 November 

Group F: Switzerland vs Mexico (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group F: South Korea vs Ivory Coast (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group G: El Salvador vs Germany (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group G: Colombia vs North Korea (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group H: Zambia vs Brazil (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group H: Honduras vs Indonesia (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group E: Egypt vs England (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group E: Venezuela vs Haiti (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

11 November 

Group K: Uganda vs France (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group K: Chile vs Canada (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Group J: Ireland vs Paraguay (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group J: Uzbekistan vs Panama (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Group I: Czechia vs USA (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group I: Burkina Faso vs Tajikistan (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Group L: Saudi Arabia vs Mali (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Group L: New Zealand vs Austria (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Rest days on 12 and 13 November 

⚽ Round of 32

14 November

Match 1 (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 2 (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 3 (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Match 4 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Match 5 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Match 6 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Match 7 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Match 8 (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

15 November

Match 9 (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 10 (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 11 (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Match 12 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Match 13 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Match 14 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Match 15 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Match 16 (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Rest days on 16 and 17 November

⚽ Round of 16

18 November

Match 1 (Aspire Zone, pitch 8, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 2 (Aspire Zone, pitch 3, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Match 3 (Aspire Zone, pitch 1, 4:00 pm/13:00 GMT)

Match 4 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Match 5 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Match 6 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 6:15 pm/15:15 GMT)

Match 7 (Aspire Zone, pitch 9, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Match 8 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Rest days on 19 and 20 November

⚽ Quarterfinals

21 November 

Quarterfinal 1 (Aspire Zone, pitch 4, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Quarterfinal 2 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 4:30 pm/13:30 GMT)

Quarterfinal 3 (Aspire Zone, pitch 2, 5:45 pm/14:45 GMT)

Quarterfinal 4 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Rest days on 22 and 23 November

⚽ Semifinals

24 November

Semifinal 1 (Aspire Zone, pitch 5, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

Semifinal 2 (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 6:45 pm/15:45 GMT)

Rest days on 25 and 26 November 

Third-place playoff

27 November (Aspire Zone, pitch 7, 3:30 pm/12:30 GMT)

⚽ Final

27 November 

Final (Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, 9pm/18:00 GMT)

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. One of the most exciting World Series games in history followed by one of the most boring.

Game 4 thoughts:

—Tinashe sang the U.S. national anthem. Deborah Cox sang the Canadian national anthem. Apparently, Bruce Hornsby and Avril Lavigne were unavailable.

—Orel Hershiser threw out the first pitch. Apparently Dave Goltz and Don Stanhouse were unavailable.

First inning

—You have to wonder which relievers will be available for either team. Let’s look at those Game 3 pitch counts:

Dodgers
Anthony Banda, 3
Justin Wrobleski, 28
Blake Treinen, 15
Jack Dreyer, 5
Roki Sasaki, 29
Emmet Sheehan, 37
Clayton Kershaw, 8
Edgardo Henriquez, 30
Will Klein, 72

It would seem Banda, Treinen, Dreyer and Kershaw would definitely be available.

Blue Jays
Fluharty, 14
Varland, 20
Dominguez, 27
Bassitt, 8
Hoffman, 33
Fisher, 19
Lauer, 68
Little, 28

You have to figure Fluharty, Varland, Bassitt and Fisher would definitely be available.

—No George Springer in the lineup for the Blue Jays. He hurt his side while swinging in Game 3. Sometimes this can be a rallying point for a team, and the player who replaces the star can lift his game, just like Mickey Hatcher did when he replaced Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series.

—Will pitcher Shohei Ohtani‘s legs be strong tonight after reaching base nine times yesterday? We’ll find out.

—Great defensive play by Kiké Hernández. He hasn’t quite been Super Kiké at the plate, but he still raises his game in the postseason.

—The Blue Jays made Ohtani work a little, but he got out of it. 19 pitches.

—They pitch around Ohtani, then the runner is stranded. Uneventful first inning.

Second inning

—Seven-pitch inning for Ohtani. Blue Jays should be trying to work the count more.

—Dodgers have first and third and one out. Need to score a run here.

—Kiké brings him home.

—Can Andy Pages break out of his slump?

—He cannot.

Third inning

—Well, that home run by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was well struck. It’s OK, seemed unlikely the game was going to end 1-0.

—Ohtani has made 42 pitches through three innings. This may become important later.

—The Dodgers are hitting the ball hard, but right at people.

Fourth inning

—Everyone on the field seems tired. Heck, I’m tired. Are you tired?

—Ohtani strikes out the side. He’s the only one who doesn’t look tired. I’m pretty sure he’s some sort of android.

—Ohtani has made 59 pitches through four innings.

—And poor Will Smith. Catches 18 inning last night, back in there today.

—I’m not a fan of these in-game interviews with the manager. The questions are usually lame and it detracts from the actual game going on. People tune in to see the game. They don’t call out to their family, “Honey, quick, you are missing the in-game manager interview!”

Fifth inning

—Ohtani has made 76 pitches through five innings. Perhaps two more innings for him? Maybe three? It’s his last pitching start of the season.

—Can Andy Pages break out of his slump?

—He cannot.

—The Dodgers are not working the count ever. Bieber has made 75 pitches through five.

—I’m guessing this game does not end 2-1.

Sixth inning

—Ohtani made only one bad pitch this game, and it cost him two runs. He has looked great otherwise.

—Ninety pitches through six innings, so one more inning.

—Freeman gets a single and again the next batter doesn’t work the count.

—Bieber talked manager John Schneider into leaving him in the game. Will that come back to haunt him?

—Teoscar Hernández singles, so so far it was a bad decision.

—And now Bieber comes out for left-hander Mason Fluharty.

—And Fluharty gets Max Muncy and Tommy Edman. The Dodgers waste their best chance so far.

Seventh inning

—Single. Double. This game could be out of hand in a hurry.

—That’s it of Ohtani. Anthony Banda is the next man up for the Dodgers.

—If the Dodgers can get out of this giving up only one run, it’s a rousing success.

—The Blue Jays get two runs. It’s 4-1. The Dodgers can come back from that, but they look tired.

—Oh, no! It’s Blake Treinen!

—And he Blake Treinens the place up. It’s 6-1.

—With a tired bullpen, maybe Dave Roberts had no choice but to bring Treinen in today. But let this be the last time we see him this season.

—Like usual, it doesn’t look like the Dodgers will be winning the World Series at home.

—Can Andy Pages break out of his slump here?

—We’ll never know, as Alex Call pinch-hit for Pages and struck out. Heck, Pages could have done that.

Eighth inning

—The Dodgers just look lethargic. Of course, their offense has been below par ever since the start of the NLDS.

—Their starting pitching has carried them, and when the starting pitcher gives up a couple of runs, trouble ensues.

Ninth inning

—Dreyer ate up the innings, which is just what the Dodgers needed. He probably won’t be available in Game 5, but everyone else will be.

—Now the Dodgers need Blake Snell to pitch better than he did in Game 1.

—The offense comes alive a little bit in the ninth, but too little, too late.

—Mason Fluharty is the unsung hero of the game.

—Mason and Hannah were in their assigned seats, but the Dodgers lost, so they are now released from captivity.

—It’s now a best-of-three series, and the Blue Jays have home-field advantage.

—I get the feeling there will be at least one lineup change for the Dodgers in Game 5.

—My prediction remains, like I’ve said all along, Dodgers in um, six.

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

In case you missed it

Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series matchup a boon for viewership in Japan and Canada

‘Who is this guy?’ Inside Will Klein’s impossible rise to Dodgers World Series hero

Who would have pitched had World Series Game 3 went to 19+ innings?

‘Got an out’: Inside Clayton Kershaw’s brief but clutch appearance in World Series Game 3

This is how much Dodgers fans spent to attend the World Series: ‘This is the golden ticket in L.A.’

Former Dodger Mike Davis wants to be remembered for more than a well-timed walk

The perfect L.A. bakery for this Dodgers moment

And finally

Forget Game 4, let’s look at 30 minutes of highlights from that amazing Game 3. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dodger manager Dave Roberts dismissed that history Friday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s not a good feeling.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and judging by the numerous emails on the topic I’ve received, fans really want to beat George Springer.

Springer was the MVP of the 2017 World Series that was won by the cheating Houston (no relation) Astros.

—Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the best hitters on the Blue Jays and have been playing very well this postseason.

—Actually, the whole Blue Jays offense is doing well, hitting 296/.355/.523 and averaging 6.45 runs per game. They haven’t faced a starting rotation as good as the Dodgers’ however.

—Even if you discount his 2017 postseason stats, Springer remains one of the best postseason hitters of all time.

—The Dodgers will go with Blake Snell in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.

A quick chart for those of you who miss the days of starting pitchers pitching deep into games:

Most innings pitched by starters in a four-game LCS:

1979 Orioles: 33.1
1974 A’s: 29.2 IP
1983 White Sox: 29.1 IP
1990 A’s: 29.1 IP
2025 Dodgers: 28.2 IP
1983 Orioles: 28.2 IP

—Dodger pitchers have given up four home runs this postseason. Blue Jays pitchers have given up 18.

—How humble and cool is Shohei Ohtani? In the clubhouse after he was named NLCS MVP, he covered up his name on the trophy and replaced it with something that said Team Effort. You can see a picture of it here.

—Some bad news for the bullpen: Alex Vesia might miss the World Series because he and his wife are dealing with a “a deeply personal family matter.” From Jack Harris’ story:

“We have a little bit of time — I think 10 o’clock tomorrow or something like that — to finalize our roster,” Dave Roberts said. “But, yeah, we’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster.”

One potential option for the Dodgers would be to place Vesia on MLB’s Family Medical Emergency List, which would require him to miss a minimum of three days but make it possible for him to rejoin the active roster later in the World Series.

—That would be a big blow to the Dodger bullpen. Vesia was one of the handful of guys they counted on this postseason. I would imagine Anthony Banda would fill his role as the main left-hander out of the pen.

—But the important thing is not how it hurts the Dodgers, it’s that Vesia and his wife come through this OK. Our best wishes to them.

—Which unlikely player will rise up to be a star this World Series? I’m going with Andy Pages, who is overdue to break his slump.

—The dream scenario: Dodgers win it at home, and have a big enough lead that Clayton Kershaw comes in to pitch the final inning.

—Because I had “4-0” and “4-3” on the mind (or, I’m just dumb), in the last newsletter I had the Dodgers defeating the A’s 4-3 in the 1988 World Series. It was 4-1 of course.

—What do the Dodgers need to do to win? Cool off Springer and Guerrero. Work the count and tire out the pitching staff, which pays off even more as the series progresses. The pitchers need to attack hitters and not just nibble around the corner. All of that is easier said than done though.

—Whichever team wins, Jose Ureña is guaranteed a World Series ring. He pitched for the Dodgers and Blue Jays this season. For the Dodgers he gave one run in three innings, for the Blue Jays, five runs in 12.1 innings. The Dodgers signed him on June 3 and released him on June 13.

—Familiar face Don Mattingly is the bench coach for the Blue Jays. Believe it or not, in his long, illustrious career, this is the first time he has been in a World Series.

—One thing the Dodgers have working in their favor: The Blue Jays don’t have many strong left-handed pitchers. They can’t just pound them with lefties like the Brewers did.

—The series won’t be easy. The Dodgers have made winning in the postseason look easy, but it isn’t. But there are four more wins left in them.

Prediction: Dodgers in 5.

Let’s take a look at how the teams compare and where they ranked among the 30 teams:

Batting

Runs per game
Dodgers, 5.09 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 4.93 (4th)
MLB average, 4.45

Batting average
Blue Jays, .265 (1st)
Dodgers, .253 (5th)
MLB average, .245

On-base %
Blue Jays, .333 (1st)
Dodgers, .327 (5th)
MLB average, .315

Slugging %
Dodgers, .441 (2nd)
Blue Jays, .427 (7th)
MLB average, .404

Doubles
Blue Jays, 294 (3rd)
MLB average, 258
Dodgers, 257 (13th)

Triples
Dodgers, 21 (T12th)
MLB average, 21
Blue Jays, 13 (26th)

Home runs
Dodgers, 244 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 191 (T11th)
MLB average, 188

Walks
Dodgers, 580 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 520 (13th)
MLB average, 513

Strikeouts
MLB average, 1,355
Dodgers, 1,353 (16th)
Blue Jays, 1,099 (29th)

Stolen bases
MLB average, 115
Dodgers, 88 (T21st)
Blue Jays, 77 (28th)

Sacrifice bunts
Blue Jays, 35 (3rd)
MLB average, 19
Dodgers, 13 (T20th)

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position
Dodgers, .271 (1st)
Blue Jays, .264 (4th)
MLB average, .233

Pitching

ERA
Dodgers, 3.95 (16th)
MLB average, 4.15
Blue Jays, 4.18 (19th)

Team ERA after All-Star break
Dodgers, 3.45 (2nd)
Blue Jays, 4.23 (17th)
MLB average, 4.28

Rotation ERA
Dodgers, 3.69 (5th)
MLB average, 4.21
Blue Jays, 4.34 (20th)

Bullpen ERA
Blue Jays, 3.98 (16th)
MLB average, 4.08
Dodgers, 4.27 (21st)

FIP (click here for explainer)
Dodgers, 3.93 (7th)
MLB average, 4.16
Blue Jays, 4.27 (23rd)

Walks
Dodgers, 563 (5th)
Blue Jays, 517 (15th)
MLB average, 513

Strikeouts
Dodgers, 1,505 (1st)
Blue Jays, 1,430 (6th)
MLB average, 1,355

Saves
Dodgers, 46 (5th)
Blue Jays, 42 (T12th)
MLB average, 40

Blown saves
Dodgers, 27 (T7th)
MLB average, 24
Blue Jays, 23 (T14th)

Inherited runners who scored %
Dodgers, 26.1% (3rd)
Blue Jays, 27.6% (8th)
MLB average, 31.8%

Relief innings
Dodgers, 657.2 (1st)
Blue Jays, 597.1 (13th)
MLB average, 595

Relief wins
Dodgers, 44 (T1st)
Blue Jays, 44 (T1st)
MLB average, 33

Relief losses
Dodgers, 33 (T7th)
MLB average, 29
Blue Jays, 22 (T26th)

Fielding

Errors
Blue Jays, 86 (12th)
MLB average, 82
Dodgers, 68 (25th)

The players

When comparing the main players on the teams, keep in mind that players can move around depending on who is starting and managerial whim. For a full look at the Blue Jays statistically, click here.

DH
Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. .282/.392/.622, 25 doubles, 55 homers, 102 RBIs
Blue Jays, George Springer, .309/.399/.500, 27 doubles, 32 homers, 84 RBIs

The best hitter on both teams bats leadoff. Far cry from the days when the DH would be the slow, aging, plodding slugger, batting fourth or fifth.

Catcher
Dodgers, Will Smith, .296/.404/.497, 20 doubles, 17 homers, 61 RBIs
Dodgers, Ben Rortvedt, .224/.309/.327, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Blue Jays, Alejandro Kirk, .282/.348/.421, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 20 RBIs
Blue Jays, Tyler Heineman, .289/.361/.416, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBIs

Don’t expect Rortvedt or Heineman to get too much, if any, playing time.

First base
Dodgers, Freddie Freeman, .295/.367/.502, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 90 RBIs
Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., .292/.381/.467, 34 doubles, 23 homers, 84 RBIs

Guerrero is red hot. He was named ALCS MVP after hitting .385 with three homers and he hit .529 in the ALDS. He has six home runs and 12 RBIs in 11 postseason games this season. Priority one will be slowing him down some.

Second base
Dodgers, Miguel Rojas, .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs
Dodgers, Tommy Edman, .225/.274/.382, 13 doubles, 13 homers, 49 RBIs
Blue Jays, Andrés Giménez, .210/.285/.313, 11 doubles, 7 homers, 35 RBIs
OR
Blue Jays, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .262/.297/.334, 21 doubles, 2 homers, 40 RBIs

When I see good glove, no hit guys like Giménez in a World Series lineup and begin to think “easy out,” I stop myself and start thinking about Brian Doyle in the 1978 World Series. He was a career .161 hitter who hit .438 in that series.

Third base
Dodgers, Max Muncy, .243/.376/.470, 10 doubles, 19 homers, 67 RBIs
Blue Jays, Ernie Clement, .277/.313/.398, 35 doubles, 9 homers, 50 RBIs

Shortstop
Dodgers, Mookie Betts, .258/.326/.406, 23 doubles, 20 homers, 82 RBIs
Blue Jays, Andrés Giménez, .210/.285/.313, 11 doubles, 7 homers, 35 RBIs
OR
Blue Jays, Bo Bichette, .311/.457/.483, 44 doubles, 18 homers, 94 RBIs

The Blue Jays’ middle infield depends entirely on the health of Bichette. He has been out for six weeks because of an injured left knee, but says he will be ready for the World Series. If he is, then Giménez slides over to second. If not, the Giménez plays short and Kiner-Falefa plays second.

Left field
Dodgers, Kiké Hernández, .203/.255/.366, 8 doubles, 10 homers, 35 RBIs
Blue Jays, Nathan Lukes, .255/.323/.407, 19 doubles, 12 homers, 65 RBIs

Center field
Dodgers, Andy Pages, .272/.313/.461, 27 doubles, 27 homers, 86 RBIs
Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho, .238/.284/.548, 13 doubles, 20 homers, 55 RBIs

Right field
Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández, .247/.284/.454, 29 doubles, 25 homers, 89 RBIs
Blue Jays, Addison Barger, .243/.301/.454, 32 doubles, 21 homers, 74 RBIs

Barger is Max Muncy, if Muncy didn’t draw any walks.

Of the Blue Jays, Giménez, Lukes, Varsho and Barger bat left-handed. Heineman is a switch-hitter.

Starting pitchers

Dodgers
*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA, 61.1 IP, 51 hits, 26 walks, 72 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 173.2 IP, 113 hits, 59 walks, 201 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 47 IP, 40 hits, 9 walks, 62 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 4-3, 3.19 ERA, 90.1 IP, 56 hits, 43 walks, 106 K’s

Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman, 10-11, 3.59 ERA, 193 IP, 155 hits, 50 walks, 189 K’s
Shane Bieber, 4-2, 3.57 ERA, 40.1 IP, 34 hits, 7 walks, 37 K’s
Trey Yesavage, 1-0, 3.21 ERA, 14 IP, 13 hits, 7 walks, 16 K’s
Max Scherzer, 5-5, 5.19 ERA, 85 IP, 87 hits, 23 walks, 82 K’s

These are the four pitchers who started for the Blue Jays in the ALCS. It’s conceivable they could use left-hander Eric Lauer as a starter, or as an opener, to help neutralize Ohtani and Freeman. He started for them during the season before going to the bullpen when Bieber joined the rotation.

The main relievers

Dodgers
*Alex Vesia, 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 5 saves, 59.2 IP, 37 hits, 22 walks, 80 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 6-3, 2.82 ERA, 73.1 IP, 49 hits, 22 walks, 89 K’s
Blake Treinen, 2-7. 5.40 ERA, 26.2 IP, 30 hits, 19 walks, 36 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 4.46 ERA, 36.1 IP, 30 hits, 22 walks, 28 K’s
*Anthony Banda, 5-1, 3.18 ERA, 65 IP, 45 hits, 34 walks, 61 K’s

Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman, 9-7, 4.37 ERA, 33 saves, 68 IP, 54 hits, 27 walks, 84 K’s
Louis Varland, 1-0, 4.94 ERA, 23.2 IP, 24 hits, 9 walks, 28 K’s
*Mason Fluharty, 5-2, 4.44 ERA, 1 save, 52.2 IP, 36 hits, 24 walks, 56 K’s
*Eric Lauer, 9-2, 3.18 ERA, 104.2 IP, 90 hits, 26 walks, 102 K’s
Seranthony Dominguez, 2-1, 3.00 ERA, 21 IP, 12 hits, 12 walks, 25 K’s

*-left-handed

Postseason numbers

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
Kiké Hernández, .306/.375/.417, 11 for 36, 4 doubles, 4 RBIs, 4 walks, 9 K’s
Mookie Betts, .293/.370/.439, 12 for 41, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 RBIs, 4 walks, 4 K’s
Tommy Edman, .286/.306/.486, 10 for 35, 1 double, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 1 walk, 12 K’s
Will Smith, .286/.375/.286, 8 for 28, 2 RBIs, 3 walks, 10 K’s
Teoscar Hernández, .268/.302/.585, 1 double, 4 homers, 11 RBIs, 2 walks, 11 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .231/.333/.410, 9 for 39, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 5 walks, 11 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .220/.333/.634, 9 for 41, 1 triple, 5 homers, 9 RBIs, 7 walks, 17 K’s
Max Muncy, .214/.389/.357, 6 for 28, 1 double, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 7 walks, 6 K’s
Andy Pages, .086/.135/.114, 3 for 35, 1 double, 1 RBI, 9 K’s
Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1, 1 K
Team, .256/.340/.430, 17 doubles, 2 triples, 13 homers, 35 walks, 93 K’s, 4.6 runs per game

Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., .442/.510/.930, 19 for 43, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 6 walks, 3 K’d
Ernie Clement, .429/.444/.619, 18 for 42, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 7 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Nathan Lukes, .333/.381/.410, 13 for 39, 3 doubles, 7 RBIs, 3 walks, 5 K’s
Addison Barger, .286/.375/.514, 10 for 35, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 5 walks, 7 K’s
Daulton Varsho, .273/.304/.500, 12 for 44, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 2 walks, 12 K’s
Andrés Giménez, .263/.317/.447, 10 for 38, 1 double, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 2 walks, 5 K’s
George Springer, .239/.321/. 609, 11 for 36, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 5 walks, 11 K’s
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, .238/.238/.333, 5 for 21, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 1 K
Alejandro Kirk, .222/.286/.467, 10 for 45, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBIs, 4 walks, 7 K’s
Myles Straw, .222/.300/.222, 2 for 9, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 2 K’s
Anthony Santander, .200/.250/.200, 3 for 15, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 5 K’s
David Schneider, .200/.385/.300, 2 for 10, 1 double, 3 walks, 4 K’s
Joey Loperfido, 0 for 1
Team, .296/.355/.523, 26 doubles, 1 triple, 20 homers, 33 walks, 64 K’s, 6.45 runs per game

Pitching

Anthony Banda, 0.00 ERA, 1.2 IP, 2 walks, 1 K
Jack Dreyer, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 8 walks, 18 K’s
Blake Snell, 3-0, 0.86 ERA, 21 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 5 walks, 28 K’s
Roki Sasaki, 1.13 ERA, 3 saves, 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER,, 2 walks, 6 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-1, 1.83 ERA, 19.2 IP, 13 hits, 4 ER, 4 walks, 18 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 12 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 19 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, 3.2 IP, 5 hits 3 ER, 2 walks, 5 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 2 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, 9-1, 2.45 ERA. 4 saves, 92 IP, 56 hits, 25 ER, 38 walks, 104 K’s

Blue Jays

Chris Bassitt, 0.00 ERA, 2.2 IP, 3 K’s
Jeff Hoffman, 1.23 ERA, 2 saves, 7.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, 12 K’s
Kevin Gausman, 2-1, 2.00 ERA, 18 IP, 10 hits, 4 ER, 9 walks, 12 K’s
Max Scherzer, 1-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Louis Varland, 0-1, 3.27 ERA, 11 IP, 8 hits, 4 ER, 1 walk, 13 K’s
Seranthony Dominguez. 1-0, 4.05 ERA, 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 5 walks, 5 K’s
Trey Yesavage, 2-1, 4.20 ERA, 15 IP, 10 hits, 7 ER, 7 walks, 22 K’s
Shane Bieber, 1-0, 4.38 ERA, 12.1 IP, 16 hits, 6 ER, 3 walks, 15 K’s
Mason Fluharty, 6.23 ERA, 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 7 K’s
Braydon Fisher, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Eric Lauer, 9.00 ERA, 3 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 5 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, 7-4, 4.36 ERA, 2 saves, 97 IP, 84 hits, 47 ER, 44 walks, 108 K’s

Poll results

We asked, “Who will win the World Series?”

After 13,296 votes:

Dodgers in five, 44.5%
Dodgers in six, 40.7%
Dodgers in four, 6.3%
Dodgers in seven, 4.5%
Blue Jays in six, 1.9%
Blue Jays in seven, 1.2%
Blue Jays in five, 0.6%
Blue Jays in four, 0.3%

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA) at Toronto (Trey Yesavage, 1-0, 3.21 ERA), 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Saturday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA) at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Monday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

Tuesday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Wednesday: Toronto at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Friday, Oct. 31: Dodgers at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-Saturday, Nov. 1: Dodgers at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTMZ 1220, ESPN radio

x-if necessary

In case you missed it

Alex Vesia might not pitch in World Series because of personal matter

‘It’s just in our DNA’: Why Dodgers treat title pressure as routine while chasing dynasty

Dave Roberts doesn’t think the Dodgers are villains

Hernández: Yamamoto’s interpreter almost quit after 2 days. Now he’s hoping his underwear can help in World Series

Cuban Andy Pages’ Dodgers success is bittersweet due to family separation

How a difficult season transformed Blake Snell into the Dodgers’ October ace

Shaikin: ‘I let down an entire nation.’ Canadians wanted Ohtani. They got a ‘Shark Tank’ star instead

Dodgers’ Justin Dean has not batted yet in the playoffs. Here’s how he still contributes

And finally

Freddie Freeman hits a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 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.