Shohei Ohtani’s wife, Mamiko Tanaka, surprised baseball fans with her reaction to the chants that the Toronto Blue Jays were shouting at her husband during the World Series.

The chants began in Game 1 of the World Series, when the Blue Jays faced the Dodgers.

Ohtani was serenaded with “We don’t need you!” while he was at bat during Game 1.

When Ohtani was asked about the chants, he mentioned what his wife thought about them.

“It was a really great chant, and my wife really appreciated it,” Ohtani said through the team interpreter, Will Ireton.

The stadiums buzzed with this chant throughout the postseason and during Game 1 of the World Series.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider discussed the chant during the postgame press conference.

“Kind of heard it, but it’s tough to talk about a player like that, to be honest with you,” Schneider said.

What started as a bold plan to pitch to Shohei Ohtani turned into an 18-inning endurance test that left the Toronto Blue Jays with little choice but to stop the challenge against baseball’s biggest star.

By the end of Monday night’s marathon game, Ohtani had reached base a record nine times, including four straight intentional walks beginning in the ninth inning. The Los Angeles Dodgers ultimately pulled out a 6-5 win on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run in the 18th, taking a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

The shift in Toronto’s approach came after Ohtani went 4-for-4 early. He blasted two home runs and 2 doubles, one of which tied the game in the seventh. The Blue Jays manager, John Schneider, said, “The decision to walk him repeatedly was not the initial plan, but became a necessity.”

Despite the cautious approach, Toronto’s bullpen managed to hold firm until Freeman’s game-ending swing against reliever Brendon Little in the 18th.

The Blue Jays used nearly their entire roster in the loss, with only three pitchers left unused. Still, the team remained confident after the setback.

Schneider said, “The Dodgers did not win the World Series today; they won a game.” He expects his team to bounce back in Game 4, even though the status of outfielder George Springer remains uncertain after his possible injury.

On Tuesday night, though, the Blue Jays got their payback winning 6-2, evening the series to 2-2.

Then on Wednesday, the Jays snuck ahead, winning Game 5, 6-1.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had one of the most memorable postseason performances in baseball history on Friday, hitting three home runs and notching 10 strikeouts and zero runs as pitcher in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ohtani’s performance helped the Dodgers sweep the Brewers and advance to their second straight World Series. The team will face the Toronto Blue Jays for a chance to secure back-to-back championships.

But just how good was the performance by the Dodgers superstar?

Ohtani is the third player in MLB history to record three home runs while starting as pitcher, joining Jim Tobin and Guy Hecker with the feat. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Rick Wise had a similar performance in 1971 against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting two home runs and pitching no hits.

Ohtani also reached double digits in total bases and strikeouts, becoming the first player to do so since at least 1906.

Shohei Ohtani left one heckler speechless during Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Ohtani’s hitless performance during the first two games in the weekend series gave Padres fans much to talk about.

During the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory, Ohtani hit his 45th home run of the season, straight through center field. The visitor dugout at Petco Park exploded with anticipation to celebrate Ohtani’s return. Teoscar Hernandez stood ready with sunflower seeds in hand for the traditional Dodgers’ home run celebration.

Except Ohtani quickly veered left, offering a high-five to the Padres Fan who was heckling him the entire game. The fan looked shocked by the gesture and sank back into his seat as sunflower seeds rained down on Ohtani in the dugout.

Manager Dave Roberts seemed to enjoy the display of retaliation. The head-on interaction was uncharacteristic of the usually peaceful Ohtani. Roberts told MLB the fan had been heckling the team the entire afternoon, specifically commenting on Ohtani’s performance in the weekend series.

“He was wearing him out the whole game. So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him.” Roberts said. “That was great. That was fun. It was good for Shohei to show his personality.”

Although Ohtani did not speak to reporters afterwards, the 409-foot home run and heckler interaction alone delivered his message clearly.

Ohtani was not the only Dodgers hitter to win big on Sunday. In back-to-back innings, Freddie Freeman hit two home runs. Rookie Dalton Rushing‘s go-ahead three-run blast secured a game tie in the sixth inning.

The Southern California rivals are tied at 74-57 for the NL West Lead with only 31 games to go. Although the teams will not play against each other again in the regular season, they will surely be watching each other’s moves closely.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and have the second-best record in the National League.

The Dodgers finished the 2024 regular season with a record of 98-64, securing the NL West title. The Dodgers went on a run in the postseason, winning the World Series, by defeating the New York Yankees in five games.

Los Angeles had a very busy offseason as the team looked to add talent in hopes of winning the World Series in back-to-back years. Los Angeles signed Nippon Professional Baseball League superstar pitcher Roki Sasaki, former Cy Young Award Winner Blake Snell, second baseman Hyeseong Kim from the KBO League in South Korea, outfielder Michael Conforto and relief pitchers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.

The Dodgers also re-signed Teoscar Hernández, Clayton Kershaw, and Enrique Hernández. Given all of the moves the Dodgers made, the organization lost starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty.

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Los Angeles also traded Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds for outfield prospect Mike Mirota and a draft pick.

The Dodgers have one of the best offenses in baseball this season, led by Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages.

Los Angeles has the second-most home runs and RBIs in baseball, and has the third-highest slugging percentage. Los Angeles is also in the top five for batting average and on-base percentage.

Pitching has also been excellent for the Dodgers, led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Kershaw.

The Dodgers have given up the second-fewest amount of home runs and are in the top five for ERA and batting average allowed. The Dodgers also rank in the top 10 for walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) and strikeouts.

One primary reason the Dodgers do not have the best record, not only in the National League but in all of baseball, has been injuries.

Glasnow has only pitched 40 innings, Snell has only pitched 14 innings, and Tony Gonsolin and Sasaki have both missed significant time with injuries. The Dodgers have also dealt with injuries to Max Muncy, Tommy Edman, Enrique Hernández and Kim.

Los Angeles is also currently without relief pitchers Scott, Yates, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Kopech. Evan Phillips will also miss the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery.

Due to the numerous injuries the Dodgers are dealing with, the front office made moves at the trade deadline to help around the edges.

The Dodgers traded for relief pitcher Brock Stewart from the Minnesota Twins and outfielder Alex Call from the Washington Nationals. Los Angeles also traded starting pitcher Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox for two prospects.

If the Dodgers can get healthy as October baseball approaches, Los Angeles will be a formidable opponent for any team and would likely be World Series favorites once again.

Los Angeles Dodgers Schedule & Tickets

• August 4: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 5: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 6: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
• August 8: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• August 9: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• August 10: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• August 11: at Los Angeles Angels
• August 12: at Los Angeles Angels
• August 13: at Los Angeles Angels
• August 15: vs. San Diego Padres
• August 16: vs. San Diego Padres
• August 17: vs. San Diego Padres
• August 18: at Colorado Rockies
• August 19: at Colorado Rockies
• August 20: at Colorado Rockies
• August 21: at Colorado Rockies
• August 22: at San Diego Padres
• August 23: at San Diego Padres
• August 24: at San Diego Padres
• August 25: vs. Cincinnati Reds
• August 26: vs. Cincinnati Reds
• August 27: vs. Cincinnati Reds
• August 29: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 30: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 31: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 2: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• September 3: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• September 4: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• September 5: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 6: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 7: at Baltimore Orioles
• September 8: vs. Colorado Rockies
• September 9: vs. Colorado Rockies
• September 10: vs. Colorado Rockies
• September 12: at San Francisco Giants
• September 13: at San Francisco Giants
• September 14: at San Francisco Giants
• September 15: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• September 16: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• September 17: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• September 18: vs. San Francisco Giants
• September 19: vs. San Francisco Giants
• September 20: vs. San Francisco Giants
• September 21: vs. San Francisco Giants
• September 23: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 24: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 25: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 26: at Seattle Mariners
• September 27: at Seattle Mariners
• September 28: at Seattle Mariners

Los Angeles Dodgers Odds

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Shohei Ohtani approached his first start, which qualified as an extension of his pitching rehab, expecting to sit somewhere in the mid-90s with his fastball, as had been the case in the late stages of his progression. But the excitement of pitching in his first game in nearly two years took over, the adrenaline that comes with performing in front of 50,000-plus people swept over him, and before he knew it, Ohtani was overextending himself.

His 10th pitch Monday night clocked 100.2 mph. His 17th came in at 99.9 mph. It triggered excitement, but also some caution among the members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have vowed to be careful with his return to pitching.

“I was just kind of hoping for a more tempered 97, 96 than 100,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, speaking after his team’s 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres, said with a smile. “But when you’re a competitor, you’re just trying to get guys out. And if you have 100 in the tank, you’re going to use it. And that’s what he does.”

Ohtani threw one inning, as expected, and gave up one run on a sacrifice fly, requiring 28 pitches to record the game’s first three outs. Later, he went 2-for-4 as the designated hitter, striking out twice but also driving in a couple of runs.

Monday marked the start of something: Two-way Ohtani is back, here to stay for as long as his body will allow him to.

“Not quite happy with the results overall,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, “but I think the biggest takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to go out for my next outing.”

The Dodgers’ hype video touting Ohtani’s return to pitching aired on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard roughly 25 minutes before the first pitch, after which the camera cut directly to Ohtani – situated atop the bullpen mound beyond left field, navigating through his delivery while preparing to face the top of the Padres’ lineup. A sold-out crowd roared with excitement.

Ohtani came onto the field, threw some warm-up pitches and fired the first pitch to Fernando Tatis Jr. – a 97.6 mph sinker for a strike. Tatis eventually reached on a shallow fly ball that fell just out of the reach of center fielder Andy Pages, then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Luis Arraez followed with a line drive single the opposite way to move Tatis to third. Manny Machado appeared to strike out, but first-base umpire Ryan Blakney ruled otherwise, which led to a sacrifice fly to score a run.

Ohtani followed by inducing groundouts from Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts, then jogged toward the dugout to strap on his elbow guard and batting gloves to go hit. He struck out in his first plate appearance but later recorded as many hits as he gave up. A two-hit, opposite-field double in the third inning tied the score at 1-1; a base hit to right field in the fourth capped the five-run inning that basically put the game away.

“He never stops surprising me,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “We’ll see how it progresses for him.”

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani is recovering slowly from his off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The reigning N.L. MVP suffered the injury in Game 2 of the World Series, but he is still expected to be available for the start of the 2025 season.

“I do feel like there’s some discomfort that I have to still overcome, [but] it’s not really debilitating,” Ohtani said through an interpreter, per The Los Angeles Times. “Just a limited range of motion. I’ve gone through it with the elbow before. With the shoulder, it’s a little bit more complicated. I do believe that’s the part that I have to be patient with.”

Not only is Ohtani returning to action as a hitter in 2025, but the Dodgers’ current plan is for him to pitch again this summer. Stepping off the mound for the 2024 season to recover from UCL surgery, a further surgery to repair a torn labrum may complicate that timeline. For now, though, Los Angeles claims that he could be ready to go during the 2025 season. He will not have a rehab assignment, as the team would rather maximize his time as a designated hitter on the 40-man roster. In the meantime, he will reportedly take at-bats in the Cactus League this winter.

In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani overcame his inability to pitch by hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases. It was an incredible season that propelled a famously underachieving Los Angeles team to a World Series victory. If he is healthy enough to pitch in 2025, the Dodgers would only further cement their status as prohibitive favorites to defend their title.

The Dodgers did not make the splashiest move of this off-season, missing out on slugging outfielder Juan Soto, but they have done plenty to keep themselves atop the power rankings. Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki is the latest Japanese star to sign with Los Angeles, joining Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He will join a star-studded list of signees, including Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Korean infield prospect Hyeseong Kim and premium reliever Tanner Scott.

The past year has belonged to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sure, they won the World Series in October, overpowering the New York Yankees in just five games and overcoming a deficit that seemed sure to buy the Yankees more time. And, yeah, just over a year ago they signed superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting deal. But the story recently has been their free agency, fueled by a combination of the previous two and the willingness to spend big.

To put the Dodgers’ spending spree in context, they’ve spent over $450 million this offseason alone, including hundreds of millions deferred. Including penalties for exceeding the salary threshold, their payroll for the 2025 season will likely be in excess of $500 million. The Philadelphia Phillies are slated to be second, nearly $100 million behind.

Their free-agent and extension class includes two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, two-time All-Star Teoscar Hernández and highly sought-after pitcher Roki Sasaki. They haven’t stopped adding or signing reliever Kirby Yates to a one-year deal at the end of January.

As the spending continues, so have fan – and club – outcry.

A day after Sasaki’s signing, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts commented that it was “really hard to compete” with the Dodgers. More recently, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said, “It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they’re doing.”

The Dodgers, Yankees and Cubs represent the three top revenues in the league. They also represent the first, fourth, and tenth highest payrolls for the upcoming season, respectively.

Fan outcry has largely been concentrated around MLB’s lack of a salary cap, a mark that distinguishes it from nearly every other professional sports league. The top and bottom payrolls in the 2024 season were separated by nearly $250 million – the New York Mets clocked in at around $315 million, while the Oakland A’s clocked in at around $62 million.

The Dodgers’ willingness to spend has only made the lack of parity that much more obvious. It is worth mentioning, though, that the highest payroll has won the World Series just two times in the past 15 years. Spending does not by any means guarantee a championship.

“They still have to have a season that’s relatively injury-free for it to work out for them,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s a long season as you know, and once you get to the postseason, anything can happen. We’ve seen that time and time again. We’ll see who’s there at the end.”

The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles congratulated the Dodgers on winning the World Series title, while giving a special shout-out to the Japanese players on the team.

This footage shows the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles, Sone Kenko, wearing a Dodgers jersey while congratulating the team.

“A special shout-out to Japanese players Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Together, we celebrate the victory!” the diplomat said.

This year’s World Series set viewership records in Japan, with Game Two of the series drawing 15.9 million average viewers, according to The Japan Times.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth World Series title after defeating the New York Yankees in a 7-6 Game 5 victory on Wednesday night.

The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home and could only watch on as Los Angeles celebrated its eighth title victory in front of a sellout Yankee Stadium crowd.

“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters after the game. “I think just like every other loss, you know, those things don’t go away. They’re battle scars along the way. And, you know, hopefully when my career is over, we got a lot a battle scars but a lot of victories along the way too.”

The New York Yankees’ 2024 season came to a screeching halt Wednesday night when the team blew a five-run lead and lost to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The loss will sting for some time, but executives in New York will not have long to lament. The free agency sweepstakes for slugging outfielder Juan Soto has just begun.

When the Yankees acquired Soto from the Padres in a trade last off-season, the team instantly became a World Series contender. Sure enough, despite glaring weaknesses up and down the roster, Soto paired perfectly with A.L. MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge and led the team deep into the postseason. A failure to finish the job, however, makes it all the more likely that Soto looks elsewhere with his contract expiring.

“I don’t know what the teams are that are going to come after me,” Soto said. “But definitely, I’ll be open to this and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

The Yankees aren’t exactly strapped for cash, ranking among the highest payrolls in baseball. In order to lock down Soto, however, the front office would likely have to make one of the largest contract offers in MLB history, perhaps even rivaling the $700 million deal the Dodgers made with Shohei Ohtani last offseason. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner indicated over the summer that the team intends to cut the payroll going forward.

“I’m gonna be honest, payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” Steinbrenner said of the Yankees’ $309 million payroll in 2024, via the New York Post. “It wouldn’t be sustainable for the vast majority of ownership [groups], given the luxury tax we have to pay.”

This doesn’t mean that the Yankees won’t make a competitive offer to try and retain their outfielder, who hit .288 with 41 home runs in 2024. It simply means that there will be eager buyers out there, some of which will likely be able to outbid a constricted Yankees organization. The conversation must begin with the Mets and Dodgers.

The Yankees’ crosstown rivals in Queens have a laundry list of free agency questions to address already, namely star first baseman and postseason hero Pete Alonso. But with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer finally off the books, Mets owner Steve Cohen, a hedge fund billionaire, likely has more than enough bandwidth to go after Soto with nearly unrivaled funds. That wasn’t enough last off-season, however.

Before Cohen and new Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns successfully built their magical upstart NLCS team, they planned to be heavy spenders and failed. Most importantly, they missed out on star free agents Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who both landed with the Dodgers. 

Los Angeles is one of the few teams in the league that can match Cohen’s lucrative offers, and Soto has already headed out West for a lengthy stint in San Diego. The Dodgers’ existing contracts would rule out almost any team in baseball from pursuing Soto, but the ownership group and GM Brandon Gomes have cleverly structured many of its largest deals and reportedly still has money to spare. While Soto could become the new centerpiece of a resurgent Mets team, putting the generational talent in the same lineup with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would kickstart a potential Dodgers dynasty.

New York and Los Angeles will not be the only teams in touch with Soto this winter. The Phillies, Red Sox and Cubs will all reportedly come to the table with offers. Some rumors even suggest that the budgeting Nationals will try their best to bring their old prospect home. By the time, he signs the dotted line, every team will likely have some connection to the star. If Soto is to be believed, however, feelings won’t take precedence. The highest bidder is almost certain to seal the deal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to win the World Series Wednesday night. The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home and could only watch on as Los Angeles celebrated its eight title victory in front of sellout Yankee Stadium crowd.

“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters after the game. “I think just like every other loss, you know, those things don’t go away. They’re battle scars along the way. And, you know, hopefully when my career is over, we got a lot a battle scars but a lot of victories along the way too.”

After avoiding a sweep in an 11-4 blowout win Tuesday, the Yankees seemed intent on continuing their impossible march early in Game 5. Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton all homered in the first two frames to put the Bombers ahead 5-0. Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty exited with just one out in the second, forcing Los Angeles to turn to its bullpen for another lengthy assignment. 

On the other side, fans in the Bronx were finally electrified. They had a Game 4 win under their belts. New York ace Gerrit Cole was cruising with run support, starting Game 5 with four flawless innings. Judge, dead silent for the entire series, was finally starting to hit like an MVP. With a few more quiet Los Angeles frames, the Yankees’ impossible dream of a reverse sweep could have been worth a whisper. Then the fifth inning came and went with all the grace of a six-car pileup on the Grand Concourse.

Judge kicked off the circus routine by dropping an easy line drive to center field, putting runners on first and second. On the very next play, shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to get the lead runner out on a ground ball but spiked the throw to third, loading the bases with no outs. Cole, battling through the poor play behind him, managed to strike out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani for two gutsy outs. A soft grounder down the first base line from Mookie Betts should have ended the inning.

But after coming all the way back from two fielding errors behind him, Cole suffered his own lapse. He failed to cover first base, allowing Betts to reach first, drive in a run and prolong the inning. The Dodgers didn’t need any favors from there; Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez connected for back-to-back two-RBI knocks and Los Angeles tied the game with five unearned runs.

The Yankees retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and Cole carried on in heroic fashion, throwing 108 pitching in 6.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In a battle of the bullpens from there, however, New York folded almost immediately, loading the bases in the sixth and seventh innings and allowing two runs on sacrifice flies in the latter frame. With a 7-6 lead, the Dodgers closed out the game to earn their eighth World Title.

Freeman earned World Series MVP honors in overwhelming fashion, as the first baseman overcame an injury to hit four home runs and earn 12 RBIs across five games against New York. In a World Series billed as a star-studded matchup between the sport’s most famous franchises, Freeman was the only star to live up to those sky-high expectations.

“It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year,” Freeman said after the game. “And to overcome what we did as a group of guys, it’s special. This is what we start out to do every single spring training is to win a championship. I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports because you just never know what’s going to happen.”

Juan Soto, Judge’s slugging counterpart all season, was far from the Yankees’ biggest problem in the postseason, but the team’s collective failure is sure to make his impending free agency a nightmare. After Game 5, Soto told reporters that he will hear offers from all 30 MLB teams, and reports suggest that he will likely take the best offer. A meeting with Mets owner Steve Cohen in Queens is on the horizon and could potentially take a massive chunk out of the Yankees’ lineup in 2025.

Judge is sure to take the vast majority of the blame for the Yankees’ postseason failure; after batting .322 with 58 home runs in the regular season, the presumptive A.L. MVP batted 4-for-18 in the World Series. Before Game 5, he batted 2-for-15, and even after finally coming alive at the plate, his final game this season will be remembered for his costly error in center field that kickstarted the Dodgers’ comeback.

Despite the obvious blame on Judge for the Yankees’ shortcomings, he was not the only MVP candidate to have a quiet World Series. Ohtani was supposed to be the titan on the other side of the matchup, but he actually performed worse than Judge, going 2-for-19 without an RBI. 

In the end, the 2024 World Series was only partially determined by clutch play from immense talents. For the most part, it was a far more fundamental battle, one in which Los Angeles systematically took advantage of the New York’s sloppy play on the way to an unexpected rout. 

The team didn’t need Ohtani to be sharp; Freeman motored the team to consistent leads, and the pitching staff held a hapless Yankees lineup in check for the most part. It may have made for less compelling viewing than the offensive shootout some expected, but the Dodgers proved to be the cleaner team and took full advantage of the Yankees’ collective no-show. It was a decisive, if abrupt, triumph.

The New York Mets are on the back foot in the NLCS after a brutal Game 3 loss at home against the Dodgers. With two more games remaining at Citi Field, the team will have to find more ways to compete with their backs once again up against the wall.

The Los Angeles Dodgers received a lot of credit for their offensive performance in an 8-0 Game 3 victory, but the truth of it is New York took itself out of the game early. Los Angeles scored its first two runs on just one hit, as Mets starter Luis Severino lost control of the strike zone while the team suffered multiple fielding miscues in the cold.

New York had its chances to respond against Walker Buehler but squandered several opportunities to even the score. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the second, Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor both struck out to end the inning. The young catcher arguably had the better opportunity with just one out, but Lindor’s shortcoming had a greater impact. The presumptive N.L. MVP runner-up has been a rock for the team for months, and seeing him fall short in a big spot seemed to take the air out of fans and players alike.

After a two-run home run by Kike Hernandez in the top of the sixth inning, the Mets performed a tactical retreat, leaving in Tylor Megill to eat innings on the mound and finish off the game. The Dodgers capitalized and scored another four runs, including a titanic three-run shot by Shohei Ohtani, but the additional scoring was largely meaningless and the Mets did little to prevent it.

Entering Game 4, the problems for New York are clear. On the mound, they’re walking far too many batters, which is also leading to sloppy defense. Dodgers batters are not chasing pitches like the Phillies did in the NLDS. At the plate, they’re beginning to have trouble with runners in scoring position in a postseason defined by timely hitting. 

If the Mets lose to the Dodgers, it would conform to the general consensus entering the series. Many people who picked the Dodgers to win the series also picked them to win in overwhelming fashion. Box scores of Games 1 and 3 suggest that the Mets have been blown out twice, but they created and wasted chances in both games and gave in early to spare the bullpen. In Game 2, Mark Vientos capitalized with the bases loaded and the team won in commanding fashion. 

New York still has two games remaining at home, but to have a realistic chance of winning the series, the team likely has to win Game 4 on Thursday. Going down 3-1 with two of three games remaining in Los Angeles would effectively end it. At some point, the team will have to win two in a row to get back into winning position. The sooner it starts, the better.

Jose Quintana will face off against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a pitchers’ duel that could decide the season. Quintana has been phenomenal for the better part of three months, though he does his best work while getting batters to chase pitches outside the zone. Yamamoto has been effective for the Dodgers since returning from injury in September but hasn’t gone longer than five innings. He also got rocked for five runs by the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS, though he settled down to help put down San Diego for good in Game 5.

While the Dodgers’ story this season has revolved around billion-dollar expectations and dreams of another championship, the Mets’ story has been one of wildly unexpected and exciting success. This is the first time the Mets have trailed in a series this postseason, but the team is still on very familiar ground, fighting from behind. New York clawed its way back into contention for months during the regular season, and every player on the team has seemingly had a massive moment in recent weeks. If the story ends here, the season will still be an overwhelming success. But if this team has anything, it’s grit, and there’s still some road ahead.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a successful gamble on their bullpen to win Game 4 and prolong their NLDS series with the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles finally silenced San Diego’s white-hot offense in the 8-0 victory, putting the two teams on roughly equal footing entering Game 5 on Friday.

“I think that when you go through a regular season, a lot of things are sort of calculated, and there’s a lot of variables because you’re playing for the longer view,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game, according to ESPN. “But when you get into the postseason, it’s a street fight. It’s about people, players and your desire has got to be more than your opponent. And for me to see our guys go through what they’ve been through and respond the way they have really makes me excited about Game 5.”

The Dodgers were the ones entering the game with a bullpen strategy, but by the end, it was hard to tell the difference on the stat sheet. Los Angeles was all over San Diego from the jump, knocking Padres starter Dylan Cease out in the second inning. The Padres had to use seven pitchers to the Dodgers’ eight to get through the game.

In a do-or-die game without star first baseman Freddie Freeman or shortstop Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers delivered a well-rounded performance in which eight of nine batters got a hit. Mookie Betts kicked things off with a solo homer in the first, and an RBI single from Shohei Ohtani sent Cease packing early. Two more rallies in the third and seventh innings put the game firmly out of reach.

For a Padres team that scored 21 runs in the first three games of the series, getting blanked by the Dodgers’ bullpen was a squandered opportunity. The team must now win another game in Dodgers Stadium on Friday after splitting the first two games on the road. The Padres have named veteran Yu Darvish as their starter for Game 5.

“I have full confidence,” Padres slugging shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. said of Darvish. “I feel like he’s already proven himself. He’s proven himself for the last 18 years, probably, pitching in baseball. I have all my confidence playing behind him, and I’m ready to go.”

The Dodgers, who have dealt with injuries all year, have not yet named a starter for Game 5. Dave Roberts is reportedly interested in the idea of another bullpen game after Wednesday’s success, but starters Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are also options.

This season, the Dodgers and Padres faced different challenges. Los Angeles had to defend itself as one of the best teams in baseball despite a brutal litany of injuries. San Diego had to recover from a poor start and make the most of its star-studded roster and young talent. Both teams have come far, but only one can advance to face a well-rested Mets team in the NLCS.

The San Diego Padres swept the Atlanta Braves in two straight games to win their N.L. Wild Card series. The stage is now set for the Padres to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a highly anticipated West Coast matchup in the NLDS.

The Braves, once touted as World Series favorites, dealt with a bevy of injuries throughout the year and ended their season on a whimper. In an exhausting week that started with a brutal loss to the Mets, they had to fly out to San Diego and were clearly on the back foot in both games. Ace pitcher Chris Sale did not appear due to back spasms.

In Game 1, Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. set the tone immediately, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning off starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who went on to allow three earned runs before exiting in the second inning. San Diego’s starter, Michael King, threw seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, and the Padres cruised to a 4-0 win.

In Game 2, Atlanta jumped on San Diego to take a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Padres’ response was devastating. The home team put up five runs in the second, knocking out Braves starter Max Fried, in a rally that ultimately decided the game. The Braves mounted several comeback bids but failed to make it all up in a 5-4 loss.

With Atlanta down early, San Diego has two days of rest to prepare for a local series against the Dodgers. Though Los Angeles won the division by five games, the Padres held an 8-5 record against their N.L. West rival in the regular season. On Sept. 24, they defeated the Dodgers to clinch a postseason berth.

The Dodgers’ strengths are obvious, as the team boasts a stacked lineup spearheaded by presumptive N.L. MVP Shohei Ohtani. The designated hitter just became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. Alongside him, outfielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman are among the best players in baseball. Freeman has been dealing with an injury but will reportedly be available for Game 1.

The Dodgers’ lineup is strong enough to make them a World Series contender, but the team would be much stronger if not for a brutal slate of injuries. Over the course of the season, Los Angeles lost more than a rotation’s worth of starting pitchers alone. While Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler have recovered in time, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin are out for the season. Aging star Clayton Kershaw can no longer be trusted, so the Dodgers’ third starter will likely be newly acquired righthander Jack Flaherty.

While Los Angeles cobbles together a postseason roster, the Padres’ only notable injury entering the NLDS is to ace Joe Musgrove, who is receiving testing on his elbow to determine his status this weekend. This is obviously a concern, but the team still has King and Dylan Cease in the rotation. San Diego also originally planned to put Yu Darvish in the bullpen, and could easily turn to him to start if needed.

While the Dodgers’ lineup is talented and deep, the Padres may have the firepower to match. In addition to Tatis, slugging third baseman Manny Machado has come alive in recent months. Elite hitter Luis Arraez, Rookie of the Year favorite Jackson Merrill and outfielder Jurickson Profar round out an extremely dangerous roster with a playoff series win under its belt.

“Our goal is to win a world championship,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said at the end of the regular season. “Every year we set out with that goal — play on that big stage, and that big stage is the World Series. And then, to win a World Series.”

Francisco Lindor isn’t stat-padding in his underdog quest to earn National League MVP consideration. With the New York Mets locked in a deadly standoff with the Braves for the last Wild Card spot, Lindor has come through in clutch moments time and again, kickstarting the team to another torrid stretch in September. He delivered again Wednesday night.

With the Mets trailing 1-0 and facing a no-hit bid from Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis into the ninth inning, Lindor hit a game-tying, no-hitter-busting solo home run. The Mets, typically lethargic in day games, went on to rally for six runs in the ninth, putting Toronto away and reassuming a one-game lead on Atlanta in the standings.

“It felt really good,” Lindor said after the game. “It was one of those hits that I could tell the vibes in the dugout were lifted.”

Lindor’s case to earn MVP honors in 2024 over Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani can be defended from a statistical standpoint. With a .268 average, 31 home runs and a 6.4 WAR, he has fully recovered from a disastrous start to the season to become the league’s best shortstop.

Ohtani, who is on pace to become the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, has an obvious, perhaps overwhelming, case as well. But Lindor’s Gold-Glove caliber play at shortstop is also a mark in his favor against Ohtani, who hasn’t played a single inning in the field this year.

Getting away from the statistics, however, fans defending Lindor in this debate have argued that the “valuable” aspect of the MVP award is being overlooked. Ohtani has provided a great deal to the Dodgers in his first season with the team, providing outstanding production at the plate while the team has struggled through a slate of injuries. Without Lindor, however, the argument can be made that the Mets wouldn’t be .500, let alone in playoff contention. His performance in recent months has propelled the team back from obscurity.

At the end of May, the Mets were 11 games under .500. The season was all but over for most fans. Lindor’s struggles were a drop in the ocean of a wholly unproductive New York roster. As leaders for the team’s young hitters, he and J.D. Martinez can likely be credited with saving the season. When they improved, the lineup transformed.

In the month of June, New York went 16-8, getting back to .500 out of nowhere through explosive hitting. As a team that month, the Mets earned a .507 slugging percentage and .865 OPS, both franchise records. Meanwhile, after hitting .210 in April, Lindor batted .290 to kick off the summer. With the help of Grimace, a new hit song from Jose Iglesias and sudden production up and down the lineup, the Mets went from a National League sad sack to an extremely noisy outsider.

At the time, Lindor didn’t receive a single MVP chant. He wasn’t even selected for the All-Star Game, with some claiming that he was snubbed despite his ice-cold spring. In order to seriously enter a race with Ohtani, a generational superstar, Lindor maintained his elite output at the plate and in the field throughout the summer.

The Mets cooled off at times in July and August, but Lindor didn’t. In August, he hit .325 with six home runs and 16 RBIs, many of them coming in close games. All the while, New York continued to make up ground in the Wild Card race.

At the very end of August into September, the Mets made their final breakthrough, winning nine straight games to truly challenge the Braves for the last playoff spot. The two teams have traded wins for the better part of two weeks now, but Lindor’s blast Wednesday night, the same night the Braves dropped a 5-1 game to the Nationals, is yet another crowning moment in his best season since his days in Cleveland.

In all likelihood, Ohtani will make history at the plate and on the base paths this season, and that will be enough for voters to give him his third MVP award. It won’t be undeserved. The fact that it’s even a discussion, however, is a testament to what Lindor has done in a season that once seemed lost, for him as well as his team. The Mets still have a ways to go to improbably land in the playoffs, but they’ve gotten this far and Lindor shows no signs of slowing down. Maybe, just maybe, this sort of value will make a difference.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani smashed the fifth-longest home run in the 62-year Dodger Stadium history Sunday night, a 473-foot moon shot as L.A. swept the Boston Red Sox in their first series back from the All-Star Break.

When Ohtani entered the league six years ago, he became a global sensation as the first two-way star in the MLB since Babe Ruth. However, he underwent his second Tommy John surgery last off-season, forcing him to only hit in 2024.

He has not missed a beat.

The long ball on Sunday marked his 30th of the season, second in the MLB behind New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge. Along with his ability to hit for power, the Japanese star ranks third in batting average, hitting .313, seventh in RBIs with 70 and second in OPS at 1.033. He earned these numbers most impressively while hitting lead-off since former MVP Mookie Betts went down with a broken wrist a month ago.

Ohtani’s stellar week began in Texas, where he hit a three-run blast in the All-Star game off another Red Sox pitcher, Tanner Houck, to give the National League an early 3-0 lead. The American League scored five unanswered runs, winning the mid-summer classic 5-3.

Ohtan’s serge comes at the perfect time for a Dodger team gearing up for the stretch run. Dave Roberts’ team stumbled into the break, losing five of their last six, including getting swept by the N.L. leading Philadelphia Phillies. However, after the in-season pause, they responded, winning four in a row by defeating their rival San Francisco Giants at home on Monday. Along with their fortune on the field, the Dodgers are beginning to get healthy again. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw makes his season debut on Thursday after missing the first half of the year with a back injury, while fellow starter Tyler Glasnow will start Wednesday after being out since early July.

They currently lead the N.L. West by 8.5 games but are 3.5 games behind the Phillies.

Another MLB All-Star game is in the books as the American League came out on top, 5-3 over the National League. Tuesday night’s victory was the AL’s 48th overall win and the NL’s 44th loss. Of course, people focus on the known names when watching – Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were some key names that participated.

Rookie phenom Paul Skenes pitched a scoreless first inning, only surrendering a seven-pitch walk to Soto – the walk sent Judge to the plate where Skenes forced the Yankees outfielder to hit a first-pitch groundout to third. Ohtani opened up the scoring through a no-doubt three-run home run that gave the NL a 3-0 lead in the third inning.

The NL’s advantage was shortly lived as Soto hit a double to cut the lead to 3-2. Then, Cleveland’s David Fry tied the score by hitting a two-out single that brought Soto home from second. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran broke the stalemate with a two-run blast off of Reds reliever Hunter Greene, putting the AL ahead, 5-3. Duran won the All-Star game’s MVP as a result of his home run.

2024 marked Duran’s first career All-Star game as he earned the nod through a solid campaign. The outfielder has a .284 batting average with ten home runs, 41 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Duran also leads the AL in doubles, with 27, while his ten triples lead the majors. Fry also made the all-star game for the first time after spending five years in the minor leagues. The 28-year-old currently hits .317, in addition to hitting eight long balls and batting in 30 runs.

Athletics closer Mason Miller made history with a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest pitch ever thrown in the All-Star game. Emmanuel Clase was credited with the save as he preserved the 5-3 lead – the Guardians’ hurler finished the ninth striking out Pete Alonso and Bryan Reynolds, forcing Elly De La Cruz to groundout and giving up a single to Jackson Merrill.

Highly touted Dodgers pitching prospect Bobby Miller will return to the minor leagues this week after just seven starts in the 2024 season. Miller has racked up an 8.07 ERA and has only gone longer than six innings once since late March.

The Dodgers, who have refused to trade Miller through several deadlines in past seasons, claim that they are sending down Miller to give him a chance to reset. The last straw seemed to be his most recent outing against the Phillies Tuesday, when he got shelled for nine earned runs in four innings.

“We’ve got to get him right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to MLB.com. “That’s the impetus. And what’s the best way to get him right mentally, emotionally and mechanically… We just felt this was the best thing for Bobby and for us. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do this year, so we just felt that’s the best thing to do.”

Miller’s struggles and demotion could not come at a worse time for Los Angeles, as the team is dealing with a number of injuries in the starting rotation. Earlier this week, Tyler Glasnow joined fellow starters Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on the injured list. An injury to star outfielder and MVP candidate Mookie Betts has also proven costly.

Facing tougher opponents like the Phillies, Brewers and Diamondbacks over the last two weeks, these injuries have finally begun to take their toll on the Dodgers. Los Angeles has lost six of its last nine games, though the team still holds a comfortable lead in the N.L. West for now.

If players like Miller fail to step up and replace the team’s ailing stars, the Dodgers may go from World Series favorite to postseason also-ran, a role the team has grown all too familiar with in recent seasons. Record-breaking signee Shohei Ohtani is in the midst of a torrid season, batting .317 with 28 home runs, but he was supposed to be a leader on a star-studded roster. With so many health concerns, the depth chart around the slugger now is looking a little too close to his final days in Anaheim.

MLB baseball star Shohei Ohtani will not participate in the Home Run Derby on July 15, despite ranking second in the majors with 27 homers. This decision comes as Ohtani continues his recovery from an elbow ligament injury, prioritizing his rehabilitation over the popular event.

Ohtani, who had a procedure on his elbow in September, is only hitting and not pitching this season. This approach shows the Dodgers’ commitment to Ohtani’s long-term health and the team’s championship aspirations.

Ohtani’s manager, Dave Roberts, said to ESPN: “He signed up here to help us win a championship, and nothing should get in the way of that.”

Roberts further explained that the decision was not due to concerns about potential injury during the Derby but rather the interference it would pose to Ohtani’s structured rehab regimen.

“When you’re playing every day alongside the rehab, it’s very regimented, so when you have an outlier situation as far as a Home Run Derby, that’s something that one is prepared for,” Roberts said.

“It would just be a real disappointment for not only Shohei, the Dodgers, and also the fans if something were to happen during something like that, which is an exhibition essentially.”

On July 2, Ohtani blasted a two-run shot that traveled 433 feet to right-center, helping the Dodgers secure a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. With 27 home runs this season, he trails only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 32 homers.

Previously in the 2021 derby, Ohtani set a record for the most homers of at least 500 feet with six. His dual-threat ability as a position player and a pitcher makes him a unique player in baseball.

“It’s just not his responsibility alone to carry the game of baseball,” Roberts reiterated. “He does it on a daily basis.”

Ohtani’s decision to sit out the Derby highlights his and the Dodgers’ prioritization of health and team success over individual accolades. While the Home Run Derby will miss his presence, the decision bodes well for his and the Dodgers’ future success.

Young Pittsburgh Pirates pitching star Paul Skenes faced off against Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani in three highly anticipated at-bats Wednesday. Both players had a triumphant moment against one other, but the Pirates won the day in a 10-6 blowout, giving Skenes his third career win.

The prolonged duel between Skenes and Ohtani began at the top of the first when Skenes proved capable of handling one of MLB’s best hitters. The rookie blew three fastballs in a row past Ohtani, striking out the Japanese superstar in short order. All three pitches traveled faster than 100 miles per hour.

After the game, Skenes told reporters that he realized he had a chance to beat Ohtani with this fastball and decided to go right after him. A similar tact later in the game did not prove as effective, but Skenes’ early statement was arguably the moment of the game.

Before fans could see the second round of the Skenes/Ohtani matchup, Pittsburgh blew the game wide open, scoring seven runs at the bottom of the second inning off Los Angeles starter James Paxton. The Dodgers were never in serious contention again, though Ohtani did his part anyway when he hit a two-run bomb off of another Skenes’ fastball in the top of the third. Cutting the lead to five did little in the end, but the home run meant a great deal as Ohtani’s response to the first-inning strikeout.

“I like to call that ‘Big on big’ because I obviously beat him a couple times earlier,” Skenes said after the game. “I think that was the right pitch to throw there; he’s just a pretty darn good player. Stuff like that is going to happen.”

Ohtani earned another hit off Skenes in the fifth inning, but on the whole, the budding Pirates star handled himself well against one of the National League’s top offenses. The 22-year-old pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight batters. The Pirates’ bullpen allowed a few runs toward the end of the game, but the team did more than enough at the plate in the 10-6 win.

Ohtani is an international superstar and recently made history when he signed his record-breaking deal with the Dodgers. No player in the league will outshine him for a long time, but from his time at LSU to the first few games of his MLB career, Skenes has earned a considerable amount of hype in his own right. 

The flamethrower has gained attention off the field for his relationship with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, but on the mound, he has proven to be an extremely promising starter for a young Pirates team on the rise.