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  • Dodgers defeat Blue Jays in 18 innings

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    The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in 18 innings, which matched the longest World Series game ever, to take a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.In a thrilling back-and-forth extra innings battle, the Dodgers needed a history-making night from their two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who had three RBI and three runs scored in an incredible four-hit, two-homer performance that saw the three-time MVP reach base safely an astonishing nine times.In the end, it was an 18th inning walk-off home run from 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman that delivered the win for the Dodgers.Los Angeles will enter Game 4 with a decided advantage — historically, when the teams split the first two games of the World Series, the winner of Game 3 has won the championship 67% of the time.Los Angeles will host the Blue Jays again in Game 4 on Tuesday with Ohtani slated to pitch for the Dodgers, followed by Game 5 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

    LOS ANGELES —

    The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in 18 innings, which matched the longest World Series game ever, to take a two games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.

    In a thrilling back-and-forth extra innings battle, the Dodgers needed a history-making night from their two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who had three RBI and three runs scored in an incredible four-hit, two-homer performance that saw the three-time MVP reach base safely an astonishing nine times.

    In the end, it was an 18th inning walk-off home run from 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman that delivered the win for the Dodgers.

    Los Angeles will enter Game 4 with a decided advantage — historically, when the teams split the first two games of the World Series, the winner of Game 3 has won the championship 67% of the time.

    Los Angeles will host the Blue Jays again in Game 4 on Tuesday with Ohtani slated to pitch for the Dodgers, followed by Game 5 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

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  • Another big Sho: Ohtani hits 2 homers, ties record with 4 extra-base hits in World Series Game 3

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    Shohei Ohtani homered twice and tied a 119-year-old major league record with four extra-base hits in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, putting on yet another historic postseason show at Dodger Stadium.Ohtani led off the bottom of the first inning with a ground-rule double to right field. He followed with a solo homer to right in the third inning off Toronto starter Max Scherzer and added an RBI double in the fifth off reliever Mason Fluharty during a tying rally for Los Angeles.Ohtani then hit a tying solo homer off Seranthony Domínguez with one out in the seventh. It was his sixth homer in the Dodgers’ last four games, and he tied Corey Seager’s eight homers in 2020 for the most by a Dodgers player in a single postseason.After becoming the first player in MLB history with three multihomer games in one postseason, Ohtani is two shy of Randy Arozarena’s record for homers in a postseason.Only one other player in baseball history got four extra-base hits in a World Series game: Frank Isbell had four doubles for the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 in 1906 against the Chicago Cubs.Ohtani also became the first hitter to have multiple games with at least 12 total bases in a single postseason. The only other player to have two such postseason games in his career was Babe Ruth.The Blue Jays had seen enough of Ohtani by the ninth: Manager John Schneider intentionally walked him with the bases empty and then did the same in the 11th, and the gambit worked both times.Ohtani quickly attempted to steal second after being walked in the ninth, but he was tagged out when he popped up and came off the base for an instant.Ohtani advanced to second on Mookie Betts’ two-out single in the 11th, although he pulled up gingerly at the bag due to cramping. He stayed in the game, however, and Freddie Freeman flied out to end the inning.Once again, Ohtani put on a spectacular show for the Los Angeles fans who definitely “need” him, posting his first four-hit game of the postseason in his first game back at Dodger Stadium since he hit three homers and struck out 10 Milwaukee Brewers in his sensational two-way effort during a clinching victory in the National League Championship Series 10 days ago.Ohtani has six hits and five RBIs in the first three games of the World Series against Toronto, the city where fans chanted “We don’t need you!” at Ohtani while the Blue Jays won Game 1. Ohtani also homered late in that blowout loss.Ohtani will make his first World Series start on the mound when he pitches for the Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday night.Ohtani hit two homers in the Dodgers’ first game of the postseason against Cincinnati, but he hadn’t homered again until his historic performance in the NLCS. All three of those homers were solo shots, and he hit a pair of solo homers in Game 3.He first connected for a 389-foot drive inside the right-field pole in the third inning.After struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed the Blue Jays to go back ahead 5-4 in the seventh, Ohtani tied it with a 401-foot homer to left-center.Ohtani now trails only Arozarena, who set the major league record with 10 postseason homers in 2020 before Tampa Bay lost the World Series to Seager and the Dodgers.Ohtani doubled on Scherzer’s second pitch of Game 3, although his teammates couldn’t bring him home.Ohtani keyed a tying rally when he doubled to left-center in the fifth, muscling an inside sweeper from Fluharty into the gap for his first opposite-field hit since Sept. 20, a span of 77 at-bats.Following that double, Ohtani scored the tying run on Freddie Freeman’s single.The Blue Jays pulled Scherzer right before Ohtani came up and replaced the veteran right-hander with Fluharty, who memorably struck out Ohtani with the bases loaded while escaping a big jam to secure a 5-4 win for Toronto at Dodger Stadium in August.

    LOS ANGELES —

    Shohei Ohtani homered twice and tied a 119-year-old major league record with four extra-base hits in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, putting on yet another historic postseason show at Dodger Stadium.

    Ohtani led off the bottom of the first inning with a ground-rule double to right field. He followed with a solo homer to right in the third inning off Toronto starter Max Scherzer and added an RBI double in the fifth off reliever Mason Fluharty during a tying rally for Los Angeles.

    Ohtani then hit a tying solo homer off Seranthony Domínguez with one out in the seventh. It was his sixth homer in the Dodgers’ last four games, and he tied Corey Seager’s eight homers in 2020 for the most by a Dodgers player in a single postseason.

    After becoming the first player in MLB history with three multihomer games in one postseason, Ohtani is two shy of Randy Arozarena’s record for homers in a postseason.

    Only one other player in baseball history got four extra-base hits in a World Series game: Frank Isbell had four doubles for the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 in 1906 against the Chicago Cubs.

    Brynn Anderson

    Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout after scoring against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball’s World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles.

    Ohtani also became the first hitter to have multiple games with at least 12 total bases in a single postseason. The only other player to have two such postseason games in his career was Babe Ruth.

    The Blue Jays had seen enough of Ohtani by the ninth: Manager John Schneider intentionally walked him with the bases empty and then did the same in the 11th, and the gambit worked both times.

    Ohtani quickly attempted to steal second after being walked in the ninth, but he was tagged out when he popped up and came off the base for an instant.

    Ohtani advanced to second on Mookie Betts’ two-out single in the 11th, although he pulled up gingerly at the bag due to cramping. He stayed in the game, however, and Freddie Freeman flied out to end the inning.

    Once again, Ohtani put on a spectacular show for the Los Angeles fans who definitely “need” him, posting his first four-hit game of the postseason in his first game back at Dodger Stadium since he hit three homers and struck out 10 Milwaukee Brewers in his sensational two-way effort during a clinching victory in the National League Championship Series 10 days ago.

    Ohtani has six hits and five RBIs in the first three games of the World Series against Toronto, the city where fans chanted “We don’t need you!” at Ohtani while the Blue Jays won Game 1. Ohtani also homered late in that blowout loss.

    Ohtani will make his first World Series start on the mound when he pitches for the Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

    Ohtani hit two homers in the Dodgers’ first game of the postseason against Cincinnati, but he hadn’t homered again until his historic performance in the NLCS. All three of those homers were solo shots, and he hit a pair of solo homers in Game 3.

    He first connected for a 389-foot drive inside the right-field pole in the third inning.

    After struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed the Blue Jays to go back ahead 5-4 in the seventh, Ohtani tied it with a 401-foot homer to left-center.

    Ohtani now trails only Arozarena, who set the major league record with 10 postseason homers in 2020 before Tampa Bay lost the World Series to Seager and the Dodgers.

    Ohtani doubled on Scherzer’s second pitch of Game 3, although his teammates couldn’t bring him home.

    Ohtani keyed a tying rally when he doubled to left-center in the fifth, muscling an inside sweeper from Fluharty into the gap for his first opposite-field hit since Sept. 20, a span of 77 at-bats.

    Following that double, Ohtani scored the tying run on Freddie Freeman’s single.

    The Blue Jays pulled Scherzer right before Ohtani came up and replaced the veteran right-hander with Fluharty, who memorably struck out Ohtani with the bases loaded while escaping a big jam to secure a 5-4 win for Toronto at Dodger Stadium in August.

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  • That Trump Tweet About the World Series Being ‘Rigged’ Is Fake

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    Have you seen a tweet from President Donald Trump saying he’ll refuse to invite whoever wins the World Series to the White House? Trump appears to say that it’s because he believes the game is rigged, either by the mafia or the Democrats. But the tweet isn’t real. The post has gone viral across just about every major social media platform, but it’s completely fake.

    The post is made to look like it’s coming from President Trump’s official Truth Social account, the platform he owns and the first place where he posts all his most unhinged messages.

    “NO MATTER WHO WINS I WILL REFUSE TO INVITE EITHER BASEBALL TEAM TO MY BALL ROOM AS THEY ARE BOTH RUN BY HIGHLY INEPT OFFICIALS FROM CALIFORNIA AND ONTARIO CANADA,” the fake tweet reads.

    “I DON’T HOST LOSERS. WE ARE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING MLB. THIS WORLD SERIES IS RIGGED, PROBABLY BY THE DEMS & THE MAFIA,” the fake tweet continues.

    The screenshot spread far and wide over the weekend, showing up on Threads, X, Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. But Trump never wrote this one.

    Fake tweet made to look like it’s from President Donald Trump about the World Series. Screenshot: Facebook

    The reaction to the viral post was about what you’d expect, especially among fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that’s currently playing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the World Series championship. The series is tied 1-1 and Game 3 will be played tonight.

    Many Canadians made fun of the fake Trump tweet, since they didn’t think a Canadian team would even be invited to the White House in the first place. Trump slapped an additional 10% tariff on Canada over the weekend because he got mad about an ad that highlighted Ronald Reagan’s opposition to tariffs. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the ad a “psy-op” by the Canadian government on Sunday. Trump has claimed the ad is fake, even falsely insisting it’s AI. But it’s real.

    Things are different for the American team, which could very well get an invitation to the White House if they win. The Dodgers won the World Series last year and did indeed show up in April to snap pictures. Trump also received a “47” jersey from the team, since he’s kind of the 47th president. We say “kind of” because he’s only 47th if you don’t count by the number of people to hold the office, but by the number of consecutive terms that make up a single era. And even then, it’s not quite right since Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms as well.

    There are many red flags in the fake post from Trump, but the reference to the ballroom might be one of the most glaring. The president has demolished the East Wing of the White House, and he’s building a ballroom with “donations” from private companies and individuals who have given him millions. But even on the most ambitious timeline, the ballroom won’t be completed by the time a White House visit by the 2025 World Series champions might take place. Trump hasn’t announced a completion date for his ridiculous monstrosity, but the administration has said it will be done before his second term is up in Jan. 2029.

    Another fake post that’s gotten less traction, but is still popping up here and there on social media, specifically calls out the Blue Jays.

    “WE WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE UN AMERICAN BLUE JAYS WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO STEAL OUR BELOVED WORLD SERIES,” the fake tweet reads. “THEY WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE.”

    Interestingly, author Stephen King seemed to fall for the first tweet in this article, poking fun at him on X, but the Community Notes that have attempted to fact-check King are referring to the second tweet about the Blue Jays. That’s how many fake Trump tweets seem to be doing the rounds these days. Nobody can keep any of this stuff straight.

    The reason these fake tweets go viral is that it’s simply impossible to tell which screeds from President Trump are authentic. Trump has always been off his rocker, but he’s gotten increasingly unhinged during his second term, posting some of the weirdest things that a president has ever expressed in public.

    As just one recent example, Trump posted an AI video of himself last month talking about “medbeds,” a bizarre conspiracy theory that claims there are real beds being hidden from the public that can heal all diseases. The video even includes a fake Trump touting these miracle cures and insisting they were going to be available soon to “restore every citizen to full health.”

    In a world where the president is posting about medbeds—to say nothing of the Department of Homeland Security posting Nazi propaganda—it can be extremely difficult to tell what’s real. And that’s not going to change as long as the Trump regime remains in power. In fact, it’s likely to get much, much worse.

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    Matt Novak

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  • Dodgers to Face Blue Jays in Game One of World Series – LAmag

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    Southpaw Blake Snell will take the mound for game one at Rogers Centre

    A year ago Saturday the Los Angeles Dodgers were taking the field at Dodger Stadium, looking for their first Fall Classic victory since 1988. 

    364 days later, and the Dodgers will be out on the Rogers Centre field with the same goal in mind on Friday.

    The only difference? The team across the diamond.

    After being down 2-0 in the ALCS – and two away contests slated for games three and four – the Toronto Blue Jays pulled off the unthinkable, winning four of the last five games against the Seattle Mariners, scoring 33 runs across the five-game stretch.

    In game one of the 2025 Fall Classic, the Blue Jays will take on the Dodgers in their first World Series appearance since 1993 at Dodger Stadium. Game two will commence Saturday and then both teams will travel to Los Angeles for games three, four and five on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. If needed, games six and seven will take place back in Toronto.

    Dodgers ace Blake Snell will take the mound Friday evening. The southpaw is 3-0 in the 2025 postseason and boasts a 0.86 ERA across 21 innings pitched.

    Snell has punched out 28 batters while conceding just six hits and two earned runs across the three postseason affairs. Snell has also yet to give up a home run.

    Across the field, right-hander Trey Yesavage pitched 15 innings in the 2025 postseason so far, amassing a 2-1 record and 4.20 ERA.

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    While he may boast a higher than average earned run average for a game one World Series starter, he has struck out 22 batters and conceded just seven runs, including five against Seattle.

    Coming into the contest, the Blue Jays’ hottest bats come from first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and third baseman Ernie Clement.

    The duo both boast a .400-plus batting average across 11 postseason games with a .442 and .429 batting average, respectively. The tandem has combined for 37 hits and 19 runs batted in.

    Guerrero has been the Blue Jays’ most impactful power hitter, notching six home runs across 43 at-bats. Joining Guerrero in the power-hitting lineup is right fielder George Springer, who hit the Blue Jays’ go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in game seven of the pennant series.

    From the Los Angeles dugout, right fielder Teoscar Hernandez, shortstop Mookie Betts and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. Hernandez has knocked in four home runs and has a .268 batting average through 41 plate appearances.

    Ohtani – who struggled through the majority of the 2025 postseason – hit three home runs in game four of the NLCS, improving his batting average to .220.

    Enrique Hernandez has been the Dodgers’ most consistent contact hitter, boasting a .306 batting average with 11 hits and four doubles but zero home runs.

    The biggest strength of the Dodgers roster, though, is their pitching staff. Apart from Snell, Yoshinubo Yamamoto is the team’s other ace and will start game two.

    He boasts a 1.83 postseason ERA with 18 strikeouts. Joining the starting rotation is Ohtani, who has a 2.25 ERA and 19 strikeouts, and Tyler Glasnow. 

    First pitch will commence at 5 p.m.

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    Connor Dullinger

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  • Dodgers Sweep Brewers to Reach World Series

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    Ohtani struck out 10 and hit three home runs en route to a 5-1 victory and sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers

    Pressure builds diamonds.

    And with just one victory separating the Dodgers from back-to-back World Series appearances – and the team’s fifth since 2017 – Shohei Ohtani produced Los Angeles a gem.

    Spearheaded by one of the most complete and dominant performances in MLB postseason history, the Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 Friday night at Dodger Stadium in game four of the NLCS.

    The victory completed the sweep, extended the team’s win streak to five – while also taking nine of 10 postseason contests, and gave the Dodgers an opportunity to be back-to-back world champions. 

    Ohtani’s night started on the mound where he made the second start of the 2025 season. The three-time MLB Most Valuable Player came into game four having given up just three earned runs across six innings pitched while striking out nine batters in his previous outing against the Philadelphia Phillies.

    And Ohtani wasted no time building on what has been a defensive masterclass, tossing six scoreless innings where he conceded just two hits and three walks while punching out 10 Brewer bats. His performance gave him a 2-0 postseason record for the 2025 campaign and possesses a 2.25 ERA across both contests.

    But where the right handed pitcher and designated hitter really made his mark was at the plate.

    The left handed batter reached base all four times and hit three home runs – in the first, fourth, and seventh innings respectfully. While all three long balls were solo shots, his offensive outing made him the first player in MLB history to punch out 10 batters and hit three home runs in a game in the postseason and regular campaign.

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    And the firsts did not end there. 

    His performance also made him the first pitcher with at least 10 strikeouts and no runs allowed in a postseason pennant-clinching game. And he was also the first person with three or more home runs in a pennant-clinching affair since Dodger teammate Kike Hernandez did it in 2017.

    “We all know about Shohei but until you play with him and see it, it’s just a different level,” said Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. “You have to do so much as a starting pitcher, the routine you have to do, he can do that and then hit every day while doing that. He doesn’t have a regular starting pitcher schedule, he pitches when we need him too, and he goes out there and does that.”

    Ohtani’s record game was also his first offensive breakout performance of the 2025 postseason. Entering game four of the pennant series, Ohtani boasted just a .158 batting average, having almost three times as many strikeouts as hits. 

    “I’m still kind of speechless. The man just struck out 10 guys and hit three home runs in the same game,” said first baseman Freddie Freeman. “It’s just incredible. The inevitable happened. He was going to break out at some point. He’s just so locked in when he’s pitching, so I think the unicorn came out.”

    Crucial to the Dodgers postseason run has been the performance from the relief staff, and the units dominance was continued Friday by the quartet that has regularly came in after the starter exits. 

    In game four, after Ohtani was relieved from the mound, the bullpen – composed of southpaws Anthony Banda and Alex Vesia and right handers Blake Treinen and Roki Sasaki – combined for the final three frames of game four where they conceded just one hit and one earned run.

    Offensively, an explosive bottom of the first gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead that they would never relinquish for the remainder of the affair. Following Ohtani’s leadoff bomb, second baseman Tommy Edman sent home fellow middle infielder Mookie Betts for the second run of the ball game.

    And power-hitting right fielder Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI groundout to give the Los Angeles squad a 3-0 before the Brewers picked up their bats for a second time.

    Ohtani then supplemented what was already a 3-0 lead with a pair of 400-plus foot bombs that gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. The Brewers earned one run back on an RBI fielders choice hit by second baseman Brice Turang.

    However, the last ditch effort in the eighth was not enough to get the Brewers back into the affair, as they fell 5-1, completing the NLCS sweep.

    “The boys pitched, and we had some timely hits. We kind of did it all,” Betts said. “For the first three games we all did and then in the last game Shohei did it by himself so it’s always good to have him take over a game.”

    The Dodgers will face the winner of the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays who are facing off in game seven of the ALCS which is slated to commence Monday night at 5:10 p.m. A Fall Classic victory will make the Dodgers the first back-to-back World Series champions since the New York Yankees did it in 1999 and 2000.

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    Connor Dullinger

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  • Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers Are a Sight to Behold

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    That last game will be remembered for a long time. Ohtani walked the first batter he faced before striking out the next three. Then he came to the plate and launched a ball more than four hundred feet—the first time in M.L.B. history that one of the game’s pitchers had hit a lead-off home run. And that was just the beginning! Over the course of six innings, Ohtani—in his cool, inimitable fashion, with a motion that combines grace and force—gave up only two hits and struck out ten, including six out of the seven batters he’d faced during one stretch. In between, he hit a second homer, one that left the stadium, clearing the center-field roof. As it hung in the night sky, his teammates in the dugout and in the bullpen, who have had a closeup view for all of Ohtani’s Bunyanesque feats, clutched their heads in disbelief. And then he hit a third! It was the greatest performance by the greatest player in history.

    Ohtani’s value to the Los Angeles Dodgers is immeasurable. His contract—seven hundred million dollars for ten years, with team-friendly deferrals—is, considering what he brings to the team both on and off the field, a steal. Still, not every M.L.B. team could, or would, pay anyone so much, let alone surround him with other players on gargantuan contracts.

    The Dodgers have a payroll of more than three hundred and fifty million dollars, which is nearly three times the size of the Brewers’. This has caused the usual hand-wringing about competitive imbalance and the inherent plight of small-market teams. It’s easy enough to see the crude outlines of a narrative. In game one of the N.L.C.S., Blake Snell, a former Cy Young winner who’d signed with the Dodgers in the off-season for nearly two hundred million dollars, threw eight shutout innings. Then in Game Two came Yoshinobu Yamamoto (three hundred and twenty-five million for twelve years), who gave up a home run to the first batter before pitching a complete game in which no one else got to second base. Tyler Glasnow, who signed with the club for more than a hundred and thirty million dollars over five years, gave up one run in Game Three. Then came Ohtani. The Dodgers have had fifteen consecutive winning seasons and thirteen consecutive playoff appearances, and have already won two World Series this decade. They need another championship like Taylor Swift needs a Grammy. But they’ve become a symbol of something bigger than a juggernaut. They’re sometimes framed as an existential threat to the other teams.

    It’s a strange argument—the Brewers, not the Dodgers, had the best record in baseball during the regular season. The Dodgers, in fact, were mediocre for a long stretch in the middle of the season, and lost all six regular-season games they played against the Brewers this year. If anything, the two franchises seemed to support the notion that payroll is only loosely correlated with success. (And let’s not talk right now about the New York Mets.) What’s more, much of the Dodgers’ talent was undervalued by other teams. Betts was traded to the Dodgers by the Boston Red Sox. Max Muncy, who recently set the record for most post-season homers, was claimed off waivers after being released by the Oakland Athletics. For a while last off-season, Snell’s agent had trouble finding a buyer. Rōki Sasaki, who had been an impressive starting pitcher in Japan, was sought after by practically every M.L.B. team—each of which would have been allowed to pay him more or less the same small amount, owing to M.L.B.’s international-amateur-free-agent rules. But his choice to come to the Dodgers was validated when, after joining the team, he struggled badly with his velocity as a starter. He went to the Dodgers’ complex in Arizona, worked with the team’s performance staff, tweaked his mechanics, and embraced a new role in the bullpen, becoming a fearsome reliever almost overnight. It’s a story about competence and trust as much as luxury taxes and revenue.

    That’s what really sets the Dodgers apart: they’re good at being good, not just occasionally great. For the past week, Pat Murphy, the Brewers’ manager, has been going on a media spree, trying to make the case that his team is the greatest underdog the sport has ever seen. He’s called attention to salary disparities. He has joked that the series would only be fair if Dodgers’ players wore their gloves on their opposite hands. Murphy made an argument to a writer for the Athletic that his team had no stars, while the Dodgers were full of celebrities. Then, for evidence, he pointed to Mookie Betts, who, at just that moment, zoomed by in a golf cart driven by a Brewers clubhouse attendant. Betts had a big smile on his face. He was being treated better than Murphy, in Murphy’s own stadium!

    Or perhaps there was a simpler explanation. Of course Betts had been offered a ride: his smile is infectious. Who can root against him? Likewise, it was impossible to watch Ohtani on Friday and do anything but appreciate the grace of his movements and the grandeur of his performance. Even a hater has to tip her cap. ♦

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    Louisa Thomas

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  • Rob Thomson Set to Return as Phillies Manager in 2026 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    The Phillies announced on Monday that Manager Rob Thomson will be returning for the 2026 season.

    Thomson will be entering the final year of his contract, making 2026 a true make-or-break season for both Thomson and the Phillies.

    Philadelphia Heartbreak

    It’s been five days since the Phillies lost Game 4 of the NLDS in the most heartbreaking fashion you could imagine. The first series in MLB history to end on an error. Of course, it would happen to the Phillies.

    It took me all day Friday to go through the stages of grief following the loss. I was not angry at Kerkering for a miscue throw to—the. In fact, I completely understand the mental state when you first bobble a ball. Even if you knew where you were supposed to go with the ball, the second you bobble it, panic sets in, and that’s exactly what happened. I know Kerkering can be a good reliever, and I hope he bounces back next year with us.

    Different Year, Same Result

    While my sympathy was with Kerkering, my anger was directed towards Rob Thomson, the entire lineup aside from JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos. The big three of Turner, Schwarber, and Harper went 1-14 in the Game 4 elimination game. The third season in a row, the big guns disappeared when it mattered most. That part of it is on the players, and while Rob Thomson makes the lineup, he can’t control what pitches these guys are swinging at.

    Rob Thomson controls the bullpen and who comes in certain situations. This is part of his job; Rob Thomson has been horrible at it in the postseason. In 2023, he brought Craig Kimbrel in against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which eventually led to the Phillies blowing the lead and the series. Since that series, Rob Thomson has poorly managed the bullpen when it matters the most. It’s led to the Phillies blowing leads in multiple playoff games over the last few years, including in this year’s series. Going to Kerkering with runners on was a terrible idea from the start. 8/13 inherited runners have scored on Kerkering since August. Having him in the game in that moment was a terrible decision by Rob Thomson. Even leading up to that, one might question why we walked Ohtani in the 7th inning to load the bases? Duran would walk in a run, tying the game 1-1 after Mookie Betts worked a walk. Thomson made a few questionable decisions, but it’s not solely on him to blame.

    What Went Wrong?

    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    I touched on the lack of production from Turner, Schwarber, and Harper before, but it’s important to know how flat-out bad these three were in this series. Aside from the Game 3 outburst, these three underperformed when the lights were the brightest. While I still want the Phillies to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, you have to wonder if he decreased his price tag following his poor October showing. Harper and Turner need to figure out a way to make their $300 million price tags worth it come October. Harper had an incredible postseason in 2023 and 2024, but his last two postseason showings have been lackluster. You aren’t gonna win many baseball games when the highest-paid players don’t show up.

    Harrison Bader was injured with a groin injury, which also hurt the Phillies in terms of their lineup. Bader was such a spark for this team down the stretch, and his absence should not go unnoticed. I’m hoping the Phillies could bring him back, but the question is for how much and where he would play. If Bader did play his last game in a Phillies uniform, he was an incredible addition to this team, and it’s a shame he got injured when he did.

    I tip my cap to Alec Bohm and JT Realmuto, who had really strong showings at the plate in the division series. I would love to have JT back behind the plate next year, as he is set to hit free agency. If JT walks, I expect the Phillies to possibly pursue a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman would be a nice replacement for the Phillies if Realmuto isn’t on the team next year. With that being said, I do hope JT works out a deal and hopefully ends his career as a Phillie.

    Pitching Excellence

    The starting pitching once again showed up when it mattered most, despite not having Zack Wheeler. Christopher Sanchez pitched two great games and further solidified himself as a true ace during this series. Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez all pitched great throughout the series as well. The starting pitching was dominant all year, and they performed well above expectations in this series.

    Ranger Suarez is the only starting arm that is a free agent this upcoming winter. The big question is, do you pay Ranger Suarez knowing you have a replacement in Andrew Painter coming up? Suarez has been one of the best lefties in the game over the last two years, so although it would hurt to lose him, the Phillies might not be able to afford to keep him. It’s going to be very interesting to see where Suarez lands this upcoming offseason.

    Season Conclusion

    That’s officially a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season, as well as my first season covering the team. It was a pleasure to bring you weekly storylines and my thoughts on this ball club throughout the year. The season ended like no one could have expected, with a game-losing error. One of the main things I love about baseball is that you can shake off whatever happened in the game before and get right back at it within a day or two. But in this scenario, having to sit with this feeling all offseason is certainly going to sting.

    While some fans (including myself) are still angry with this team and the result, I can already feel the excitement and optimism of opening day 2026 when the Texas Rangers come to town. Only 163 days until The Bank is packed for Opening Day on March 26, 2026!

    One Last Weekly Prediction: The Seattle Mariners are going to be your 2025 World Series Champions.

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    Matt Saglembeni

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  • Dodgers Head Back to NLCS After Phillies’ Costly 11th-Inning Error – LAmag

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    A costly Phillies error in the 11th inning sealed a 2–1 Dodgers victory

    In the 11th inning of a tight Game 4, Andy Pages hit a slow dribbler back to Orion Kerkering, Philadelphia’s rookie reliever. The play looked routine — until it wasn’t. Kerkering bobbled the ball as it kicked off his feet, glanced toward first, then fired home. His throw sailed wide of catcher J.T. Realmuto, allowing Hyeseong Kim to score what would become the game-winning run. Seconds later, the Dodgers were mobbing and celebrating Pages near first base, celebrating a 2–1 win and a return to the NLCS. (KTLA)

    For Kerkering, who had been a bright spot in the Phillies’ bullpen all season, it was suddenly a nightmare. “Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there’s a faster throw to J.T.,” he said afterward, acknowledging the split-second decision that ended Philadelphia’s year. (ESPN)

    Before the late-inning chaos, the night had been a classic pitching duel. Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow tossed six scoreless innings for Los Angeles, striking out seven, while Rōki Sasaki pulled through with three near-perfect frames in relief. The Dodgers’ bullpen combined for five scoreless innings, keeping the game within reach even as the team struggled offensively. 

    The Phillies had their chance in the seventh, when Nick Castellanos doubled home the game’s first run. But Los Angeles answered almost immediately, tying it after Mookie Betts drew a bases-loaded walk. 

    By the time Pages stepped to the plate in the 11th, who was hitless in his previous 22 at-bats, the Dodgers were ready to finally close out the game and punch their ticket back to the pennant.

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    Anthony Gutierrez

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  • Why the Phillies fell apart, again, in NLDS

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    No, it wasn’t a nightmare. That really just happened.

    The 96-win Phillies, fresh off their best regular-season campaign of their current era, once again collapsed in epic and dramatic fashion.

    Their NLDS loss to the Dodgers — coming after a five-day bye week thanks to them earning the NL’s 2-seed — wasn’t just an early exit for a team favored to make the World Series. It was as agonizing a series loss as any team in any sport can ever have. 

    The Phillies were in every single game, and each of their three losses can be traced back to one mistake, or managerial decision. The Phillies probably should have won this series.

    There will be plenty of time to look forward and decide what this team should do next — we have three weeks of stories planned here at PhillyVoice on that topic. But let’s take one more painful look back at what exactly went wrong, and how hindsight can solve all of the Phillies postseason issues, as it always does.

    1. The bullpen in Game 1

    Thomson’s first controversial decision came in Game 1, as the Phillies were clinging to a one-run lead they gave to ace Cris Sánchez. The Phillies’ manager called on David Robertson to get the last out in the sixth inning, and he did. For some reason, the 40-year-old who was mediocre during the regular season returned for the seventh and put two runners on base.

    A few hitters later Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run homer (off Matt Strahm) and the Dodgers stole Game 1. Thomson’s silent admission of this being a wrong decision came later in the series — as he did not make that mistake again. He went with the best pitcher available in Games 2-4, at basically every inflection point, even calling on closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning of Game 4.

    Had Thomson sent Ranger Suárez, who was said to be available in Game 1, or Duran, or Kerkering — anyone with more recent success than Robertson, the series could have looked completely different.

    2. Harrison Bader’s groin

    This was nobody’s fault, it was simple bad luck. But the Phillies’ trade deadline acquisition was arguably their best hitter over the last few months of the season and when he missed most of the series due to a groin strain, the trickle-down effect was huge.

    First, he forced Brandon Marsh into action. The platooner went 1-for-12 in the series and was essentially a non-factor on offense. Despite that fact Thomson hit him in the 5-spot all series long. The Bader injury also made Nick Castellanos an everyday player again, and while he did deliver in a big way — a two-run double in Game 2 and the Phillies’ only RBI in Game 4 — his defense was clearly the same problem it was all season out in right field.

    3. The bunt in Game 2

    Citizens Bank Park was rocking late in Game 2, as an epic comeback was in the making. Down 4-0, three Phillies runs had crossed the plate and the Phils had a runner on second with nobody out in the ninth.

    Thomson instructed Bryson Stott to bunt — and he did, into a perfectly executed “wheel play” from the Dodgers defense, gunning Castellanos down at third and essentially robbing the Phillies of a golden opportunity. We’ll be questioning this one for years. Had they not bunted, the single that followed off Bader’s bat would have plated the Phils’ fourth run and, once again, this series would have been totally different.

    4. Walking Shohei Ohtani

    When Duran entered Game 4 there were two men on and one man out. The Phillies were up 1-0. After a groundout, the intimidating Ohtani came up and Thomson told the umpires he was intentionally walking the Japanese superstar. This despite the fact that the two-time reigning NL MVP was struggling mightily — he was 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts in the series.

    Like the bunt decision, this went south quickly as Duran walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded to tie the game. The Phillies had enough faith in Duran to bring him in in the seventh inning against the top of the Dodgers lineup but not enough faith in him to get one of those hitters out with a one run lead? 

    5. Pulling Luzardo

    After the Dodgers evened things out late in Game 4, the Phillies were ready, with Jesús Luzardo ready to pitch multiple innings as the pitcher’s duel went to extra innings. Luzardo mowed down the first four hitters he faced and then went single-line out-single to put two runners on with two outs. For some reason — once again Thomson intervened.

    Orion Kerkering entered and everyone knows what happened next. He walked Enrique Hernández and then on a weak grounder one batter later, he threw the game away, overthrowing J.T. Realmuto at home when a throw to first would have ended the inning and sent the Phillies to the plate in the 12th inning.

    Just like all of the other instances we’ve outlined here, there is no telling whether Luzardo would have been able to get that third out. Or whether pitching to Ohtani would have been the right move. Or whether the Phillies would have plated a tying run if they didn’t give a free out to the Dodgers with a bad bunt attempt. But these decisions were wrong ones. And led to the Phillies being ousted once again way before they were expected to be.

    Red October used to be the most exciting time of year, with temperate weather, great vibes and optimism, with all four major sports overlapping ever so slightly in a sports-crazy city. But they’ve become pure hell for the city in recent years. 

    This one will be hard to forget.

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    Evan Macy

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  • Instant observations: Phillies’ NLDS Game 2 rally falls short, season on the brink

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    The Phillies, winners of the NL East and 96 games this season, are on the brink of seeing their season end early once again after a painful 4-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS.

    Dodger Blake Snell and Phillie Jesús Luzardo traded zeros on the scoreboard for about two hours before Los Angeles finally broke through in the seventh inning.

    The Phillies fought back with three late runs of their own but they couldn’t dig themselves out of a deep late hole and their 2025 season now hangs by a thread.

    Philadelphia is once again reeling from cold bats in the wake of another bye week. They’ll have a day to lick their wounds before trying to achieve the impossible at Chavez Ravine on Wednesday, looking to come back from down 0-2 in the best of five series.

    Just why this team, built on paper to compete in October, continues to fall on its face when the nights get crisp is a conversation for later (maybe for as soon as Wednesday). But right now, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the only really special moment from a forgettable Game 2 in South Philly:

    The good

    • Max Kepler came off the bench and drilled a lead-off triple in the eighth inning to give a little life to the dreary onlooking sell-out crowd. He had a double in Game 1 — you can bet he’ll be in the lineup for Game 3.

    Trea Turner then proceeded to put the Phillies on the board with a no frills RBI-single a few pitches later. I have to admit, I didn’t think the crowd would be able to turn it back up to 11 after the 4-0 deficit but credit to the Philly faithful they got back into it quickly (just in time to see Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper end the threat).

    • An inning later, they were chirping again. Better late than never, right? Alec Bohm hit a single and J.T. Realmuto a double against Blake Treinen — a pitcher this team has owned when facing him. The bloopiest of bloop doubles you’ll ever see from Nick Castellanos scored two runs and made this a ballgame.

    Harrison Bader, injured groin and all, hit a single after a failed sac bunt from Bryson Stott, but the rally would end there, as Kepler and Turner quietly grounded out. 

    • The entire season has been a roller coaster for both Luzardo and for Phillies fans. He was at one point a surefire All-Star and Cy Young candidate before he historically fell apart and allowed 20 runs over a pair of disastrous starts in June and July. The Phillies were treated to the ace version of Luzardo Monday. After he wiggled out of an early jam with runners on the corners, thanks to a well-fielded line drive to Nick Castellanos and weak ground out, he retired 17 straight hitters. 

    In the seventh frame, Luzardo finally surrendered, with a single and double knocking him into the dugout for righty reliever Orion Kerkering. He was credited for two runs as Kerkering couldn’t clean up the mess. In a vacuum, six-plus three-hit innings is a pretty solid day. But without an offense to support it, it’s a wasted start.

    The bad

    • The Phillies were 42-24 after a loss in the regular season, the second best in baseball behind the Cubs. So much for that.

    • “Moneyball” is one of my favorite movies. And it convinced me that bunting is stupid in basically every situation. With a runner on second and no one out, Stott tried to bunt Castellanos to third base and he failed, as the Dodgers got Castellanos out at third base. Some old school baseball is good. This particular old school baseball tactic is outdated and a losing idea. Of course, the very next hitter got a single — one that would have tied the game.

    • Before Monday’s game, Rob Thomson told the media that he stressed controlling the strike zone to his players ahead of Game 2. 

    “Snell likes to induce a lot of chase,” Thomson said. “You’ve got to be aware of what’s going on.”

    That scouting report proved prophetic. After the team marginally improved its swing and miss rate from 25.9% to 25.7% from a year ago, they were really letting the bats fly Monday — and whiffing. Against the Dodgers’ starter alone, Phillies hitters swung and missed 23 times (13 of them in the first three innings). For some context, most MLB games see each batting order whiff somewhere between 14-to-18 times in an entire game. 

    Snell was as masterful as was expected, striking out nine Phillies hitters and pitching around four walks in his six innings.

    • After reaching with a third-inning walk, Brandon Marsh essentially handed the Dodgers an out for free when he was caught stealing by a mile. With Schwarber at the plate, working the count, why, oh why, would you try and steal a base?

    • It’s hard to win when your best hitters don’t hit. Combined with their nearly absent (save for a Harper single) showing in the first game, the Phillies’ superstar 1-through-3 hitters were a combined 1-for-18 to start the series until Turner drove in a garbage time run in the eighth. 

    The first hit for the Phillies didn’t come until an Edmundo Sosa single with two outs in the fifth — so it wasn’t just those three guys.

    Schwarber especially has been invisible. The MVP candidate and National League leader in homers and RBI — the only player ever to have a home run in the ALWC, ALDS, ALCS, NLWC, NLDS, NLCS and World Series — is 0-for his last 21 dating back to September. He did walk with Turner on second in the sixth inning to create the Phillies’ first real scoring opportunity — but Harper and Alec Bohm failed to plate anyone.

    The good news is the last time he slumped like this, he blasted himself out of it with a four home run game. The bad news is the team might not be playing for much longer.

    • A bad throw from Turner was responsible for the Dodgers’ first run, as a weak groundout with runners on second and third prompted the shortstop to correctly fire for home, but the throw was on the wrong side of J.T. Realmuto at the plate and the tag was a hair late. That’s what kind of margins these postseason games can have. Had that throw been on the mark we could be writing a different story.

    The floodgates opened quickly after, as Kerkering walked the bases loaded and then gave up two runs on a single to Will Smith. Matt Strahm was knocked for another run when Shohei Ohtani’s bat finally arrived in Philadelphia. 

    The Dodgers are too good a team to be kept at bay for nine innings in this environment, and the Phillies’ lack of offense will likely be how this series is remembered if they can’t complete an epic comeback out west in L.A.

    • One more note here, the Jhoan Duran entrance is epic — but for the second straight game the lights went down and the bellowing LED flames throughout welcomed the closer to the mound with the Phillies losing. ‘El Incomprendido’ was blasting as fans filed for the exits in the ninth. Woof.

    The ugly legendary

    • We’ll finish on a positive note. This happened 15 years ago tonight:

    Roy Halladay was one of the best to ever do it. 

    There have been some pretty awful dry spells — namely from 2012-2021 when the team was either way too old or badly run — but this city has seen some pretty amazing baseball over the last two decades. The fact that it’s only brought one World Series is pretty mind boggling.

    The Phillies are nothing but class, and trotted out Halladay’s kids Braden and Ryan to toss the first pitch to Carlos Ruiz. 

    👌 

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    Evan Macy

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  • MLB roundup: Reds make NL wild card despite loss to Brewers

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    (Photo credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images)

    Danny Jansen belted a two-run homer to pace the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-2 comeback victory Sunday over the visiting Cincinnati Reds, who clinched their first postseason appearance since 2020 despite the loss.

    Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl homered for the Reds, who earned a National League wild-card spot due to Sunday’s loss by the New York Mets. It is the Reds’ first postseason berth in a 162-game season since 2013.

    As the No. 6 seed in the NL, the Reds begin their best-of-three wild-card series at the third-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

    The Brewers, who have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with the best overall record in the majors, have a bye into the NL Division Series, which begins Saturday. Milwaukee (97-65) set a franchise record for victories in a season with help from Jansen’s blow during a three-run fourth inning.

    Marlins 4, Mets 0

    Edward Cabrera pitched five scoreless innings as host Miami eliminated New York from playoff contention. Cabrera (8-7) allowed just two hits and worked around five walks.

    The Marlins scored four runs off three pitchers in a crucial fourth inning. Reliever Brooks Raley (3-1) started that inning, but it was Ryne Stanek, who allowed RBI doubles to Eric Wagaman and Brian Navarreto.

    In the next half inning, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs and Pete Alonso lined a pitch 116 mph, but it found the glove of a leaping left-fielder Javier Sanoja. The game ended with Francisco Lindor (1-for-3, two walks) grounding into a double play.

    Red Sox 4, Tigers 3

    Boston clinched the No. 5 seed in the American League postseason with a win over visiting Detroit.

    Masataka Yoshida and David Hamilton both homered, Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-3, and Jarren Duran had the game-winning RBI to lead Boston past Detroit, which will be the No. 6 seed in the AL field after a late-season collapse. Cleveland trailed Detroit by 15 1/2 games in the division race on July 9.

    Jose De Leon struck out eight and allowed three runs in a quality start of 6 2/3 innings. He was recalled from Triple-A Worcester before the game for his first MLB appearance since 2023. Tigers starter Chris Paddack pitched 4 1/3 innings in the loss, allowing four runs and seven hits while striking out five.

    Yankees 3, Orioles 2

    Ben Rice drilled two home runs, including the go-ahead solo shot in the eighth, as host New York defeated Baltimore to tie Toronto for the AL East title.

    Yankees starter Luis Gil allowed two runs and three hits over five innings before four relievers each threw one scoreless inning, which included Devin Williams (4-6) in the eighth and David Bednar (27th save) in the ninth. New York, which lost the division tiebreaker, hosts Boston in the best-of-three wild-card series that begins Tuesday.

    Jordan Westburg and Gunnar Henderson hit back-to-back homers in the eighth for the Orioles (75-87), who posted their first losing record since 2021. Starter Kyle Bradish allowed two runs over five innings with eight strikeouts while Rico Garcia (0-2) gave up Rice’s second blast.

    Blue Jays 13, Rays 4

    Alejandro Kirk homered twice, including a grand slam, as host Toronto clinched the American League East, routing Tampa Bay. Kirk also doubled and had six RBIs to help the Blue Jays to their first division title since 2015.

    Addison Barger and George Springer added two-run homers. Mason Fluharty (5-2) replaced starter Kevin Gausman in the fifth inning and retired all four batters he faced.

    Jonathan Aranda had two hits and three RBIs for the Rays in their final game of the season. Richie Palacios added three hits. Ian Seymour (4-3) allowed six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings.

    Padres 12, Diamondbacks 4

    Manny Machado homered and Jackson Merrill drove in three as host San Diego swept Arizona to enter the playoffs with seven wins in its final eight regular-season games.

    J.P. Sears (9-11) allowed two runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings for the Padres, who reeled off five consecutive hits to spark a five-run first inning. Machado, Merrill and Ryan O’Hearn each collected two of the Padres’ 11 hits.

    Brandon Pfaadt (13-9) surrendered eight runs (seven earned) and six hits over four-plus innings for the Diamondbacks. Ketel Marte slugged his 28th homer to lead off the game while Geraldo Perdomo drove in his 100th run of the year in the ninth.

    Cubs 2, Cardinals 0

    Seiya Suzuki homered for the fifth time in four games as host Chicago capped the regular season with a three-game sweep of St. Louis.

    Suzuki’s fifth-inning solo shot opened the scoring for the Cubs, who host the San Diego Padres in a best-of-three wild-card series that starts Tuesday. Starter Javier Assad (4-1) posted a season-high six strikeouts while scattering three hits and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. Jordan Wicks fanned four over the last three innings for his first save.

    Kyle Leahy allowed just one hit over three innings in his first big-league start before giving way to John King (2-1), who gave up Suzuki’s homer. Thomas Saggese and Victor Scott II posted two hits apiece for the Cardinals (78-84), who closed the season on a four-game slide.

    Royals 9, Athletics 2

    Mike Yastrzemski homered twice to help visiting Kansas City top the Athletics in the season finale for both teams.

    Carter Jensen also homered, singled twice and scored three times, while Michael Massey added four hits, an RBI and two runs scored and Maikel Garcia had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run for the Royals, who won three of their last four to finish with a winning record (82-80). Kansas City starter Cole Ragans blanked the A’s on two hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out eight, and Daniel Lynch IV (6-2) pitched 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief to earn the win.

    Brady Basso (1-1) started for the Athletics and took the loss after allowing one run on three hits over 1 1/3 innings. Nick Kurtz homered for the A’s, who went 13-11 in September to finish with 76 wins.

    White Sox 8, Nationals 0

    Shane Smith took a perfect game into the sixth inning before combining with three relievers on a one-hitter as visiting Chicago ended its season with a win over Washington.

    Brooks Baldwin homered for the second straight game, doubled and drove in three runs for the White Sox. Dominic Fletcher also homered and doubled, and Miguel Vargas added a home run. Smith (7-8) retired the first 16 Nationals before Brady House lined a single to right with one out in the sixth. He allowed one hit over six innings and struck out eight batters without a walk. Chicago (60-102) improved noticeably on its record-setting 2024 campaign, when it went 41-121.

    Washington’s Brad Lord (5-10) gave up five runs on five hits over four innings. The Nationals (66-96) suffered its sixth consecutive losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.

    Guardians 9, Rangers 8 (10 innings)

    Brayan Rocchio hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, completing a four-run rally and lifting American League Central champion Cleveland to a wild win over visiting Texas in the teams’ regular-season finale.

    The Guardians will open the best-of-three wild-card round against the Detroit Tigers in Cleveland on Tuesday. Rocchio’s walk-off round-tripper came off the Rangers’ Jose Corniell (0-1), who was making his major league debut with a three-run lead.

    Rowdy Tellez had staked the Rangers to an 8-5 cushion with his own three-run shot in the top of the frame. The Guardians’ Bo Naylor doubled home automatic runner George Valera to open the bottom of the 10th, and after a walk to Petey Halpin, Rocchio homered to right field.

    Astros 6, Angels 2

    Yainer Diaz and Ramon Urias each homered and drove in a pair of runs, propelling visiting Houston to a victory over Los Angeles.

    Brice Matthews and Victor Caratini also homered for the Astros, who were eliminated from postseason contention Saturday for the first time since 2016. Starter Lance McCullers Jr. allowed one run on two hits across three innings. Astros reliever Colton Gordon (6-4) then threw five no-hit innings in relief.

    Mike Trout homered in his only at-bat for the Angels before Logan O’Hoppe replaced him in the third. Sam Aldegheri (0-2) threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. The Angels (72-90) missed the postseason for the 11th straight year and finished with a losing record for the 10th straight time.

    Phillies 2, Twins 1 (10 innings)

    Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to lift Philadelphia to a win over visiting Minnesota.

    Max Kepler added a solo home run for Philadelphia, which is headed to the postseason after winning the National League East. The Phillies finished with an MLB-best 55-26 mark at home. Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead Minnesota.

    Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out eight. Simeon Woods Richardson struck out nine over six scoreless innings for the Twins.

    Giants 4, Rockies 0

    Willy Adames hit his 30th home run of the season, Rafael Devers added his 35th and San Francisco, getting a combined shutout from Logan Webb and three relievers, completed a season-ending sweep of visiting Colorado.

    Webb (15-11) matched his career high in wins by limiting the Rockies to three hits in 5 1/3 innings while Adames finished off his second straight 30-homer season and Devers reached the 35-homer milestone for the second time. With the win, the Giants (81-81) finished the season at .500.

    Brenton Doyle and Hunter Goodman had doubles for Colorado (43-119), which wrapped up the season with six straight defeats. Their 119 losses tied for the third-most in Major League Baseball since 1900.

    Braves 4, Pirates 1

    Chris Sale pitched 5 2/3 strong innings, Ronald Acuna Jr. provided the offense with a home run and Atlanta closed its season with a win over visiting Pittsburgh.

    Sale entered the game with one out in the second inning. He approved the idea of coming out of the bullpen to give 41-year-old veteran Charlie Morton what is expected to be the final start of his career. Morton made his major league debut with the Braves in 2008 and also pitched for Atlanta in 2021-24 before signing with them this week. In his first appearance out of the bullpen since 2012, Sale (7-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.

    Morton, signed by the Braves after he was released by Detroit, pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and left after striking out Alexander Canario on a curveball, the signature pitch of Morton’s career. Pirates starter Johan Oviedo (2-1) pitched five innings and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Pittsburgh got its run in the sixth on an RBI single by Joey Bart.

    Dodgers 6, Mariners 1

    Clayton Kershaw (11-2) pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the final regular-season start of his illustrious 18-year career to lead Los Angeles over host Seattle.

    Shohei Ohtani hit his 55th homer of the season — breaking his own franchise record — and Hyeseong Kim and Freddie Freeman also went deep for the National League West champion Dodgers. Los Angeles will be the No. 3 seed in the NL playoffs and will host the Cincinnati Reds in the best-of-three wild-card round that begins Tuesday.

    The Mariners’ Bryce Miller (4-6) allowed four runs on five hits over four innings. Eugenio Suarez drove in his squad’s lone run and finished the season with 118 RBIs.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Dodgers become just the 5th franchise in baseball history to draw 4 million fans in a season

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    The Los Angeles Dodgers have drawn 4 million fans this season for the first time in franchise history.

    Los Angeles is the first MLB team to draw 4 million fans since the New York Mets and Yankees did it in 2008. The 2025 Dodgers are only the 5th franchise in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

    The defending World Series champion Dodgers topped the mark Sunday when 46,601 fans attended their regular-season home finale against the San Francisco Giants. They finished the 2025 regular season with a total attendance of 4,012,470 — an average of 49,537 per game.

    “For these fans to post and show up every day, it’s incredible,” manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s a reason I feel we have the best fans in sports. The numbers speak to it. You can tell this past weekend, the emotion of the fans and how the players responded. It’s been great.”

    The Yankees drew 4 million fans from 2005 to 2008 in each of their final four years at the old Yankee Stadium, while the Toronto Blue Jays did it in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The Colorado Rockies also hit the mark in 1993 while playing at cavernous Mile High Stadium.

    The Dodgers list the capacity of Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962, at an MLB-high 56,000. They’ve led the major leagues in attendance in 12 of the past 13 seasons since 2013, falling short only in 2020 amid restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Dodgers are wildly popular in Southern California, but they also draw because they’re winners: They’ve clinched a postseason berth for the 13th consecutive year since 2013, matching the second-longest playoff streak in baseball history during a stretch that includes two World Series championships and four NL pennants. They’re also likely to clinch their 12th NL West title in 13 years over the next week.

    Their large fan base and Shohei Ohtani’s worldwide popularity explains why the Dodgers also lead the majors in road attendance, drawing an average of 35,118 fans to opposing parks so far in 2025. Los Angeles finishes the regular season on a six-game trip to Arizona and Seattle.

    Los Angeles had crowds with more than 50,000 fans at 46 of its 81 home games this season, and the team never had a crowd under 40,000. The Dodgers keep their fans happy by winning, but also by holding a generous number of fan giveaways during the season, including more than a dozen high-profile bobblehead nights.

    The Dodgers didn’t top 3 million in attendance in Chavez Ravine until the 1978 season, but they’ve now done it 36 times.

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    Greg Beacham | The Associate Press

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  • Phillies weekend rooting guide: A lot to play for, and also the nagging Mets

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    The Phillies have clinched the NL East, but the next week will be incredibly important to their hunt for the World Series.

    First, they are hoping for healthy returns from infielders Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa prior to the end of the regular season. Shoulder inflammation sent Bohm to the IL, but he is expected to be playing in Arizona. The other two players could follow back in Philly next week.

    Second, they are playing for a first-round bye and for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They’re also keeping an eye on the pestering Mets, who are fighting to remain the final Wild card team.

    Here’s a look at what the Phillies are still playing for, and then a rooting guide for fans who enjoy scoreboard watching:

    The 2-seed

    The Phillies have a five game lead over the Dodgers for the 2-seed in the National League. With nine games left to play and a regular-season tie-breaker in their back pocket, the Phillies’ magic number is four to earn this important prize.

    They have the best home win percentage (.680) of any team in the majors this season.

    Heading into Friday, here’s a look at some of their numbers at home this season, with six home games left to play:

    Category Stat MLB Rank
    Batting average .280 1st
    Runs scored 410 2nd
    OPS .822 1st
    Home runs 110 4th
     ERA 3.83 15th
    Strikeouts 735 3rd
    WHIP 1.190 8th

    Home-field advantage will be huge for the Phillies in October. They didn’t have it in their World Series run in 2022, when they were the last Wild card team, but they blew home-field advantages in series against the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. They were not as dominant at home in those seasons as they have been in 2025.

    The Dodgers play the Giants, Diamondbacks and Mariners to finish their season — three teams in playoff races themselves.

    The 1-seed

    The 1-seed is much less likely, but no less important. Due to the NL being better than the AL in the standings this year, at least up to this point, the Phillies or Brewers are likely to have homefield advantage in the World Series, as both are clear of the AL-best Blue Jays.

    The Phillies are one of the best teams in the sport at home, as we just mentioned, so if they are somehow able to catch Milwaukee, a team that holds a tiebreaker over Philadelphia, it would be extremely helpful.

    The Brewers lead the Phils by three games, and Philly would need to be a game clear of them, so they are essentially four games back with three series left to play. Milwaukee has a magic number of six to boot the Phillies from 1-seed contention. 

    Milwaukee faces the Cardinals, Padres and Reds down the stretch, three teams that are also currently contending for a playoff spot.

    The Mets and the 6-seed

    Thanks to a messy recent eight-game losing streak — with four of them coming to the Phillies in Philly — the Mets are scratching and clawing to hang on to the final playoff spot in the National League. This is of interest to Phillies fans who simply want to relish the schadenfreude of a potential full collapse, or who want to avoid having to play at all in Citi Field in a potential NLDS match up. Philly has been dreadful in Queens over the last few seasons.

    The Mets’ tumble has brought a few teams back into the race, and those teams just happen to be playing the Brewers and Dodgers over the next 10 days. The longer the Mets keep this a lingering race, the more the Reds, Diamondbacks and Giants have to play for. And if those teams play hard, it could indirectly help the Phillies clinch the 2 or even the 1 seed.

    Here’s how things stand heading into the weekend:

    Team GB Remain
    Brewers — STL, SD, CIN
    Phillies 2 ARI, MIA, MIN
    Dodgers 8 SF, ARI, SEA
    Cubs WC1 CIN, NYM, STL
    Padres WC2 CHW, MIL, ARI
    Mets WC3 WAS, CHI, MIA
    Reds 1.5 CHI, PIT, MIL
    Diamondbacks 3 PHI, LAD, SD
    Giants 4 LAD, STL, COL

    The top three teams are more or less locked in as division-winners, though the Padres have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers (three games back) and the Cubs are six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. 

    As you can see from the upcoming slate, there will be a lot of games of interest for seeding purposes over the week and a half.

    So, now the rooting guide — preferred winners in bold:

    Phillies at Diamondbacks 

    Even though the D-backs winning would help the Mets collapse, the Phillies are more interested in homefield advantage.

    Brewers at Cardinals

    The Phillies need at least four Brewers losses, probably more, to get that 1-seed.

    Cubs at Reds

    The Reds winning puts pressure on the Mets. It also keeps them relevant — Philadelphia hopes — until their season-ending series against the Brewers.

    Giants at Dodgers

    The Giants winning this series kills two birds with one stone. It keeps the Giants on the Mets’ heels in the race for the final Wild Card spot. And it also helps the Phillies in their quest for the 2-seed, needing the Dodgers to lose a few more times.

    Nationals at Mets

    The Nats are the second-worst team in the National League and don’t have anything to play for but pride. Hopefully they can give the Mets a test this weekend.

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  • Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Announces Retirement After 18 Seasons

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    The three-time Cy Young winner and 2014 MVP will end his career where it began

    Credit: Getty

    Clayton Kershaw, long-time ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers for nearly 18 seasons, has just announced he will be retiring after the 2025 season, closing the door on one of the most memorable and remarkable careers in MLB history. 

    The news was first shared by the Dodgers on X in a post that read: “Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, 2014 NL MVP, and 11-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw will retire following the 2025 season. He will make his final Dodger Stadium regular-season start on Friday.”

    The announcement confirms what fans and baseball insiders speculated for the past couple of months, that the 2025 season would be the final run for the 37-year-old left-hander. 

    Kershaw spent his first entire 18-season career with the dodger blue. “I don’t think I put enough merit on it at times, what it means to be able to be in one organization for your entire career,” Kershaw reflected earlier this year, noting that ending his career in Los Angeles was always part of his plan (MLB). 

    Across 18 seasons, Kershaw collected over 3,000 strikeouts, won three Cy-Young Awards, an MVP, and contributed to many deep playoff runs as the Dodgers’ ace. He also helped deliver the Dodgers a long-awaited World Series title in 2020, their first since 1988. 

    Despite injuries in recent years, Kershaw has been able to remain reliable on the mound for the Dodgers, posting a 10-2 record with a 3.53 ERA in 20 starts this season, showcasing his ability to compete at a high level even in his final campaign. 

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    Despite the legendary numbers from the lefty ace, Kershaw symbolized consistency and loyalty to Los Angeles, something the Dodger fans truly value and respect him for. The younger generation of Dodger fans very much idolized him growing up, especially during his prime seasons, where he won his three Cy Young Awards in 4 seasons. The announcement on X brought many fans together to pay tribute to the long-time ace, sharing their best memories and triumphs from his career. 

    With the season coming to a close, Dodger fans aren’t just focused on another World Series run, but on savoring every last moment with their ace, who defined a generation of baseball in Los Angeles. 

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    Anthony Gutierrez

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  • Phillies clinch NL East out west, still have a lot left to play for

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    The Phillies won their second straight NL East title Monday while you were sleeping with a 6-5 win in 10 innings over the Dodgers in L.A.

    J.T. Realmuto’s sac fly plated Harrison Bader from third in the top of the 10th for the go-ahead run and David Robertson pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by getting  Miguel Rojas to pop out and then Max Muncy to end the game on a groundout to Bryce Harper.

    The victory gives the Phils a ridiculous 12.5 game lead over the Mets, with 11 games left to play. The race is over. The Phillies can celebrate.

    On Aug. 27, just two and a half weeks ago, the Phillies were swept in Queens and a seven-game NL East Lead had evaporated to just four. This days before news that Zack Wheeler was finished for the year, and days before Alec Bohm and Trea Turner (a real MVP candidate) were added to the Injured List.

    In the time since, the Phillies have gone 13-4, including six in a row (that included a four-game sweep at home of the Mets). New York has gone 4-13. The Phillies are NL East champs. The Mets are looking over their shoulders at the Giants, Reds Diamondbacks and Cardinals — all four teams are within four games of the last Wild card spot.

    If they miss the playoffs this could go down as one of the all-time collapses.

    Philadelphia overcame inconsistent pitching, a bullpen that was cause for headaches on a nightly basis, and an outfield that took months to finally become productive. 

    However, it isn’t time to start resting and preparing for October yet.

    Though they have the second-best record in the National League by a decent margin (5.5 games over the Dodgers after Monday’s win) they still need to clinch a first-round playoff bye — which means the next magic number to watch is seven, the number they need to eliminate the Dodgers from home-field contention.

    There are two games left in the series in Los Angeles, and winning the series would go a long way toward helping Philly sew up the right to skip a best of three first-round series. The Phillies will most certainly need to keep their foot on the gas for a little longer with meaningful games out west (the Diamondbacks follow the Dodgers).

    The Phillies were two games behind Milwaukee for the No. 1 seed when Monday began, which is another extremely important milestone and one that could help them in their quest to win the World Series next month. Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for these three NL contenders:

    Phillies Dodgers Brewers
     at Dodgers (2) vs. Phillies (2) vs. Angels (3)
    at Diamondbacks (3) vs. Giants (4) at Cardinals (3)
    vs. Marlins (3) at Diamondbacks (3) at Padres (3)
    vs. Twins (3) at Mariners (3) vs. Reds (3)

    The Dodgers have the toughest remaining slate of the three, facing four teams currently in postseason contention (bolded).

    That No. 1 seed could be a big asset if the Phillies want to have their best chance at winning a World Series. They have had incredible play in their friendly confines this season. They have the best home win percentage (.680) of any team in the majors this season.

    Heading into Monday, here’s a look at some of their numbers at home this season:

    Category Stat MLB Rank
    Batting average .280 1st
    Runs scored 410 2nd
    OPS .822 1st
    Home runs 110 3rd
     ERA 3.83 13th
    Strikeouts 735 2nd
    WHIP 1.190 6th

    Home-field advantage will be huge for the Phillies in October. They didn’t have it in their World Series run in 2022, when they were the last Wild card team, but they blew home-field advantages in series against the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. They were not as dominant at home in those seasons as they have been in 2025.

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    Evan Macy

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  • Dodgers pitcher writes tribute to Charlie Kirk on hat

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    Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen took the mound at Oracle Park during Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a handwritten tribute to Charlie Kirk easily visible on the right side of his hat.Treinen’s blue Dodgers hat had Kirk’s name written in white, with a Christian cross on each side of Kirk’s name. The message came two days after Kirk, a 31-year-old political activist who frequently expounded far-right views, was shot and killed at a rally on Utah Valley University’s campus in Orem, Utah. Video above: Pa. lawmaker to introduce bill that establishes Charlie Kirk Day as state holidayTreinen hasn’t been shy about using his platform to promote his beliefs and conspiracy theories, which have usually been far-right memes and anti-vaccine content. During the heated Giants-Dodgers postseason showdown in 2021, Treinen changed his Instagram bio to link to Robin Bullock, who said he was a “prophet of God” on his YouTube channel and shared conspiracy theories and indirectly took credit for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.A one-time All-Star with the A’s, Treinen has been with the Dodgers since 2020 and has been a steady presence in their bullpen. But he and fellow pitcher Clayton Kershaw were outspoken against their own team when the Dodgers invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity group of queer and drag nuns, to their Pride Night in 2023.During the Dodgers’ Pride Night in 2025 (which coincidentally happened when the Giants were in LA), Kershaw created a controversy for himself when he wrote a Bible verse on his hat. Kershaw claimed it had nothing to do with Pride night, but the specific passage he chose has been frequently used by Christians to denounce the LGBTQ+ community. The Dodgers played a game on Wednesday night, but Treinen didn’t pitch in the 9-0 win over the Rockies. On Friday night, he made an appearance in a game and displayed the tribute to Kirk. Treinen escaped a jam in the ninth inning, but took the loss after he faced one batter in the 10th. It made him the pitcher responsible for the winning run when Giants catcher Patrick Bailey crushed a walk-off grand slam off of Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott.

    Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen took the mound at Oracle Park during Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants with a handwritten tribute to Charlie Kirk easily visible on the right side of his hat.

    Treinen’s blue Dodgers hat had Kirk’s name written in white, with a Christian cross on each side of Kirk’s name. The message came two days after Kirk, a 31-year-old political activist who frequently expounded far-right views, was shot and killed at a rally on Utah Valley University’s campus in Orem, Utah.

    Video above: Pa. lawmaker to introduce bill that establishes Charlie Kirk Day as state holiday

    Treinen hasn’t been shy about using his platform to promote his beliefs and conspiracy theories, which have usually been far-right memes and anti-vaccine content. During the heated Giants-Dodgers postseason showdown in 2021, Treinen changed his Instagram bio to link to Robin Bullock, who said he was a “prophet of God” on his YouTube channel and shared conspiracy theories and indirectly took credit for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

    A one-time All-Star with the A’s, Treinen has been with the Dodgers since 2020 and has been a steady presence in their bullpen. But he and fellow pitcher Clayton Kershaw were outspoken against their own team when the Dodgers invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity group of queer and drag nuns, to their Pride Night in 2023.

    During the Dodgers’ Pride Night in 2025 (which coincidentally happened when the Giants were in LA), Kershaw created a controversy for himself when he wrote a Bible verse on his hat. Kershaw claimed it had nothing to do with Pride night, but the specific passage he chose has been frequently used by Christians to denounce the LGBTQ+ community.

    The Dodgers played a game on Wednesday night, but Treinen didn’t pitch in the 9-0 win over the Rockies. On Friday night, he made an appearance in a game and displayed the tribute to Kirk. Treinen escaped a jam in the ninth inning, but took the loss after he faced one batter in the 10th. It made him the pitcher responsible for the winning run when Giants catcher Patrick Bailey crushed a walk-off grand slam off of Dodgers pitcher Tanner Scott.

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  • Dodger Stadium Named Most Instagrammable MLB Park

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    Through evaluations of Instagram photos per seat and the number of hashtags mentioning MLB stadiums across the country, the Dodgers stadium was found to be the most Instagrammable.

    Dodger Stadium is now the third-oldest ballpark in America, and its size and view of Downtown LA and the Hollywood sign make it a prime photographable stadium.
    Credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress

    According to a new research study conducted by FlashPicks, Dodger Stadium is the most Instagrammable out of all of the MLB stadiums. The Chavez Ravine, or “Blue Heaven on Earth”, as manager Tommy Lasorda called it, had its opening day in 1962 after the team played its first four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Los Angeles baseball team set an MLB attendance record that year, entertaining 2,755,184 fans.

    Dodger Stadium, which is the largest stadium in MLB and is the third oldest active MLB park in the nation, was determined to be the most Instagrammable through a measurement of MLB photos per seat and how many times the stadiums were tagged on Instagram. The stadium has 56,000 seats, and an average of 12.32 photos per seat.

    As for hashtags, the stadium was mentioned with the most hashtags out of all MLB stadiums, at 791,110, in comparison to the runner-up’s hashtag count, which was Yankee Stadium at 748,000. Baseball is a huge part of Los Angeles culture, and the numbers showcase how actively Dodgers fans show their pride for their team on social media.

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    Ava Mitchell

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  • Hard-hitting Dodgers grab four-game split with Rockies

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    (Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

    Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages homered and finished with two hits apiece, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 9-5 in Denver on Thursday.

    Alex Freeland had three hits and Mookie Betts contributed two hits for Los Angeles, which earned a split of the four-game series without Shohei Ohtani.

    Ohtani was out of the lineup a day after he was hit by a comebacker from Orlando Arcia while he was pitching.

    The Dodgers scored at least one run in each of the first five innings to back Clayton Kershaw (8-2), who allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

    Brenton Doyle homered among his two hits and drove in four runs, while Jordan Beck finished with two hits for Colorado.

    Los Angeles jumped on starter Chase Dollander (2-10) in the first inning. Betts led off with a walk and Freeman smashed his 16th home run 451 feet to center to make it 2-0.

    Colorado got a run back in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Freeman led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice, advanced to third when Kershaw was called for a disengagement violation and scored on Hunter Goodman’s groundout.

    In the second, Pages hit a double and went to third on Tyler Freeman’s error in right field. Alex Call walked and Miguel Rojas reached on a bunt single to drive in Pages. Betts loaded the bases with a single and Dollander hit Will Smith to bring in another run.

    Call had an RBI single in the third inning to make it 5-1, and the Dodgers chased Dollander in the fourth. Betts and Freeman led off with singles, Betts scored on a sacrifice fly and Freeland’s double made it 7-1.

    Dollander allowed seven runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.

    Doyle hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth for Colorado. But Pages led off the fifth with his 21st home run and Smith drove in another run with a single in the eighth.

    Doyle, who had an RBI single in the sixth, hit a two-run homer 442 feet to left in the bottom of the eighth, his 13th.

    –Field Level Media

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  • The Road to the World Series: 2025 Playoff Contenders – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Lesly Juarez/Unsplash

    The 2025 MLB season is barreling toward its most electric stretch, the playoffs.

    This is the time when rosters tighten, rotations shorten, and every pitch carries the weight of an entire city’s hopes. The margins are razor-thin, and only the most complete teams survive the October gauntlet.

    While every playoff-bound club dreams of hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy, a few stand out as legitimate front-runners. They combine deep pitching staffs, explosive offenses, and postseason-tested leadership. 

    Alongside them is a dark horse capable of derailing even the most carefully laid championship plans.

    Atlanta Braves: The Relentless Machine

    The Braves enter the postseason as one of baseball’s most consistent forces. Year after year, they produce one of the league’s best run differentials and dominate at the plate. In 2025, that balance between firepower and pitching depth puts them squarely among the favorites.

    Why They’re a Contender

    Atlanta’s offense remains an engine of destruction. Their lineup blends power, patience, and speed, making it a nightmare for opposing pitchers. The rotation is equally formidable.

    Key Players

    Ronald Acuña Jr.: Acuña Jr continues to redefine the leadoff role. His blend of 30+ home run power and elite baserunning forces pitchers to labor from the very first at-bat. He also sets the tone defensively, covering massive ground in right field.

    Spencer Strider: Strider’s strikeout arsenal remains unmatched. With an upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider, he can dominate even the deepest playoff lineups.

    It’s no surprise that discussions around the odds to win the World Series often feature Atlanta near the top; they’re a team built for both the 162-game grind and the win-or-go-home chaos of October.

    Los Angeles Dodgers: The Star-Powered Juggernaut

    No team in recent memory blends star power and depth quite like the Dodgers. They’ve built an organization where losing a key starter doesn’t derail the season; it just means the next All-Star-caliber player steps up.

    Why They’re a Contender

    The Dodgers’ offensive depth is awe-inspiring. They can stack their lineup with hitters who each pose a legitimate long-ball threat, while their bench remains one of the league’s best. On the pitching side, their rotation boasts frontline dominance and a flexible bullpen.

    Key Players

    Mookie Betts: Betts remains one of the game’s most complete players, excelling in every facet, power, average, speed, defense, and leadership. His October track record is proof of his big-game pedigree.

    Shohei Ohtani: While his two-way role is managed carefully, Ohtani’s ability to change a game with either his bat or arm makes him the ultimate postseason weapon. His presence alone alters opposing teams’ game plans.

    If the Dodgers stay healthy, they’re as dangerous as any team in baseball, perhaps more so because of their adaptability across a long playoff run.

    Houston Astros: The October Specialists

    PHOTO: Lesly Juarez/Unsplash

    Year after year, the Astros prove that playoff baseball is in their DNA. Their core has been through deep runs, and their ability to execute in big moments remains unmatched.

    Why They’re a Contender

    Houston thrives under pressure. They’ve developed a reputation for clutch hitting and efficient pitching in October. Even as pieces of their championship core have changed, their winning culture endures.

    Key Players

    Yordan Álvarez: Few hitters in the game can match Álvarez’s combination of raw power and disciplined approach. His ability to deliver in high-leverage situations makes him one of the most feared bats in the postseason.

    Framber Valdez: Valdez brings calm and control to the mound. His heavy sinker induces ground balls at a rate that frustrates power-heavy lineups, a valuable skill in tight postseason games.

    The Astros’ blend of veteran leadership and postseason experience ensures they’re never intimidated by the October stage.

    Dark Horse: Seattle Mariners

    Seattle may not carry the same “favorite” label as Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Houston, but ignoring them would be a mistake. Their roster is young, athletic, and built around pitching depth, an ingredient that often sparks surprise playoff runs.

    Why They Could Shock Everyone

    The Mariners’ rotation is among the most underrated in baseball, capable of matching up with the game’s elite. Their offense, while streaky, has enough firepower to flip a game with a single swing. In a short series, that volatility can work in their favor.

    Key Players

    Julio Rodríguez: The face of the franchise and one of MLB’s brightest stars, Rodríguez brings dynamic offense and highlight-reel defense. His energy fuels the entire roster.

    Logan Gilbert: Gilbert’s rise as a dependable frontline starter has given Seattle a true ace to match up in must-win games. His combination of velocity and command is tailor-made for success in October.

    If Seattle catches fire early, they have the tools to become the postseason’s most dangerous underdog.

    What Contenders Have in Common

    While each of these teams has its own style, they share key characteristics that define championship-caliber baseball:

    • Star Power: Each club boasts multiple game-changers capable of deciding a series on their own.
    • Pitching Depth: From aces to lockdown relievers, they can control the strike zone in any situation.
    • Adaptability: They can win slugfests, grind out 2–1 nail-biters, and adjust to the unique demands of each opponent.

    It’s these qualities, not just regular-season dominance, that tend to separate World Series winners from the rest.

    Final Outlook on the 2025 Playoff Picture

    As October approaches, the Braves, Dodgers, and Astros have positioned themselves as the most likely to navigate the postseason minefield. Their combination of talent, experience, and depth makes them formidable opponents for anyone. Yet, lurking just behind them, the Mariners stand ready to break the script.

    Baseball history is full of unexpected October heroes and teams that defy the odds. In 2025, whether the favorites hold serve or the dark horse charges to the forefront, the road to the World Series promises drama, unpredictability, and unforgettable moments.

    For fans, that’s the beauty of this sport, the certainty that nothing is specific, and the belief that any team still standing has a shot at glory.

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  • Paint the town blue: L.A. bathes landmarks in light toasting Dodgers victory

    Paint the town blue: L.A. bathes landmarks in light toasting Dodgers victory

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    It was more than 60 years ago this month that the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox and won their first World Series in front of more than 90,000 baseball fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

    At the time, the Coliseum lit its torch to honor the team’s win, and now, after the Dodgers won their eighth World Series Championship, the Coliseum has once again lit its torch. And for the next two nights, the Coliseum’s peristyle will be illuminated in blue light.

    Ever since the Dodgers’ miraculous comeback victory Wednesday night, some of L.A. County’s best-known buildings and attractions have been finding ways to celebrate the Boys in Blue, from the Pacific Wheel on Santa Monica’s Pier to L.A. City Hall.

    Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose father, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, helped bring the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, called for the Coliseum torch to be lit.

    “I thought it would be fitting to light the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s torch in celebration of the Dodgers’ victory at the venue the team played their first World Series winning season,” Hahn said. “We love our team.

    “Every corner of Los Angeles is celebrating today,” she said.

    Up in the hills of Griffith Park, the letter “D” on the Hollywood sign was lighted in blue.

    In Inglewood, a spokesperson for SoFi Stadium said the building’s rooftop Thursday night will display “2024 World Series Champions L.A. Dodgers” in blue lighting. A similar message was already on display on its Samsung infinity screen inside the stadium.

    The celebrations will culminate with a victory parade through downtown Friday and separate festivities at Dodger Stadium. Expect to see plenty of blue.

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    Ruben Vives

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