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Tag: MLB baseball

  • Rockies were once in danger of breaking MLB mark for losses. Now, they’re piling up wins

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    DENVER — This was a cool moment for Warming Bernabel — being doused with an icy bucket of water.

    Not that long ago, winning moments like this were few and far between for the Colorado Rockies. That winning feeling, though, has returned a little more often in the second half of the season. The Rockies rallied to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 on Monday night courtesy of Bernabel’s walk-off single in the ninth inning.

    With that, the Rockies snapped a 10-game skid against the Dodgers. They also tied their season-high winning streak of four games.

    Even more, they’re 14-15 since the All-Star break, while the NL West-leading Dodgers are 13-15. Colorado still trails the defending World Series champions by 35 games in the standings.

    No longer are the Rockies in imminent danger of setting a modern-era major league mark for losses, though. At 36-89, Colorado needs to win six of its final 37 games to steer clear of the dubious record set by the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who finished 41-121.

    “We’re at this stage right now where we’re trying to get better as a team,” All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman said. “We’re trying to play the game the right way and do things to put us in a position in the future to get to the spot that some of these teams we’re playing against are in.”

    Colorado has won five series since the All-Star break. That after winning just two series before the break.

    “You definitely see flashes,” Goodman said. “We’re a super-young team. But getting that learning experience and figuring out how to win at this level and how to do it together as a team has been pretty cool to watch the last month or so.”

    The last time Colorado beat the Dodgers was Sept. 21. It’s been a little longer since the Rockies last beat Los Angeles at Coors Field — June 19, 2024, to be precise.

    “It’s good to get a win. We’re playing good baseball right now,” Goodman said. “It’s just going out and playing clean baseball and playing the way we’ve been playing.”

    The Dodgers entered the four-game series in the Mile High City fresh off a sweep of rival San Diego. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts insisted his team wouldn’t overlook the Rockies.

    “We’re going to get their best. We’re prepared for that,” Roberts said before the game. “But yeah, absolutely, teams try to kind of use us as a marker. We see that.”

    In the ninth inning, the Dodgers were playing their outfielders deep to prevent a double. It ended up costing them one.

    Ezequiel Tovar started a one-out rally with a bloop double that a charging Teoscar Hernández couldn’t haul in.

    “It’s a big outfield,” Hernández explained. “I tried to make a play. I didn’t.”

    Bernabel followed by sending a pitch from Justin Wrobleski (4-5) up the middle to bring home Tovar.

    “There’s no cooler way to win a game in baseball than a walk-off,” Goodman said. “It’s always fun when that happens.”

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  • Pawol breaks gender barrier, earns good reviews for her work behind the plate on historic weekend

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    ATLANTA (AP) — Jen Pawol breezed through Sunday’s Marlins-Braves game as if breaking a gender barrier was just another day on the job.

    Considering Pawol became the first female umpire to work behind the plate in the majors, making unprecedented history appear to be routine was especially impressive.

    “I think Jen did a really nice job,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said after Atlanta’s 7-1 win over the Marlins.

    “I think she’s very composed back there. She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her. Big day for Major League Baseball. I congratulated her again on that because it’s quite the accomplishment.”

    It was an impressive cap to a memorable weekend for Pawol. She made history in Saturday’s doubleheader as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the majors. She called the bases in the doubleheader before moving behind the plate on Sunday, placing her in the brightest spotlight for an umpire.

    Pawol never showed any indication of being affected by the attention, even while knowing every call would be closely watched. She called balls and strikes with 93% accuracy, according to Ump Scorecards.

    “Congrats to Jen, obviously,” said Braves left-hander Joey Wentz, who earned the win by allowing only one run in 5 1/3 innings.

    Asked about Pawol’s calls, Wentz said, “I try not to focus on the zone, to be honest with you. … I thought it was good though.”

    There were few opportunities for disputes as Wentz and Miami starting pitcher Cal Quantrill combined for only three strikeouts. The first called third strike came in the fifth inning, when Pawol used a fist pump when calling out Miami’s Kyle Stowers on a pitch that was close to the edge of the plate.

    McCullough was seen in the Marlins dugout with his palms held up as if asking about the pitch call. He said after the game it’s not unusual to question a close called strike.

    “Over the course of the game, there are a number of times that you just are going to be asking for clarity on one, if you aren’t sure,” McCullough said. “So it could have been that.”

    The 48-year-old Pawol was called up as a rover umpire, so her next assignment in the majors has not been announced.

    “I wish her the best moving forward as she continues to, I’m sure, hopefully one day be up full time, you know, a permanent big league umpire,” McCullough said.

    Pawol also received positive reviews from Braves manager Brian Snitker, who on Saturday said, “You can tell she knows what she does.”

    Pawol’s work in the minor leagues began in 2016 when she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. She worked in the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and in spring training games in 2024 and again this year.

    “We certainly didn’t call her up from A ball, right?” Quantrill said. “So yeah, I’m sure she was well prepared. And like I said I think, you know, part of the game moving forward is that if this is normal then we’re going to treat it normal, too. So, you know, I thought it was fine. I think she did she did a quality job. … And yeah, I think she’d be very proud of herself. And, you know, it’s kind of a cool little thing to be part of.”

    Pawol spoke to reporters on Saturday when she said, “The dream actually came true today. I’m still living in it. I’m so grateful to my family and Major League Baseball for creating such an incredible work environment. … I’m just so thankful.”

    Pawol received cheers from fans on both days. On Sunday, some held up “Way to go Jen!” signs.

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  • Royals sign RHP Michael Wacha to 3-year, $51 million deal with option for 2028, AP source says

    Royals sign RHP Michael Wacha to 3-year, $51 million deal with option for 2028, AP source says

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    KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals are bringing back right-hander Michael Wacha on a three-year, $51 million contract that includes a club option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on Sunday.

    Wacha could earn up to $72 million over four years including performance bonuses, the person said on condition of anonymity because the club did not release financial terms.

    He has salaries of $18 million in each of the next two seasons and $14 million in 2027. The deal includes a $14 million club option for 2028 with a $1 million buyout. In 2027 and ’28, Wacha could earn up to $4 million in performance bonuses in each year: $500,000 for 105 innings and each additional five through 140.

    The 33-year-old Wacha, who went 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA this past season, signed with Kansas City last offseason on a deal that included a $16 million salary for 2024 and a $16 million player option for next season. He would have had plenty of suitors in free agency, but the new with the Royals gives him the longevity he desired and the club some certainty regarding their starting rotation.

    Wacha is expected to speak to reporters Monday at Kauffman Stadium.

    “I do believe that Michael and his wife enjoy being in Kansas City and that’s always an advantage,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said at the conclusion of the season, when asked about the Royals’ chances of signing him again. “He had a very good experience here. I think he and (Royals pitching coach) Brian Sweeney got along great. So there are reasons to be optimistic.

    “But he pitched very well this year,” Picollo said, “and he is going to have opportunities with other clubs, so we will work on that. Luckily, we have a few weeks to sit down with Michael and his representation and try to see how we can work something out.”

    Wacha started 29 games for the Royals and logged 166.2 innings, the second-most of his 12-year big league career. He had a top-10 ERA in the American League while helping the Kansas City rotation rank second in the majors with a 3.55 ERA.

    He made a pair of AL Division Series starts against the Yankees, dueling with Gerrit Cole both times. He got no decision after he allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over three innings at Yankee Stadium, and he took the loss in the decisive Game 4, even though Wacha allowed only two runs on six hits and a walk while pitching into the fifth inning.

    Wacha returns to a rotation that includes All-Stars Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo along with Brady Singer. The fifth spot could go to Kyle Wright, who was acquired in a trade with the Braves but spent last season rehabbing from shoulder surgery, though he will have to compete with Alec Marsh and others in spring training for it.

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  • Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series

    Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series

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    NEW YORK — As Los Angeles Dodgers fans thronged to the World Series victory parade in Los Angeles on Friday, many had their eyes on most valuable player Freddie Freeman. But in the mix was another MVP — the Dodgers’ most valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, dog of Shohei.

    The much-memed Decoy, a Nederlanse kooikerhondje, or Dutch kooikerhondje, was nestled in Ohtani’s arms on the top section of a double-decker parade bus.

    Decoy has become a fixture of Dodgers — and dog — fandom. The pup was on Ohtani’s lap when he learned he was the first Major League Baseball player ever to be unanimously selected twice as Most Valuable Player, which he achieved while with the Los Angeles Angels.

    Decoy also featured in Ohtani’s post-victory Instagram post, with photos of the dog being taken for a walk amid autumnal foliage and looking groggy in bed just after images of the Dodgers’ champagne celebration.

    After Ohtani went on to sign a record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers, some of the first questions that reporters had for him were about the dog. At a news conference, the Japanese-born Ohtani revealed his pet’s name — in Japanese, Dekopin, but he suggested that Decoy would be easier for Americans to pronounce.

    It’s also a fitting name for a member of this Dutch duck-hunting breed. Indeed, the English word “decoy” is thought to come from the Dutch term “de kooi,” which means “the cage.”

    The Nederlandse kooikerhondje (pronounced NAY’-dehr-lahn-seh KOY’-kehr-hahnd-jeh) was initially trained to get ducks’ attention and then lure them into net-covered canals for hunters to catch. Take a look at many a Dutch Old Master painting, and if you spot a smallish, brown and white, spaniel-like dog with long ears, you’ve probably seen an ancestor of today’s kooikerhondje.

    Owners say the breed is lively and clever.

    Clever enough to, for instance, carry out the ceremonial first pitch in front of nearly 54,000 people, as Decoy did at a Dodgers-Orioles game in August.

    Decoy’s portrait might not be hanging on a museum wall, but he’s been immortalized in an Ohtani bobblehead. The pooch also got a special, supersized “visa” during a visit to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo last winter.

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  • John Fisher pledges $1 billion to construction of A’s stadium in Las Vegas

    John Fisher pledges $1 billion to construction of A’s stadium in Las Vegas

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    LAS VEGAS — Athletics owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas and U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, club executive Sandy Dean said Thursday.

    Dean made his remarks to a special meeting of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority board.

    Dean said four letters will be presented at the Dec. 5 authority meeting asserting construction details and financing will be in place. Final approvals are expected to be made at that meeting to allow construction of the $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat domed ballpark with a capacity for up to 33,000 fans.

    “We feel like we’re on the right path and it will become clearer in the months ahead,” Dean told the board.

    Construction is expected to begin in the spring with a targeted opening before the 2028 season. As much as $380 million in public funding will go into building the stadium, which will be on the Las Vegas Strip on the site of where the recently demolished Tropicana stood.

    Dean said Fisher is still pursuing partners in the Las Vegas area who can purchase stakes in the franchise, which in turn goes toward paying for the stadium.

    “We’ve been consistent in saying it would be good coming to Las Vegas to have outside partners from Las Vegas,” Dean said after the meeting. “That process has just begun. The ability to finance the stadium is independent of that.”

    As for the financing, the four letters that will be presented at the December meeting will better address that.

    The first is the loan commitment from U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs. Dean said it probably would be a five-year term “that would be replaced by a permanent loan once construction is done.”

    Another letter, Dean said, asserts the Fisher and his family have the ability to meet their financial commitment. Dean said the third letter from U.S. Bank will show that through a review of the owner’s finances that it “concludes the Fisher family has more than sufficient resources to fund the equity investment that’s required to build the stadium.”

    The fourth laid out the commitments to Athletics StadCo LLC, an entity created to handle the private capital investment.

    Also, the draft lease agreement and deed were presented to the board.

    “We feel like these documents are on track for the schedule that we have been talking about for a number of months,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “We feel like there’s a real possibility we’ll be able to reach a conclusion on all of them on Dec. 5.”

    Dean said an updated construction budget will be presented at that day’s meeting, and he acknowledged the final cost likely will rise “by something.”

    Hill said documents would be made public several days before the December meeting and he didn’t anticipate any issues regarding approval.

    “There are a couple of places where we need to get the language right, but we’ve had enough of a conversation to understand that everybody understands what the outcome is intended to be,” Hill said.

    He cited ensuring details regarding parking as an example of getting all the proper wording in place.

    The A’s will play at least the next three seasons in West Sacramento, California. The club announced it will play 60 of its 81 home games next season at night, tying the 1968 A’s for the most in their history. That includes 25 of 28 games at night in June and July when temperatures are often 100 degrees (37.8 Celsius) or hotter.

    Their first game in Sacramento is March 31 against the Chicago Cubs.

    The A’s played their last of 57 seasons in Oakland, California.

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  • Yankees blow 5-run lead with epic defensive meltdown as Dodgers rally to clinch World Series

    Yankees blow 5-run lead with epic defensive meltdown as Dodgers rally to clinch World Series

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    NEW YORK — Just when it appeared Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees were right back in this World Series, they all but handed away the trophy.

    An epic meltdown of defensive miscues, beginning with Judge’s embarrassing error in center field, helped the Los Angeles Dodgers rally in a five-run fifth inning that tied the score at 5.

    Young shortstop Anthony Volpe and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole also committed costly mistakes. New York’s bullpen squandered a one-run lead in the eighth, and the Dodgers held on for a 7-6 victory Wednesday night in Game 5 that wrapped up their eighth championship and second in five years.

    “This is like, as bad as it gets,” Cole said. “It’s the worst feeling that you can have.”

    Finally back in their first World Series since 2009, the Yankees didn’t last long.

    It was the latest autumn failure for baseball’s most successful franchise — one that used to own October.

    Not anymore. Not lately, at least. And in the Yankees’ universe, 15 years is a long time between titles.

    “We didn’t get the job done,” Judge said. “We made some mistakes along the way that hurt us.”

    On deck, an offseason of uncertainty as New York tries to retain free agent slugger Juan Soto, who is expected to have several eager suitors and command a massive contract.

    “I’m really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do, but at the end of the day, we will see,” Soto said. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get and take a decision from there.

    “I feel like every team has the same opportunities,” he added. “I don’t want to say anybody has any advantage because at the end of the day we’re going to look at what they have and how much they want me.”

    Judge wants Soto back in the Big Apple.

    “I think everybody in this room wants him back,” the captain said. “You could look at the stats and what he did on the field, I think it was the type of leader he is in this clubhouse. He just does a lot of the little things that people don’t notice that truly make him one of the best players if not the best player in the game. … I definitely would love to see him in pinstripes for quite a long time.”

    After losing the first three games to LA, the Yankees won 11-4 in Game 4 behind Volpe to prevent a sweep. That left them looking to become the first of 25 teams that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series to force a Game 6, which would have been back at Dodger Stadium.

    And they got off to a rollicking start, too, with back-to-back homers by Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the first inning. Giancarlo Stanton went deep leading off the third, and the Bronx Bombers had a 5-0 cushion.

    “You feel pretty confident with your ace up there and a five-run lead, but you know, that’s baseball, man,” left fielder Alex Verdugo said. “They played the better baseball in this World Series.”

    Cole cruised through four hitless innings, pitching around a leadoff walk in the fourth with the help of a remarkable catch by Judge as he crashed hard into the left-center fence.

    California, here we come, right?

    Wrong.

    “I’m heartbroken,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The ending is cruel.”

    Kiké Hernández opened the fifth with a single, then Judge dropped Tommy Edman’s easy fly to center, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. It appeared Judge took his eye off the ball, which he tried snagging with just his glove hand.

    “You can’t give a good team like that extra outs,” Judge said. “It starts with me there on the line drive coming in, misplayed that. So that doesn’t happen, then I think we’ve got a different story tonight.”

    Will Smith followed with a grounder to the right of Volpe, who fielded it cleanly in the hole and tried to get the lead runner at third base. But he bounced a hurried throw that glanced off Chisholm’s glove for another error, loading the bases.

    After a mound visit, Cole buckled down and struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani as the sellout crowd of 49,263 at Yankee Stadium roared.

    And it looked as though Cole had wriggled out of the jam when Mookie Betts grounded a slow squibber to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. But because the ball was spinning so much, Rizzo waited back on it. Cole initially broke to cover first base, then stopped. And when Rizzo scooped up the ball, Cole was nowhere close.

    Cole pointed toward first, but by then Rizzo had no chance to beat the speedy Betts to the bag. He was credited with an infield single that shaved New York’s lead to 5-1.

    “I took a bad angle to the ball,” Cole said. “I wasn’t sure really off the bat how hard he hit it. … By the time the ball got by me, I was not in a position to cover first.”

    World Series MVP Freddie Freeman followed with a two-run single, matching a Fall Classic record with 12 RBIs, and Teoscar Hernández tied it with a two-run double over Judge’s head in left-center.

    “We didn’t take care of the ball well enough in that inning,” Boone said in an understatement.

    With the five-run advantage gone in a flash, the end almost felt inevitable.

    Stanton put the Yankees back in front 6-5 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but reliever Tommy Kahnle loaded the bases with none out in the eighth on two singles and a four-pitch walk.

    A catcher’s interference call on Austin Wells also hurt as Lux and Betts came through with sac flies off closer Luke Weaver to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead that right-handers Blake Treinen and Walker Buehler refused to relinquish.

    In the clubhouse afterward, Cole summed up the collapse with two words.

    “It’s brutal,” he said.

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  • World Series averaging 15.15 million viewers in Japan, including 15.9 for Game 2

    World Series averaging 15.15 million viewers in Japan, including 15.9 for Game 2

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    LOS ANGELES — The World Series is averaging 15.15 million viewers in Japan through two games. According to Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2 averaged 15.9 million, making it the most-watched MLB postseason game in the nation’s history.

    Besides the allure of superstar and presumptive NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the game had Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher.

    The Los Angeles Dodgers’ dramatic 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 — which ended on Freddie Freeman’s walk off grand slam in the 10th inning — averaged 14.4 million.

    Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles, meaning the games started around 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday morning in Japan. The games are being carried through Fuji TV, NHK BS and J Sports.

    Combined with the United States ratings, the first two games have a combined 29.7 million average in the two countries.

    The World Series is averaging 14.55 million viewers in the U.S. on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming, putting it on track for its best performance since 2017.

    It is also the first time since the final two games of the 2021 series between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros that the World Series has drawn back-to-back games of at least 13.4 million viewers.

    According to Nielsen, the matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers has also meant a 93% increase in viewership within the 18-34-year-old demographic. According to MLB, social engagement is up 225% and views on social channels have increased 229%.

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  • Yamamoto shuts down Yankees as Dodgers win 4-2 for 2-0 lead in World Series

    Yamamoto shuts down Yankees as Dodgers win 4-2 for 2-0 lead in World Series

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    LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked back to his dugout and made the slightest tip of his cap to cheering fans. He left Japan for moments like this, an opportunity to put the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the World Series.

    Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and Los Angeles beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Saturday for a 2-0 Series lead.

    But the Dodgers will head to New York uncertain whether Shohei Ohtani can play after their biggest star partially dislocated his left shoulder on a slide at second base.

    “We’re going to get some tests at some point tonight, tomorrow, and then we’ll know more in the next couple days,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The strength was great. The range of motion good. So we’re encouraged.”

    Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández also went deep off starter Carlos Rodón, who tied a Yankees World Series record by allowing three home runs.

    New York was held to one hit before the ninth, when the Yankees closed to 4-2 on Giancarlo Stanton’s one-out RBI single against Blake Treinen. Anthony Volpe struck out with the bases loaded, and Alex Vesia came in to retire pinch-hitter Jose Trevino on a first-pitch flyout for his first postseason save.

    “Thinking back to my front yard at my house, that’s what we would envision,” Vesia said.

    Game 3 is Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Forty-five of 56 teams holding 2-0 World Series leads have gone on to win the title.

    “No one said it’s going to be easy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s a long series, and we need to make it a long series now. We won’t flinch.”

    Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He is 1 for 9 in the Series and is hitting .150 with six RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 40 postseason at-bats.

    “Just expanding the zone. That’s really what it really comes down to,” Judge said. “I think it’s trying to make things happen instead of letting the game come to you. … Plain and simple, I’ve got to start swinging at strikes.”

    Yamamoto turned down the Yankees last December and joined the Dodgers for a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record for pitchers, teaming with Ohtani to create record interest in Major League Baseball back in Japan.

    The rookie right-hander threw seven scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium on June 7 but was sidelined from June 15 to Sept. 10 because of a strained rotator cuff. This was his finest start since the injury.

    Yamamoto gave up Juan Soto’s third-inning homer, then retired his last 11 batters.

    “He was made for those moments,” Hernández said. “He was doing it in Japan before he got here, and as soon as he got here, he was doing it here.”

    Yamamoto struck out four and walked two with a five-pitch array that included curveballs, splitters, sliders and cutters. He improved to 2-0 in four postseason starts.

    “It was kind of a mixed feeling because I was very (much) looking forward to it and happy, but then after I felt that I started trying to focus,” Yamamoto said through a translator.

    Soto’s fourth postseason homer, on an inside fastball, was the only run Yamamoto permitted in two starts and 13 1/3 innings against the Yankees this year.

    Soto also singled off the right-field wall in the ninth and scored on Stanton’s one-out base hit off the third-base bag. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, loading the bases.

    But the rally ended there.

    “This is everything to me, playing on the highest stage with literally the two biggest teams you can play for, biggest franchises, most history,” Vesia said.

    A night after Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in Series history to transform a 3-2 deficit with two outs in the 10th inning into a 6-3 win, Edman put the Dodgers ahead with a solo shot in the second.

    After Soto tied the score, Mookie Betts singled with two outs in the bottom half and Hernández, in a 3-for-27 slide, homered into the right-center pavilion. Freeman, who before Friday hadn’t gone deep since since Sept. 16, worked the count full and homered to right-center again.

    Playing on a sprained right ankle, Freeman has homered in four straight Series games dating to Atlanta’s last two games against Houston in 2021. That is one shy of the record held by Astros outfielder George Springer.

    Freeman had six days off entering the World Series.

    “I was able to calm my ankle down,” he said. “So hopefully with the flight tonight — I’ve been swelling a lot on flights — so, hopefully tomorrow we can get it down and get in a good spot for Game 3.”

    All three Dodgers homers came on fastballs from Rodón, whose 31 longballs allowed during the regular season tied for second-most in the major leagues. Los Angeles had back-to-back Series homers for just the second time, after Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager connected against Yankees lefty Ron Guidry for a 2-1 win in Game 5 in 1981.

    Rodón gave up four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He got just one swing and miss on his fastball.

    Los Angeles took a 2-0 Series lead for the first time since 1988, when Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer against Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley won the opener and Orel Hershiser followed with a three-hit shutout. The Yankees are 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when they rebounded to win three straight at home and lost Games 6 and 7 at Arizona.

    Ohtani’s MRI and a determination of his availability will be anxiously awaited by the Dodgers and their fans.

    “Not only the dugout, but the whole stadium went silent,” Hernández said. “Hopefully he’s OK and the day off tomorrow will help him get back on the field Monday.”

    UP NEXT

    Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt and Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler start on Monday. Schmidt has a 3.86 ERA in a pair of postseason starts, no-decisions in Game 3s against Kansas City and Cleveland. Buehler also has started a pair of Game 3s, allowing six runs over five innings in a 6-5 loss to San Diego and pitching four innings in an 8-0 win at the New York Mets.

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  • Shohei Ohtani partially dislocates left shoulder during World Series Game 2

    Shohei Ohtani partially dislocates left shoulder during World Series Game 2

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    LOS ANGELES — Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder during the seventh inning of Saturday’s Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees when he tried to steal second base.

    Ohtani’s status for Monday’s Game 3 in New York is unclear. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani “had a little left shoulder subluxation” and would get image testing either Saturday night or Sunday.

    Ohtani clutched his left forearm after being tagged by shortstop Anthony Volpe for the final out in the inning on a feetfirst slide. He laid near the bag for a couple minutes before being tended to by trainers and leaving the field.

    “We’ll know more in the next couple of days,” Roberts said. “The strength was great. The range of motion good, so we’re encouraged. But obviously I can’t speculate because don’t get the scans yet. So once we have the scans, we’ll know more.”

    The Dodgers held on for a 4-2 victory and lead the Series 2-0.

    The Japanese slugger — and presumptive National League MVP — was 0 for 3 with a walk in the game. He is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.

    “That was tough. You never like seeing the best player in the game get injured like that,” Yankees superstar Aaron Judge said. “Trying to steal a base like that there, and something like that happens. But hopefully it’s all good news. We’ll see what happens.”

    Ohtani had been one of the few players on the Dodgers roster who got through the season without a major injury. The pitching staff has been beset by injuries, with nearly every member of the starting rotation spending time on the injured list.

    Among the position players, Mookie Betts was out for nearly two months due to a broken left hand, and Max Muncy was out nearly half the season due to a right oblique strain. Freddie Freeman is playing in the postseason with a badly sprained right ankle.

    Betts is optimistic about the Dodgers persevering if Ohtani is sidelined, especially after the team overcame its injuries while earning the most wins in the majors during the regular season and reaching the World Series for the fourth time in eight seasons.

    “We’ve got a great group of guys in here and I believe we can take care of business for sure. I believe in us all,” Betts said.

    Most of Ohtani’s injuries since coming to the majors in 2018 have been pitching-related, including major operations on his right elbow in 2018 and last year. The two-way phenomenon has not pitched this year but became the first player in major league history with at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.

    In September 2019, he had surgery on his left kneecap due to a rare condition. The procedure was on his bipartite patella, or a two-part kneecap that didn’t fuse together at birth.

    Ohtani missed the 2017 World Baseball Classic after having ankle surgery because of an injury he suffered during the 2016 Japan Series.

    “When you have a group like this, they picked me up when I have been down. We’ll try to do the same for him,” Freeman said.

    ___

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  • Freddie Freeman’s World Series grand slam sparks a joyous family moment in a difficult year

    Freddie Freeman’s World Series grand slam sparks a joyous family moment in a difficult year

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    LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman scooped up his youngest son and held him tight, planting kisses on the blond head of 3-year-old Maximus. The slugger’s wife, Chelsea, corralled their other two sons for a family photo on the Dodger Stadium field where Dad had just created an indelible moment in baseball lore.

    Three months earlier, Freddie and Chelsea were at Max’s hospital bedside while he fought for his life after being stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

    Max survived and thrived — and he got to watch his father make World Series history Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    Freeman is still recovering from a badly sprained right ankle, but he had zero trouble rounding the bases after hitting his 10th-inning grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series over the Yankees. After celebrating with his teammates, he looked even more nimble when he ran and jumped at the screen behind home plate to celebrate joyously with his father.

    “It felt like nothing, just kind of floating,” a beaming Freeman said.

    “Those are the kind of things, when you’re 5 years old with your two older brothers and you’re playing wiffle ball in the backyard, those are the scenarios you dream about — two outs, bases loaded in a World Series game,” he added. “For it to actually happen and get a home run and walk it off to give us a 1-0 lead, that’s as good as it gets right there.”

    After everything the eight-time All-Star has endured since midsummer, it’s clear nothing will stop Freeman this year from giving everything he has — both to his sport and his family.

    “He’s doing something that’s basically heroic to put himself in position to play,” Dodgers postseason hero Kiké Hernández said. “Freddie is a grinder. Not too many superstars grind the way Freddie does. He’s a Hall of Famer, and this is a special moment in his career.”

    Freeman missed eight games for the Dodgers in July and August after Max fell ill while watching his father at the All-Star Game festivities in Texas.

    When the family returned home, Max was hospitalized and put on a ventilator after he experienced partial paralysis and breathing difficulty. He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, the rare neurological condition that affects the immune system, nerves and muscles.

    Max’s condition gradually improved, and Freeman returned to work Aug. 5. He didn’t hide his tears before or after he received a standing ovation from Dodgers fans who understood the depth of his distress.

    Freeman then broke his right middle finger less than two weeks after returning, and he slumped while trying to play with the injury before manager Dave Roberts persuaded him to sit out a series in late August to reset his body.

    Max Freeman came back to Chavez Ravine in September to watch the Dodgers down the stretch. The youngster is expected to recover fully, Freeman said.

    Through it all, Freeman produced another standout season at first base and at the plate, batting .282 with an .854 OPS, 22 homers, 89 RBIs and 4.7 WAR.

    But Freeman badly injured his ankle Sept. 26 in the Dodgers’ regular-season home finale. The Dodgers acknowledged the severity of the sprain would have kept most players out for several weeks during the regular season, but Freeman is determined to gut it out if possible — because it’s October.

    He has sat out three postseason games, including two of the final three against the Mets in the NLCS. The Dodgers won anyway, reaching the World Series for the first time in Freeman’s three years back home in his native Southern California.

    “There’s been multiple times where we’ve had to go to Freddie and say, ‘Hey, you need to sit this one out,’” slugger Max Muncy said. “‘We’ve got you tonight. You need to rest.’ If you know Freddie, that’s a hard conversation to have. But he knows what’s best for the team, and now he’s feeling like himself enough to do what he did tonight.”

    After nearly a week of rest and treatment, Freeman said his ankle “actually felt pretty good” heading into Game 1 against the Yankees.

    He showed it in the first inning when he legged out a triple — his first since June 1.

    Freeman is only the third player in baseball history to get a grand slam and a triple in a postseason game. Kaz Matsui, who did it for Colorado against Philadelphia in a 2007 NLDS, is the only other player to accomplish the feat since 1920.

    In the sixth inning, Freeman watched with awe, his arms folded, as Giancarlo Stanton’s mammoth homer flew deep into the left-field stands for New York.

    But 36 years after another veteran Dodgers slugger hit a World Series Game 1-ending homer and limped around the bases in a frenzied Chavez Ravine, Freeman took the same hobbled jog in the deafening din of October celebrations.

    Kirk Gibson created one of the most iconic moments in Dodgers history in 1988. Freeman’s blast was eerily similar, even landing in roughly the same part of the Dodger Stadium bleachers — with brake lights from early-departing fans visible in the parking lots beyond.

    “Everything was the same outside of the fist pumps,” Roberts said.

    Muncy hit his own World Series game-ending homer in the 18th inning of the Dodgers’ victory over the Boston Red Sox in 2018, albeit in Los Angeles’ only victory in the series.

    “When I hit mine, you kind of black out in that moment,” Muncy said. “With this one, I could see the reactions. Feel the ground shaking. I was standing next to Dave, but as soon as (Freeman) hit it, I just launched my bat.”

    Freeman’s homer will be immortalized in Cooperstown: He has agreed to give his cleats to the Baseball Hall of Fame — but only after the World Series is over.

    ___

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  • Freeman hits 1st game-ending slam in World Series history as Dodgers top Yankees 6-3

    Freeman hits 1st game-ending slam in World Series history as Dodgers top Yankees 6-3

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    LOS ANGELES — A nail-biter all night with a Hollywood ending.

    Game 1 of Yankees-Dodgers certainly delivered.

    Freddie Freeman hit the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in a drama-filled opener Friday.

    “Might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled.

    Hobbled by a badly sprained right ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he saw — a 92 mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes — and raised his bat high before beginning his trot as the sellout crowd of 52,394 roared.

    “I cannot believe what just happened,” Roberts said. “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic, right, because the stars come out and superstars make big plays, get big hits, in the biggest of moments. … I’m speechless right now.”

    It was reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s stunning homer that lifted Los Angeles over the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium — one of the most famous swings in baseball lore.

    Gibson, sidelined by leg injuries, came off the bench and connected against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.

    “I played the whole game, though,” Freeman said with a smile.

    Freeman, an eight-time All-Star who missed three games during the National League playoffs because of his bum ankle, didn’t have an extra-base hit this postseason until legging out a triple in the first inning Friday.

    “Actually felt pretty good,” said Freeman, who donated his game spikes to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. “The last six days we treated it really well. I’ve been feeling pretty good. Right when I ran out to give high-fives to my teammates, I felt pretty good, because that was the first time I ran all week. So, ankle’s good.”

    After the home run, Freeman ran over to his father.

    “I was just screaming in his face. I’m sorry, dad,” Freeman said, laughing. “He’s been there since I was a little boy, throwing batting practice to me every day. So this is a moment, it’s my dad’s moment.”

    Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer for New York in this much-hyped, star-studded matchup between two of baseball’s most storied and successful franchises — the third straight World Series opener to go extra innings.

    “You can’t sit here and mope. You can’t sit here and complain. You can’t shoulda, coulda, woulda,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “It’s time to go to work. We lost this game. Learn from it. See where we can improve and go out there and win the next one.”

    In the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop, scoring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he stole two bases, to give New York a 3-2 lead.

    The speedy Chisholm singled off winning pitcher Blake Treinen and then stole second. Following an intentional walk to Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm swiped third base uncontested as Treinen was slow to the plate with Max Muncy playing deep at third.

    Tommy Edman made a diving stop to his left on Volpe’s grounder, but couldn’t get it out of his glove initially. He tossed to second to get Rizzo out as Chisholm came flying home with the go-ahead run.

    But the Dodgers weren’t done.

    Gavin Lux walked against losing pitcher Jake Cousins with one out in the bottom of the 10th and went to second on Edman’s infield single to second. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera knocked down the ball with his glove but it leaked into the outfield.

    That brought up star slugger Shohei Ohtani, a left-handed hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to his bullpen again for Cortes, a lefty starter who hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18 because of an elbow injury.

    After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster Friday.

    “I ran into the (batting) cage and I told the guys in the cage, this game should have been the first baseball game ever on pay-per view,” Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernández said.

    Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to retire Ohtani on Cortes’ first pitch. Verdugo’s momentum sent him tumbling over the low retaining wall, advancing both runners one base because by rule it became a dead ball when Verdugo wound up in the stands.

    With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up a lefty-on-lefty matchup of Cortes against Freeman.

    “I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.

    His drive into the right-field pavilion sent Dodgers fans into a frenzy. It was the third walk-off homer in World Series history for a team that was trailing, following Gibson’s shot and Joe Carter’s drive for the Toronto Blue Jays that won the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia.

    “That’s stuff, you’re 5 years old in the backyard right there,” Freeman said. “That’s a dream come true, but it’s only one. We’ve got three more.”

    This is the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers are meeting in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league annals, but their previous October clash was 43 years ago.

    While the Dodgers are seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning No. 27 in 2009.

    The first Series with a pair of 50-home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) opened quietly as Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Jack Flaherty dueled through four scoreless innings. Judge struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before hitting a single off Brusdar Graterol with two outs in the seventh.

    Ohtani was 0 for 3 before ripping a double off the right-field wall in the eighth. He raced to third on the play when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which became costly when Ohtani scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts that tied it 2-all.

    With two outs in the ninth, Torres sent a long drive to left-center. A fan wearing a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. Umpires ruled fan interference and gave Torres a double, a call confirmed on video replay. The fan immediately left the area.

    Soto was intentionally walked before Judge popped out against Treinen to end the inning.

    The Dodgers broke through for a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Hernández tripled past Soto in right field and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.

    The Yankees answered right back in the sixth. Soto singled leading off before Judge struck out swinging for the third time. Stanton followed with a 412-foot shot to left off Flaherty for his 17th career postseason homer. Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, not far from Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.

    Stanton, the American League Championship Series MVP, connected on a knuckle-curve that hung slightly at the bottom of the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 games this postseason came off his bat at 116.6 mph.

    After last weekend’s pennant-clinching win at Cleveland, Stanton said, “This ain’t the trophy I want. I want the next one.”

    The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled off Anthony Banda and stole second. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was intentionally walked. Austin Wells reached on an infield single that Edman smothered with a dive to save a run before Verdugo struck out swinging against his former team.

    Fernando Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year who died earlier this week at age 63, was honored with a moment of silence before the game.

    UP NEXT

    Game 2 is Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium, with Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón pitching against $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

    Rodón is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in three starts this postseason, with 22 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings. Yamamoto is 1-0 in three postseason starts with a 5.11 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.

    ___

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  • Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela served as a cultural ambassador for Mexican Americans, Mexicans

    Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela served as a cultural ambassador for Mexican Americans, Mexicans

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    For baseball fans, “Fernandomania” marked a flash of pitching brilliance, the emergence of a unique talent in the history of one of the sport’s most storied franchises.

    For Mexicans and Mexican Americans, Fernando Valenzuela was something even greater: a beacon of hope, inspiration and pride.

    Valenzuela, a Mexican-born phenomenon for the Los Angeles Dodgers, died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, the team said. He was 63.

    For some, his death prompted memories of watching the left-hander pitch at home with their parents, not out of a love of sports but because of a surge of Mexican or Latino pride. They reflect on the doors he opened for future generations and the cultural impact he ushered as a Mexican.

    Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular and influential in the Latino community while helping attract new fans to Major League Baseball. Their fondness for him continued after his retirement.

    Baseball fanatic or not, there isn’t a person in Mexico who does not know who Valenzuela is, said Mexican journalist Arturo Angel. He was born in 1983 and said his knowledge of Valenzuela came from his dad, who isn’t a sports fan, among other people. The way people talked about him made Angel realize how much of an idol he was to many.

    Nathaly Morga, who knows of Valenzuela because of her parents, said no matter how many other Latinos in baseball there are, “Fernando was always the big one, like the God.”

    Angel said that the explosion of television in the 1980’s and the broadcast of Dodgers games in Mexico catapulted Valenzuela into the phenomenon he became. The Dodgers, who had broadcast games in Spanish since 1959, saw a ratings increase and interest in expanding their radio network into Mexico once Valenzuela started playing. Years after his playing career ended, Valenzuela joined those radio broadcasts as a color commentator.

    “The LA Dodgers in Mexico have a great fan base,” Angel said. “The taste of baseball expanded in Mexico, that is because of Fernando Valenzuela.”

    Morga grew up in Tijuana in a soccer family. Yet they all knew Valenzuela. Morga recalls her mom, who does not understand how baseball is played, telling her how at the height of “Fernandomania,” she would watch Dodgers games at a local burger joint because Valenzuela was pitching.

    The Dodgers, longing for a star to connect with the Latino population in LA, finally found one in Valenzuela, whose impact would transform what had been predominantly a white fan base. The city’s Mexican community began to flock to Dodger Stadium during his starts. The Dodgers, who had become the first franchise to draw 3 million fans in 1978, averaged 48,430 fans during Valenzuela’s home starts and 42,523 overall during the strike-interrupted 1981 season — the highest average attendance in Dodger Stadium history to that point. That year, Valenzuela became the first in baseball history to win Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young Award as baseball’s top pitcher in the same season.

    “In Mexico, obviously everyone knows him,” Morga said. “Everybody loves the Dodgers because of him.”

    Rob Martinez said for those growing up in Mexico, Valenzuela was the baseline. With Dodgers games always broadcasted in Mexico, Valenzuela became all anyone could talk about and someone to look up to, he said.

    Watching Valenzuela was a family affair. Martinez said he remembers having cookouts to watch the games with his dad and friends. When Valenzuela would be taken out of a game, everyone would stop watching.

    But seeing Valenzuela on television made Martinez believe that his dreams were achievable, too. Martinez has played baseball since he was 3 and is now the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team.

    “It was a big push for everyone, watching him compete and be the guy in the big leagues,” Martinez said. “It gave us all hope.”

    Valenzuela is widely considered one of Mexico’s top athletes of all time, along with soccer player Hugo Sánchez and boxer Julio César Chávez.

    Valenzuela’s rise from his tiny hometown of Etchohuaquila in the Mexican state of Sonora to stardom in the U.S. was improbable. He was the youngest child in a large family who tagged along when his older brothers played baseball.

    His rise inspired many athletes. Martinez said he was able to have the career he has had because he saw Valenzuela, a guy who came from an identical background as him be successful.

    ″I don’t have to be (6-foot-3), 240 pounds to do what I love to do,” Martinez said. “As long as you work hard at it. So that was a big deal for me. Just giving us a chance to believe that, hey, man, you know, we can do it coming from someone else.”

    In 2013, Morga was living in California and met Valenzuela at Petco Park in San Diego.

    “He invited me to sit at the table with him,” Morga said. “Which was crazy for me because this was a person that my parents talked about, such an idol, and he was just a typical Mexican dad.”

    Angel said reading profiles on Valenzuela published since his death, he has a better understanding of how not only was he a baseball legend but a cultural ambassador at a time when the racial discourse was looked at differently than it may be now.

    “The fact that we are not baseball fans and know him shows that his figure was important,” Angel said. “Younger people now may have more representation in other sports but for that generation Valenzuela was it.”

    ___

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  • Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63

    Fernando Valenzuela, Mexican-born pitcher whose feats for Dodgers fueled ‘Fernandomania,’ dies at 63

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    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63.

    The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not provide the cause or other details.

    His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela would be honored during the series at Dodger Stadium.

    Valenzuela had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.

    “God bless Fernando Valenzuela!” actor and Dodgers fan Danny Trejo posted on X.

    Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he is part of Cooperstown, which features several artifacts including a signed ball from his no-hitter in 1990.

    “He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” Stan Kasten, team president and CEO, said in a statement. “He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon.”

    Valenzuela’s rise from humble beginnings as the youngest of 12 children in Mexico and his feats on the mound made him hugely popular and influential in Los Angeles’ Latino community while helping attract new fans to Major League Baseball. Their fondness for him continued for years after his retirement.

    “He consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events across his home country,” Manfred said in a statement. “As a member of the Dodger broadcasting team for more than 20 years, Fernando helped to reach a new generation of fans and cultivate their love of the game. Fernando will always remain a beloved figure in Dodger history and a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired.”

    In 1981, Valenzuela became the Dodgers’ opening day starter as a rookie after Jerry Reuss was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start. He shut out the Houston Astros 2-0 and began the season 8-0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. He became the first player to win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

    His performances created the delirium known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. The ABBA hit “Fernando” would play as he warmed up on the mound.

    He was 13-7 and had a 2.48 ERA in his first season, which was shortened by a players’ strike.

    Valenzuela was an All-Star selection every year from 1981-86, when he recorded 97 victories, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. He earned two Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.

    Valenzuela’s no-hitter on June 29, 1990, a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, was an emotional career highlight. He struck out seven and walked three.

    “If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed in his game call.

    Nicknamed “El Toro” by the fans, Valenzuela had an unorthodox and memorable pitching motion that included looking skyward at the apex of each windup. His repertoire included a screwball — making him one of the few pitchers of his era who threw that pitch regularly. It was taught to him by teammate Bobby Castillo after the Dodgers felt Valenzuela, who wasn’t known as a hard thrower, needed another pitch.

    Early in his Dodgers career, Valenzuela spoke little English and had trouble communicating with his catchers. Rookie Mike Scioscia learned Spanish and became Valenzuela’s personal catcher before becoming the team’s full-time catcher.

    Valenzuela was a better-than-average hitter, with 10 career home runs.

    Eventually, his pitching was compromised by nagging shoulder problems that kept him out of the 1988 postseason, when the Dodgers won the World Series.

    The team released Valenzuela just before the 1991 season. He also pitched for the former California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals.

    He retired in 1997, going 141-116 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 seasons with the Dodgers. Overall, he was 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 seasons.

    Valenzuela’s rise from his tiny hometown of Etchohuaquila in the Mexican state of Sonora to stardom in the U.S. was improbable. He was the youngest child in a large family who tagged along when his older brothers played baseball.

    He signed his first pro contract at age 16, and soon began overpowering older players in the Mexican Central League.

    In 1978, legendary Dodgers scout Mike Brito was in Mexico to watch a shortstop when Valenzuela entered the game as a reliever. He immediately commanded Brito’s attention and at age 18, Valenzuela signed with the Dodgers in 1979. He was sent to the California League that same year.

    In 1980, Valenzuela was called up to the Dodgers in September and soon made his big league debut as a reliever.

    He remains the only pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The left-hander was the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game in 1981, the same year the Dodgers won the World Series.

    He is the all-time major league leader in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player.

    During his career, he made the cover of Sports Illustrated and visited the White House.

    In 2003, Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for NL games. Twelve years later, he switched to the color commentator job on the team’s Spanish-language TV feed.

    He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Five years later, the Mexican League retired Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. The Dodgers followed in 2023 after keeping his number out of circulation since he last pitched for the team in 1991. The team has a rule that requires a player to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame before having the Dodgers retire his number, but they made an exception for Valenzuela.

    The Dodgers named Valenzuela as part of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” in 2019 and inducted him into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2023.

    He became a U.S. citizen in 2015.

    Valenzuela served on the coaching staff for Mexico during the World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017. He was a part-owner of the Mexican League team Tigres de Quintana Roo, with son Fernando Jr. serving as team president and son Ricky serving as general manager. Fernando Jr. played in the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox organizations as a first baseman.

    In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife, Linda, who was a schoolteacher from Mexico whom he married in 1981, and daughters Linda and Maria as well as seven grandchildren.

    ___

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  • MLB wants Rays to play in the area if hurricane-damaged stadium is unfit

    MLB wants Rays to play in the area if hurricane-damaged stadium is unfit

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Major League Baseball hopes to find the Tampa Bay Rays a temporary home near their fanbase at least for the start of the 2025 season if the damage to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton cannot be repaired in time.

    The translucent fiberglass dome at the ballpark in St. Petersburg was shredded by Milton’s winds, leaving its immediate future in doubt. A number of spring training sites around the Tampa Bay area have been suggested as temporary homes, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league wants a location in the region if possible.

    “We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in (the Tampa Bay area) for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” Manfred said on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast.

    “The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it,” he said.

    The Rays have played at Tropicana Field since their inaugural 1998 season, although the building was constructed in 1990. The hurricane damage comes a few months after the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County approved a new $1.3 billion ballpark in an adjacent location that would open in the 2028 season, part of a much larger downtown revitalization project.

    The city has hired the Hennessy/AECOM firm to do a complete analysis of the Tropicana Field damage and contracted with another company to remove the remaining roof material, said St. Petersburg spokeswoman Alizza Punzalan-Randle. The city has also filed a claim with its insurance carrier, she said.

    “We will have more information on next steps once the analyses have been completed and the remaining roof has been removed,” Punzalan-Randle said.

    City Council member Brandi Gabbard said she expected the analysis by the first week of November.

    “At that point we will have a better picture of the path forward,” Gabbard said.

    So, where would the Rays go if the Trop isn’t ready on opening day of 2025?

    Suggestions have included local-area spring training sites used by the Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, Pirates and Tigers. A bit further away is the Rays’ own spring training complex in Port Charlotte, about 85 miles (136 kilometers) south of St. Petersburg. Another option may be the ballpark at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.

    Most of those ballpark options host minor league teams after spring training ends, which could prompt significant adjustments to minor league team schedules. One way around that would be to play at the Orioles’ spring training site in Sarasota, which does not have a minor league team.

    There has also been talk of the Rays sharing the Miami Marlins’ stadium, but that would be a major scheduling challenge and about a four-hour drive from St. Petersburg. A previous proposal to have the Rays play some home games in Montreal resurfaced, but the stadium there is undergoing renovation and would not be ready for next season.

    The Rays declined comment Tuesday and have had said only that it could take weeks “to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field.” Playing there without a roof is another idea, but the Trop doesn’t have the drainage systems necessary in such a rain-prone location.

    Another factor to consider is how much money should be spent to repair a facility that will be torn down for the new ballpark in a few years.

    The Rays’ opening “home” game against the Colorado Rockies is scheduled for March 27, 2025, and Manfred said MLB, the team and other entities will come up with a solution.

    “The one thing I can tell you for sure, they’re playing next year. We’re going to find them someplace to do it,” Manfred said on the podcast.

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  • Today in History: October 22, Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles

    Today in History: October 22, Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles

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    Today is Tuesday, Oct. 22, the 296th day of 2024. There are 70 days left in the year.

    Today in history:

    On Oct. 22, 2012, cyclist Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and received a lifetime ban from Olympic sports after the International Cycling Union chose not to appeal doping charges against Armstrong by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

    Also on this date:

    In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

    In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the “American system of rugged individualism” in a speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

    In 1934, bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.

    In 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

    In 1968, Apollo 7 returned safely from Earth orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

    In 1995, the largest gathering of world leaders in history marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

    In 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament building before he himself was shot and killed.

    In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. (The Cubs would go on to beat Cleveland in the World Series in seven games.)

    Today’s birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 88. Actors Christopher Lloyd and Derek Jacobi are 86. Actor Tony Roberts is 85. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 81. Physician and author Deepak Chopra is 78. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 72. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 62. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 61. Country singer Shelby Lynne and reggae deejay and singer Shaggy are 56. Film director Spike Jonze is 55. Argentine President Javier Milei is 54. Former MLB All-Star Ichiro Suzuki is 51. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 49. Actor Corey Hawkins is 36. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 34. Rapper 21 Savage is 32.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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    By The Associated Press

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  • Diamond Sports Groups channels branded as part of FanDuel Sports Network in deal

    Diamond Sports Groups channels branded as part of FanDuel Sports Network in deal

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    SOUTHPORT, Conn. (AP) — The Diamond Sports Group’s channels will soon be branded as FanDuel Sports Network.

    The Diamond Sports Group, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings, and FanDuel made the announcement Friday. Diamond’s channels had been Bally Sports since baseball’s Opening Day in 2021. The name change will take place Oct. 21.

    Financial terms of the deal were not released.

    Diamond Sports has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of Texas since it filed for protection in March 2023. The company said in a financial filing last year that it had debt of $8.67 billion.

    The Bally Sports regional networks serve as the TV home to eight Major League Baseball teams, eight NHL teams and 13 NBA teams.

    Starting next week, Diamond’s 16 regional sports channels will all take the name FanDuel Sports Network.

    FanDuel TV will have their offerings such as the “Up & Adams” show featuring host Kay Adams, other sports betting shows and other content like horse racing and Euroleague basketball can be shown the Diamond’s regional sports networks.

    David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, said the partnership will elevate the fan experience and deepen “the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners.”

    For FanDuel, its president for sports, Mike Raffensperger, said it puts the company’s name in front of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks.

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    AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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  • Yankees beat Guardians 5-2 in 10 innings, advance to World Series

    Yankees beat Guardians 5-2 in 10 innings, advance to World Series

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    CLEVELAND — Juan Soto’s arrival last winter was supposed to be that move that pushed the New York Yankees back to the top.

    They’re one step away.

    Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night.

    Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.

    Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, pushed the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.

    This was why he came, for this moment and for so many more.

    “We’re right where we belong,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who pulled off the deal for Soto.

    The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

    In the third consecutive tight game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.

    Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

    “I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who moved alongside his manager, Aaron Boone, as the only New York players to homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching win.

    Luke Weaver got the final three outs with Lane Thomas flying out for the last one, which was caught by Soto.

    “We get to play for a world championship,” Boone said. “That’s pretty sweet.”

    The 25-year-old Soto is eligible for free agency this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame festivities. He’s expected to get a contract upwards of $600 million, and his heroics in Game 5 may have raised his price.

    Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees took care of the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t easy.

    New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.

    The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

    “This was a rollercoaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”

    Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.

    “There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”

    The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.

    The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has been widely criticized but is one of just three managers to take New York to playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.

    While the team’s core stayed mostly intact, getting Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — accelerated the team returning to title contender.

    “That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.

    Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.

    It was Stanton’s fourth homer in this series — his third in three days — and his 16th in the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).

    Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.

    “He can hit it harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than just about everyone in the world.”

    But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”

    “There’s something that he does when he gets familiarity with people on top of being very physically gifted,” Boone said.

    The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on the first pitch to him from Mark Leiter Jr.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow strain) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes would throw again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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  • Shohei Ohtani homers to lead off NLCS Game 4 for Dodgers against Mets

    Shohei Ohtani homers to lead off NLCS Game 4 for Dodgers against Mets

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    NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani made his point.

    After Ohtani helped cap the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 3 win in the NL Championship Series with a three-run, eighth-inning homer, teammate Freddie Freeman gave the Japanese star what sounded like some good-natured ribbing.

    “Freddie talked to me to make sure that I joined the party earlier than later,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

    So after Ohtani drove Jose Quintana’s second pitch into the New York Mets bullpen in right-center field in Game 4, Ohtani aimed a finger at the Los Angeles dugout as he left the batter’s box.

    “I was able to do that this time in my first at-bat,” he said Thursday night after a 10-2 victory gave the Dodgers a 3-1 series lead and moved then one win from a World Series trip.

    Ohtani took Quintana’s first pitch for a ball, then drove a sinker over the middle of the plate 422 feet for his third postseason homer. The likely NL MVP began the night 0 for 22 in the postseason when batting with nobody on base and 7 for 9 with two homers and eight RBIs when hitting with runners aboard.

    “I think it was bigger for Sho just getting a hit with no one on base,” teammate Max Muncy said. “Pretty wild numbers.”

    Ohanti hit the seventh leadoff homer in Dodgers postseason history.

    “He just has a superpower that you and me can’t do,” teammate Mookie Betts said this week.

    The 117.8 mph drive was the third-hardest-hit postseason home run since Statcast started tracking in 2015, after Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber in last year’s NLCS (119.7 mph) and the New York Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton in a 2020 AL Division Series (118.3 mph).

    “I can’t even hit the ball that hard with an aluminum bat and Shohei is doing it,” Freeman said.

    Quintana hadn’t allowed a home run in his previous eight starts since Aug. 20.

    Ohtanti’s postseason stats are rather muted by his standards: a .235 average, three homers, nine RBIs, nine walks and no stolen bases.

    He led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a record $700 million, 10-year contract and stole 54 bases to become the first 50-homer, 50-steal player. Still recovering from elbow surgery in September 2023, the two-way star isn’t pitching this year.

    Last week’s decisive fifth game win over San Diego in the Division Series was the most-watched Major League Baseball postseason game on record in Japan, averaging an estimated 12.9 million viewers, according to MLB.

    Ohtani’s latest home run was hit at just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time.

    “I’m sure it’s not easy for the people in Japan to be able to watch these games because of the time difference.” Ohtani said.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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  • Ramírez’s late homer in Game 2 gives Guardians lift as they prepare to face Yankees in 0-2 ALCS hole

    Ramírez’s late homer in Game 2 gives Guardians lift as they prepare to face Yankees in 0-2 ALCS hole

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    CLEVELAND — José Ramírez finally had his New York moment.

    After several frustrating at-bats in Yankee Stadium, Cleveland’s All-Star third baseman connected for a homer in the ninth inning of Game 2.

    The shot into the ballpark’s famed “short porch” in right was too little, too late, but a positive sign for the Guardians.

    Trouble is, Aaron Judge gave the Yankees one as well.

    Down 2-0 in the AL Championship Series following two sloppy games in New York, the Guardians returned home Wednesday feeling optimistic about cutting into the Yankees’ commanding lead with three straight games — assuming, that is, they win one of the next two — at Progressive Field.

    The Guardians were the AL’s best team at home (50-30) this season and Cleveland’s rocking crowd, while not nearly as intense as its pinstriped-dressed counterparts in New York, showed it was more than ready for October during the club’s ALDS against Detroit.

    “Obviously we would have loved to have taken one in New York,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Wednesday before the team worked out on a cloudy, chilly afternoon. “But we still feel really good about our chances.”

    They should.

    The Guardians had numerous scoring opportunities in the early innings of Game 2 against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, but they squandered them and Judge’s homer first of the postseason in the seventh inning put them away in a 6-3 loss.

    Cleveland finished 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners.

    However, Vogt was pleased with his team’s approach, if not the results.

    “We just weren’t able to get that big hit,” said Vogt, who will start lefty Matthew Boyd against New York’s Clarke Schmidt in Game 3. “We had pressure on them all night. Seemed like every inning we had one, two guys on.

    “Our guys have been great in those situations for the majority of the year, and when you have one game where it stands out, it’s not going to get us down.”

    It won’t slow Ramírez, who hits in the heart of Cleveland’s lineup and is in many ways the team’s soul.

    One of the game’s best players — Yankees manager Aaron Boone bristled before the series at him described as underrated — Ramírez has not been himself this October. He’s batting just .167 (4 of 24) in the postseason and is 1 of 7 with runners in scoring position.

    That’s why seeing him circle the bases without his helmet flying off was such a big deal.

    When he’s one of his tears, Ramírez, who finished one homer shy of making the 40-40 club in the regular season, can single-handedly carry Cleveland. His swing has been a tad off the last seven games, but he tattooed two balls in Game 1 that Judge ran down in center.

    “Hosey just needs to be him,” Vogt said. “He just needs to be himself. He had really good at-bats last night. He had an opportunity. We all expect him to get the big hit every single time he gets up there, but he’s done that to himself.

    “If there’s anybody I’m confident in coming out tomorrow ready to go, it’s going to be Hosey.”

    The Yankees feel the same way about Judge, this year’s likely AL MVP and the game’s most feared right-handed slugger.

    Judge, who hit 58 homers this season, was only 2 of 17 with six walks and two sacrifice flies in the playoffs before he hammered a belt-high fastball from Hunter Gaddis, sending it 414 feet to center field before it touched down near Monument Park.

    Judge flashed a smile of joy mixed with relief on his home run trot. Afterward he joked that the ballpark’s “ghosts” may have given him some help on his 14th homer in his 50th postseason game.

    Vogt was asked how many major leaguers could hit that pitch that far.

    “Probably one,” he said.

    Anthony Rizzo’s addition to New York’s ALCS roster was something of a surprise. So is what he’s been doing.

    Rizzo, who fractured two fingers on his right hand when he got hit with a pitch on Sept. 28, went 2 for 4 with a double and scored a run in Game 2. The first baseman’s shot down the right-field line in the sixth inning came after Jazz Chisolm got picked off second — an out that loomed large as Cleveland rallied.

    But Rizzo, who did not play against Houston in the ALDS, delivered and the Yankees are hoping he can stay in the lineup.

    Manager Aaron Boone said Rizzo told him his fingers were sore, but that he felt better than after Game 1.

    “I asked him if he slept here in the hyperbaric chamber,” Boone joked when asked if Rizzo is getting round-the-clock treatment. “He’s been here a lot. He did go home last night, though. The last couple weeks, just really trying to get as much treatment as he can and trying to move the needle just as much as he can to obviously be available.”

    Now that he’s a teammate, Boyd has an even greater appreciation of Ramírez.

    The left-hander spent eight seasons with Detroit and had more than his share of matchups against the six-time All-Star, who has finished in the top three in MVP voting three times.

    Boyd always marveled at Ramírez’s combination of speed and power, but it wasn’t until he was around him consistently that he recognized the other qualities that make him great.

    “The coolest thing about Hosey is the way he shows up ready to play every day,” Boyd said. “The guy is a gamer. Doesn’t matter how he feels, same guy every single day. When you see it firsthand, you can give him the word sparkplug, leader.

    “There’s multiple synonyms that you can use to describe him. He’s truly special.”

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  • Francisco Lindor’s grand slam sends Mets into NLCS with 4-1 win over Phillies in Game 4 of NLDS

    Francisco Lindor’s grand slam sends Mets into NLCS with 4-1 win over Phillies in Game 4 of NLDS

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    NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, his latest clutch swing in an extraordinary season full of them, and the New York Mets reached the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.

    Edwin Díaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners aboard to end it as New York finished off the rival Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division Series, winning 3-1 to wrap up a postseason series at home for the first time in 24 years.

    Immediately to follow in a raucous clubhouse, the Mets’ first champagne-soaked clinching celebration in Citi Field’s 16-season history.

    After three days of rest, New York will open the best-of-seven NLCS on Sunday at the San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego held a 2-1 lead in their NLDS heading into Game 4 on Wednesday night.

    For the NL East champion Phillies, who won 95 games and finished six ahead of the wild-card Mets during the regular season, it was a bitter exit early in the playoffs and a disappointing step backward after they advanced to the 2022 World Series and then lost Games 6 and 7 of the 2023 NLCS at home to Arizona.

    After falling short again in October, Bryce Harper and the Phillies are still looking for the franchise’s third championship.

    Perhaps overanxious at the plate with so much on the table, the Mets left the bases loaded in the first and second and stranded eight runners overall through the first five innings.

    They put three runners on again in the sixth, this time with nobody out, before No. 9 batter Francisco Alvarez grounded into a force at the plate against All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman.

    With the season on the line, Phillies manager Rob Thomson then summoned closer Carlos Estévez to face Lindor, who drove a 2-1 fastball clocked at 99 mph into Philadelphia’s bullpen in right-center, giving New York a 4-1 lead and sending the sold-out crowd of 44,103 into a delirious, bouncing, throbbing frenzy.

    With his first homer of these playoffs, Lindor joined Shane Victorino and Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome as the only major leaguers with two postseason grand slams. The star shortstop also connected for Cleveland at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of a 2017 AL Division Series.

    Edgardo Alfonzo hit the only other postseason slam in Mets history, during a 1999 Division Series at Arizona.

    That left fans again chanting “MVP! MVP!” as Lindor disappeared into the dugout and again when he took his position on defense in the seventh.

    Game 3 on Tuesday was Lindor’s first opportunity to play at Citi Field since Sept. 8, after he missed time down the stretch with a back injury.

    But few players, if any, have been as valuable to their team this year as Lindor, who has provided a remarkable string of big hits and critical contributions as the Mets rallied from a 24-35 start to their first NLCS since losing the 2015 World Series to Kansas City.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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