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World Series: LA Dodgers Thwart NY Yankees, Lead 2-Games-to-None

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LA’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up one hit into the seventh inning, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered a 4-2 victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Saturday to take a 2-0 World Series lead.

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Tommy Edman also hit a home run, while Yamamoto (2-0) allowed one run and two walks with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, helping the Dodgers move two wins away from their first World Series title since 2020 and their first after a full regular season since 1988.

Dodgers right-hander Blake Treinen gave up an RBI single in the ninth to Giancarlo Stanton and departed with two outs and the bases loaded. Left-hander Alex Vesia entered and got pinch hitter Jose Trevino to fly out to center field for his first save of the postseason.

The lone area of concern for the Dodgers came when designated hitter Shohei Ohtani left the field with a trainer at the end of the seventh inning with an apparent left arm injury after an unsuccessful stolen-base attempt at second base.

Juan Soto hit a home run for the Yankees, while left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-2) gave up four runs on six hits, including three home runs, over 3 1/3 innings.

The series shifts to New York for the next three contests, starting with Game 3 on Monday. Game 4 is Tuesday and Game 5, if necessary, is Wednesday.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when the switch-hitting Edman hit a home run into the left field corner against Rodon while batting from the left side. It was his second home run of the postseason to go along with 13 RBIs for the National League Championship Series MVP.

Soto tied it 1-1 in the third with a blast into the right field corner against Yamamoto, his fourth of the postseason.

The Dodgers moved in front 3-1 in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run from Hernandez, his third of these playoffs, while Freeman followed with a drive to right field in nearly the same spot he hit his grand slam that ended Game 1.

It was just the 19th time a team has hit back-to-back home runs in the World Series with the only other occurrence by the Dodgers coming in Game 5 in 1981 against the Yankees by Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager.

The Yankees had just one hit heading into the ninth when Soto singled off the right field wall and scored on a single off the third base bag by Stanton. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Treinen struck out Anthony Volpe before Vesia got the last out on his first pitch.

–Field Level Media

Dodgers Win, Head to World Series

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LA’s Tommy Edman hit a two-run home run and drove in four runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the World Series with a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday night in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

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Will Smith added a two-run home run as the Dodgers earned a Friday night date with the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic, which begins in Los Angeles. It will be the Dodgers’ fourth World Series appearance in the past eight seasons.

In a bullpen game, seven Dodgers pitchers gave up 11 hits and struck out nine. Ben Casparius (1-0) went 1 1/3 innings to earn the win, and Blake Treinen pitched the final two innings for his third save of the playoffs.

Edman had 11 RBIs in six games against the Mets to tie Corey Seager’s franchise record for RBIs in a single NLCS, a mark set in 2020.

Mark Vientos hit a two-run home run for the Mets, while Sean Manaea (2-1) gave up five runs on six hits over two-plus innings. The Mets fell two victories short of a Subway Series after securing a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season and getting past the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs.

The Mets had an early 1-0 lead after Pete Alonso hit a blooper over the mound for a run-scoring infield single in the first inning.

The Dodgers responded in their half of the first when Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez singled before Edman doubled them home for a 2-1 lead.

Los Angeles made it 6-1 in the third inning when Edman hit a two-run home run off Manaea and Smith hit a two-run shot off Phil Maton.

The Mets got within 6-3 in the fourth inning when Vientos greeted right-hander Ryan Brasier with a two-run home run for his fifth long ball of the postseason.

Los Angeles added a run in the sixth inning on Ohtani’s RBI bloop single to center field. The Mets got the run back on a sacrifice fly from Francisco Alvarez. The Dodgers poured it on in the eighth inning with an RBI double from Mookie Betts, a sacrifice fly from Hernandez and an RBI single from Enrique Hernandez.

New York had its chances but left the bases loaded in the third inning, when McNeil struck out, and in the sixth, when Jesse Winker hit a lazy flyout to left. The visitors left 13 runners on base in the game and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

–Field Level Media

Yankees Advance to World Series

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York’s Juan Soto hit a three-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning and the visiting Yankees advanced to their first World Series since 2009 with a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night.

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Giancarlo Stanton of New York hit a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth inning for the Yankees, who won Game 5 of the American League Championship Series after trailing through the first five innings and never taking the lead until Soto’s heroics. Soto had three hits while teammate Gleyber Torres had two.

In the 10th, Soto hit four consecutive foul balls against Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis (1-1) before smashing a 1-2 fastball over the wall in right-center field. It was his second home run in two games and third of the series.

Stanton hit home runs in three consecutive games and had four in the series. Four New York relievers held Cleveland scoreless over the final 5 1/3 innings with Luke Weaver (1-0) pitching the last two innings to earn the win.

Bo Naylor doubled home brother Josh Naylor to give the Guardians a lead in the second inning, and Steven Kwan added an RBI single in the fifth. Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee held New York scoreless until Stanton hit his two-run homer with two outs in the sixth.

Torres led off the game with a single but was thrown out at home trying to score from first on a Soto double.

Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Josh Naylor singled with one out and scored on Bo Naylor’s two-out double that came on the 10th pitch of the at-bat against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon.

It was the first time a brother drove in a brother in a postseason game since the 2001 AL Division Series when the Oakland Athletics’ Jeremy Giambi brought home Jason Giambi.

The Guardians got to Rodon again in the fifth inning for a 2-0 lead when Kwan’s two-out single knocked in Andres Gimenez, who had doubled.

The Yankees opened the sixth with singles from Torres and Soto before Aaron Judge grounded into a double play. Stanton followed by working the count full before crushing a game-tying home run to left center with a 117.5 mph exit velocity.

After Weaver pitched a perfect ninth inning, he worked around Kyle Manzardo’s one-out single in the 10th, getting Jose Ramirez to line out to center and getting Lane Thomas to fly out to Soto in right field to end the game.

–Field Level Media

Yankees Survive and Advance

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York starting pitcher Gerrit Cole threw seven effective innings, and Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton each supplied key hits Thursday night to lead the Yankees to a 3-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals in a decisive Game 4 of the American League Division Series.

After failing to reach the postseason a year ago but with the win, the Yankees advanced to the American League Championship Series for the second time in three seasons and for the fourth time since 2017. New York won’t learn of its opponent in the ALCS until Saturday, when the Cleveland Guardians are scheduled to host the Detroit Tigers for Game 5 of that ALDS. The Guardians extended their series with a 5-4 victory against the Tigers on Thursday.

The Royals, coming off a 56-106 record in 2023, advanced beyond the wild-card round under manager Matt Quatraro in their first postseason trip since 2015, when they won their franchise’s second World Series. Star shortstop Bobby Witt went 2-for-17 (.118) with a walk in the series.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who came in struggling in the postseason after making himself the favorite to win AL MVP in the regular season, hit a hard double in two at-bats, scored a run, walked twice and stole a base.

Benches and bullpens cleared briefly in the bottom of the sixth inning following a slide into second by the Royals’ Maikel Garcia and Anthony Volpe’s tag for a key double play.

After grinding to a no-decision in the series opener, Cole (1-0) allowed a run and six hits to go with four strikeouts. He kept the Royals off the scoreboard through five innings and pitched out of a jam in the sixth.

New York’s bullpen continued to dominate with Clay Holmes taking the eighth and Luke Weaver finishing in the ninth for his third save of the series. Yankees relievers combined to allow zero runs in 15 2/3 innings in the series.

The Yankees scored quickly against right-hander Michael Wacha who, like Cole, also started Game 1. Three pitches into the first inning, Soto lined an RBI single to right, scoring Torres after he had doubled, to give New York a 1-0 lead.

Wacha (0-1) kept the Yankees from adding more until two outs in the fifth, when Torres lined an RBI single to right, knocking in Alex Verdugo from third. Lucas Erceg then replaced Wacha to put out the rally.

Stanton, who hit the go-ahead home run late in Game 3, came through again with an RBI single in the sixth for 3-0 lead.

The Royals pushed across a run in the sixth when Vinnie Pasquantino hit an RBI double to score Witt with two outs, but strong Yankees defense thwarted KC’s best chance for a bigger inning.

After Garcia led off with a single, first baseman Jon Berti and Volpe turned a Michael Massey grounder into a neat 1-6 double play. Garcia slid hard and Volpe made a dedicated tag for a second out, but Garcia didn’t leave the field immediately. He appeared to jaw with a third Yankees player, which led to a stoppage before heads cooled.

After Pasquantino’s RBI, Salvador Perez popped out to end the inning.

–David Brown, Field Level Media

Twins for Sale

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MINNESOTA – St. PAUL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Pohlad family, owner of the Minnesota Twins since 1984, announced its begun steps to sell the team.

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“For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul,” said Joe Pohlad, the team’s executive chair, in a news release. “This team is woven into the fabric of our lives, and the Twins community has become an extension of our family. The staff, the players, and most importantly, you, the fans — everyone who makes up this unbelievable organization — is part of that. We’ve never taken lightly the privilege of being stewards of this franchise.

“However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.”

Pohlad said the family intends to sell to an “ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins.”

Toward that end, the Pohlads retained investment bank Allen & Company to guide a potential sale.

Sportico valued the franchise at $1.7 billion, or 19th among the 30 MLB teams. Earlier this year, Forbes placed the value at $1.46 billion, ranked 21st on its list.

Only three ownership groups have controlled a team longer than the Pohlad family — the New York Yankees (1973), the Chicago White Sox (1981) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1981).

“After four decades of commitment, passion, and countless memories, we are looking toward the future with care and intention — for our family, the Twins organization, and this community we love so much” Pohlad said.

The most recent team to change hands was the Baltimore Orioles. MLB owners approved the sale in March to a group led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein for a reported $1.725 billion.

The late Carl Pohlad paid $44 million to buy the Twins.

Minnesota finished the 2024 season with an 82-80 record, four games out of a wild-card spot following a late-season swoon.

–Field Level Media

Major Damage to “The Trop”

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TAMPA-St. PETERSBURG  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Tampa Bay Rays organization will assess the damage done to Tropicana Field, inflicted on Wednesday night as Hurricane Milton bore down on the region.

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The roof at the stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., broke apart amid the wind and rain from the Category 3 hurricane. The Rays didn’t address whether the “Trop,” as it is called, will be playable to start the 2025 season.

“During the past couple weeks, our beloved city, region and state have been impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are devastated by the damage incurred by so many,” the team noted Thursday afternoon in a statement posted to social media.

“Our priority is supporting our community and our staff. We are fortunate and grateful that no one was hurt by the damage to our ballpark last night. Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field. In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building.

“We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms.”

The stadium, initially called the Florida Suncoast Dome when it opened in 1990, has been the Rays’ home since the franchise played its first game in 1998. It had been set to serve as a staging area for first responders in the storm.

Tropicana Field cost $138 million to build. The 1.1-million square foot building was covered by what the team media guide calls “the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof,” which is “made of six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts.”

It was built to withstand winds up to 115 mph.

The Weather Channel reported wind gusts of up to 102 mph in St. Petersburg. Parts of the downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg were drenched by as much as 17 inches or rain, per the report.

There was good news at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however. NFL Network reported Thursday that the stadium and the Bucs’ practice field sustained only “cosmetic” damage.

–Field Level Media

After Hostile G2, Padres Rebound vs LA

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SAN DIEGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No matter what has been thrown the San Diego Padres’ way — from the mound or from the stands — not much has deterred a club headed back to the warm embrace of home. The Padres did not just even their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at a game apiece on Sunday.

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They walked into a must-win situation on the road, hit six home runs and grew even closer as a team amid a hostile fan atmosphere to put momentum firmly on their side.

The Padres return home on Tuesday for Game 3 of the best-of-five series following Sunday’s 10-2 win at Los Angeles.

San Diego controlled the Dodgers’ offense and rose to the occasion after Dodgers fans threw baseballs and beverage cans toward Padres outfielders Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the seventh inning on Sunday.

Padres third baseman Manny Machado was the voice of reason before the eighth, gathering his teammates for a reminder on channeling anger and energy into the game. San Diego made it a rout from there, scoring six runs over the final two innings, with four home runs during that span.

Padres right-hander Yu Darvish, who allowed one run over seven innings on Sunday, characterized Machado’s rallying cry as, “Some dirty words here and there.”

Tatis, who hit a pair of homers, offered a bit more insight.

“We just gathered up together and we told each other, especially Manny, to control our emotions,” Tatis said. “The game was on our side. We know what we’re capable of. It was just a reminder who we really are as a group and just how crazy we can turn a place to go nuts.”

Now Padres fans get a chance to turn up the energy with the next two games of the series at their park.

San Diego can advance to the NL Championship Series without leaving home, which is the route it took in 2022 after it lost Game 1 of the NLDS to the Dodgers before winning the next three.

The Padres will send right-hander Michael King (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound for Game 3 after he struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings last Tuesday in a 4-0 Game 1 win over the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card round.

King was 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA in four appearances (three starts) against the Dodgers this season and has a 2.82 ERA in five career appearances (22 1/3 innings) against Los Angeles.

The Dodgers will turn to right-hander Walker Buehler (0-0, 0.00), who has playoff pedigree but has traveled a rocky road this season after two years away following his second career Tommy John surgery.

Buehler was 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts this season but was solid on Sept. 26, when he gave up one run to the Padres in five innings. He ended up with a no-decision as Los Angeles went on to a 7-2 win that clinched its 11th NL West title in 12 seasons.

With their pitching situation tenuous at best, the Dodgers knew they would have to lean into their offense, but the heralded top three spots in the order combined to go 0-for-12 in Game 2.

Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and Mookie Betts had a home run robbed by Profar in left in the first inning.

No. 3 hitter Freddie Freeman went 0-for-2 before exiting after the fifth inning with continued right ankle discomfort from a late-season injury. Enrique Hernandez went 0-for-2 in Freeman’s place.

“It’s really frustrating but there’s nothing really to do right now,” Betts said after Sunday’s game. “You just have to keep going and hopefully it turns.”

–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media

Ohtani 50/50 Ball to Auction

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RUNNEMEDE, NJ – (Staff and Wire service Report) – The owner of the ball that Shohei Ohtani hit for his historic 50th homer of the year remains in dispute, but the souvenir will continue to be auctioned off while legal proceedings continue.

Goldin Auctions announced Monday that the lawyers for the fans who are arguing over the ball’s rightful owner agreed to let the auction continue. With another two weeks to go in the auction, the latest top bid was $1.5 million, which would see the buyer owing more than $1.8 million when the auction house’s fee is included.

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The ball has significant value because of its place in baseball history: When that ball cleared the fence in Miami on Sept. 19, Ohtani became the first player ever to amass 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same year. The Los Angeles Dodgers star ended the season with 54 homers and 59 steals.

After the ball landed in the left field stands, Chris Belanski wound up with it, and he is the one who initiated the auction. However, two other fans, Max Matus and Joseph Davidov, subsequently filed separate lawsuits alleging that they had possession of the ball before it was taken from them.

Davidov’s attorney, Devon Workman, told Front Office Sports on Monday, “Parties have agreed to let the sale proceed and then the parties will continue to litigate over ownership over the final proceeds of the sale.”

Goldin said in a statement, according to ESPN, that “all parties want the 50/50 ball to be auctioned by Goldin, and have agreed to convey any and all of their ownership interests in the 50/50 ball to the winner of the auction, giving the winner full assurance that they will receive free and clear title to the 50/50 ball.”

The record price for a baseball is $3 million, which was paid for the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer in 1998.

–Field Level Media

A Royal Fourth

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City’s catcher Salvador Perez hit a towering homer off New York’s Carlos Rodon to start a four-run fourth inning and the Royals beat the Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their American League Division Series at one game apiece.

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Game 3 of the best-of-five set is scheduled for Wednesday night in Kansas City.

The only remaining player from Kansas City’s 2015 World Series team, Perez forged a 1-1 tie by hammering a 2-0 slider to the back of the left field seats.

It was Perez’s sixth career postseason homer and first since Game 5 of the 2015 AL Championship Series.

The veteran catcher’s 402-foot drive gives him 13 hits in 28 career at-bats off Rodon (0-1), whom he faced frequently when the Yankees left-hander pitched for the Chicago White Sox.

Following Perez’s homer, the Royals continued to pounce on Rodon’s slider, as Tommy Pham and Garrett Hampson had run-scoring singles.

Yuli Gurriel followed Perez’s drive with a single to left on a 2-2 slider and took second on a wild pitch. After Rodon got the first out of the fourth, Pham lined another slider to center to plate Gurriel for a 2-1 lead, then stole second.

With two outs, Pham easily scored when Hampson hit a slider to left for a 3-1 lead, chasing Rodon from the game in the process. Maikel Garcia added an RBI single off Ian Hamilton, but he got caught in a rundown for the final out of the frame.

Kansas City starter Cole Ragans struggled with command at times but held the Yankees to one run on three hits in four innings before the Royals used four relievers to finish the game. Ragans struck out five and walked four.

Angel Zerpa (2-0) got a double play to end the fifth, and John Schreiber got three flyouts in the sixth for Kansas City.

Kris Bubic pitched two innings, getting Juan Soto to fly out to the warning track to end the seventh and retiring Giancarlo Stanton on a double-play grounder to end the eighth. Lucas Erceg gave up Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s homer to start the ninth and a two-out single to Jon Berti before notching the save.

Rodon allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He didn’t issue a walk and fanned seven.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the third on Stanton’s RBI single.

New York finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Twins Push Towards Wild Card

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After gaining a cushion in the American League wild-card race with their series-opening win, the Minnesota Twins will look for another victory over the host Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

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Minnesota (81-73), which broke through for a three-run 12th inning in its 4-2 triumph on Friday, will now turn to ace right-hander Pablo Lopez with a chance to win the series.

A day after being held to three hits in a 3-2, 10-inning loss at Cleveland, the Twins struck for 13 hits against the Red Sox. The top five batters in the Minnesota order produced two-hit efforts in a result that gave the Twins a one-game lead over the Detroit Tigers for the final AL playoff spot.

“It’s a really important eight games that we have left, so it was a huge (win) for sure,” Twins shortstop Carlos Correa said. “The way everyone came together to make it happen was really special. … The message is simple: Never give up.”

Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner had RBI singles in the 12th inning, while the eight pitchers who followed Twins starter David Festa to the mound allowed a total of five hits and one unearned run in seven innings.

The Twins have the utmost confidence in Lopez, who is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA over seven straight quality starts since his Aug. 6 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

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Lopez (15-8, 3.84 ERA) had won four straight starts prior to Monday at Cleveland. He pitched 6 1/3 innings in an eventual 4-3 Twins loss, striking out four while allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks.

“He pitched so well until (the seventh),” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Lopez. “A leadoff walk, that’s not … like him.”

Lopez is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox, including a win on May 4, when he fanned eight while tossing six innings of one-run ball.

“I didn’t make pitches when I needed to,” Crawford said. “Obviously, you can’t throw Judge a 92-mile-per-hour fastball right down the middle. I just didn’t do my job (on Sunday).”

The home run ball has been a backbreaker for Crawford. He has allowed five in his past three starts and a major-league-leading 33 on the season.

–Field Level Media