DALLAS – Super agent Scott Boras negotiated another record-breaking contract as one of his star clients, Juan Soto, reached an agreement with the New York Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal.

Boras declined to comment Wednesday on the historic deal involving Soto, who is undergoing his physical before it becomes official. However, Boras did talk about the Mets in general, commending their aggressive pursuit of building a championship-caliber organization after their run to the National League Championship Series last season.

“I think it’s pretty evident that the Mets have decided that they’re going to pursue winning and winning for a long time,” Boras said. “They’ve made it very clear to us that they’re not limited to signing one great player but multiple great players. They’re going to be, I think, a very steady and heavy commitment to acquiring the best talent.”

That was among the many notable comments made by Boras as he held court with reporters on Day 3 of the winter meetings at the Hilton Anatole.

Beyond Soto, Boras’ list of free agents this offseason includes infielders Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, right-hander Corbin Burnes and left-hander Sean Manaea.

“A lot of market locomotion regarding Pete,” Boras said. “The Polar Bear Express is rolling.”

Boras added that Alonso is open to listening to a lot of teams.

“Certainly his experiences with the Mets were extraordinary, both for them and him,” Boras said.

Boras also shared his thoughts on his other clients.

“We’ve had numerous meetings with teams and owners. We all know what comes after AB, that is the ‘C’ in champions. In Bregman’s case, that is ‘C’ squared,” Boras said. “All of these teams realize what a leader he is, what a champion he is and plus his skill level to boot. So, he’s had a remarkable career to date and is very much in demand.”

On Burnes: “For pitching, for Corbin Burnes, it’s kind of like Elvis. He’s got that ‘Burnes-ing Love’ for a No. 1 starter. You are really feeling it today, and very early this morning for me, I might add.”

On Manaea: “There is a new Sean rising. It’s something that teams have recognized. The demand is really something that I think is going to happen soon.”

Hamilton to Baseball Hall

Cleveland Guardians longtime radio announcer Tom Hamilton was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hamilton started calling games for the Guardians in 1990.

–Drew Davison, Field Level Media

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill has agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.

The deal includes an opt-out clause after the first year, per the reports.

O’Neill heads to Baltimore after spending the 2024 campaign with the American League East rival Red Sox. In 2024, he hit .241 with 31 home runs and 61 RBIs in his lone season in Boston, a welcomed spark to an otherwise sluggish offense.

The Orioles, who went 91-71 this year, bring in O’Neill after electing to let Anthony Santander walk in free agency. Santander posted a .235 average while clubbing 44 homers and driving in 102 runs this season. He has yet to sign with another team.

In 590 games with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018-23) and Red Sox (2024), O’Neill, 29, has cracked 109 homers to go along with 278 RBIs. He is a career .246 hitter and has won two Gold Glove Awards.

–Field Level Media

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff and Wire Service Report with Information from Official News Release) – The official Classic Era ballot for the 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame induction and it includes familiar names for baseball fans of a tremendous era of the game, prior to 1980.

Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Dave Parker, Vic Harris, Tommy John and Luis Tiant are all up for consideration as part of the Classic Baseball Era ballot. Candidates need to receive votes on 75% of the ballots cast by the committee to earn election.

Allen has been considered for Cooperstown multiple times by these committees, most recently in 2021 when he fell one vote shy of finally being elected to the Hall of Fame. The numbers largely speak for themselves, but Allen doesn’t have a plaque just yet. Unfortunately, Allen passed away in December 2020, just a few months after the Phillies retired his number — an honor the club had previously reserved for players already in the Hall of Fame.

Ken Boyer, 3B

An incredible all-around third baseman, Boyer earned five Gold Glove Awards (including four straight from 1958-61), 11 All-Star nods and the 1964 NL MVP Award. He also played a pivotal role in helping the Cardinals win the 1964 World Series, leading the Majors with 119 RBIs during the regular season before hitting a pair of clutch homers in the World Series. Boyer hit a series-shifting grand slam in Game 4 and added an insurance homer in the decisive Game 7.

John Donaldson, LHP

Donaldson was such a draw during his barnstorming days that he earned the nickname “Famous” — and was called it so frequently that some thought it was his actual first name. Research indicates Donaldson may have played some form of professional or semi-pro ball for 42 seasons from 1908-49. Having started his baseball career more than a decade before the Negro National League was created in 1920, Donaldson played for at least 25 clubs, and while it’s hard to know his exact stats, Negro Leagues historian Pete Gorton verified the following numbers for Donaldson: 413 wins, 5,091 strikeouts, 14 no-hitters and two perfect games.

Steve Garvey, 1B

A 10-time All-Star, Garvey was the biggest name within the Dodgers’ record-setting infield of 8 1/2 seasons that included second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey. Garvey was the model of consistency from 1974-80, hitting between .297 and .319 while posting an OPS between .808 and .852 each season, all while never finishing lower than 14th in NL MVP voting. He also raised his game another level in the postseason, putting up a .910 OPS on the game’s biggest stage. Garvey’s NL record of 1,207 consecutive games played will likely never be broken.

Dave Parker, OF

Parker has a long list of accolades that includes seven All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger Awards, the 1978 NL MVP Award and a pair of World Series titles. He also won back-to-back NL batting titles from 1977-78 and won the All-Star Game MVP Award in ‘79. Overall, Parker finished his 19-year career as a .290 hitter, with 2,712 hits (including 940 extra-base hits), 339 home runs, 1,493 RBIs, 154 stolen bases and 143 outfield assists.

Vic Harris, OF/Manager

Even with it possibly being incomplete, Harris’ baseball resume is remarkable. He was a fixture in the Negro Leagues, appearing as a player from 1922-47 while also managing from 1936-42 and again from 1945-48. While his exact numbers are hard to pin down, he’s listed as a career .303 hitter with a 112 OPS+. As for his managerial success, Harris guided the Homestead Grays to seven pennants and a World Series title in the Negro Leagues.

Tommy John, LHP

John’s name is as recognizable as perhaps any player in Major League history, though of course much of that has to do with the groundbreaking surgery that bears his name. But John also had the numbers to earn serious Hall of Fame consideration. He finished his 26-year career — one extended by the aforementioned surgical procedure — with 288 career victories. That ranks 26th all time, and 23 of the 25 players ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame. John’s longevity also helped him rack up 79.6 career fWAR, the 20th-highest total for any pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900). The only two pitchers with more fWAR than John who are not in the Hall are Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling, each of whom are on the outside for off-the-field reasons.

Luis Tiant, RHP

With a wildly unique delivery and long-lasting big league success, Boston’s very own Luis Tiant was a must-see any time he took the mound. “El Tiante” finished his 19-year Major League career with 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA while pitching for Cleveland (1964-69), Minnesota (’70), Boston (’71-78), the Yankees (’79-80), Pittsburgh (’81) and the Angels (’82). Tiant finished fifth in the AL MVP voting in 1968 — the “Year of the Pitcher” — after putting up an AL-best 1.60 ERA and leading the league with an 8.5 bWAR. He also recorded at least 12 wins in eight straight seasons from 1972-79. The only pitchers with more wins than Tiant’s 134 over that eight-season stretch were Steve Carlton (148), Jim Palmer (146), Gaylord Perry (145), Tom Seaver (140), Nolan Ryan (138) and Phil Niekro (137) — all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

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Breeders’ Cup 2024

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Oh, how I wish this dateline was originating from sunny Del Mar, California, a stones throw from San Diego and a shorter throw to Torrey Pines Golf Course, which is a driver and nine iron from La Jolla, one of the most beautiful towns in all the 50 States.

If there’s one race course in the entire United States of America that is perfect for the annual Breeders’ Cup championships, it is Del Mar, situated adjacent Pacific Ocean and the beautiful sights of Southern California. While other horse tracks have enjoyed great days for the Breeders’ – namely Belmont in New York, Churchill Downs in Kentucky, or Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, hosted by our neighbors to the north – Del Mar is something extra special. Paradise for the horse player and the equivalent of Monte Carlo for the rich and famous of the industry known as The Sport of Kings.

Any sports fan has to call The Breeders’ Cup the most underrated event in the sports industry. It’s seven World Series games in one day. The very best of the best all competing at one track over two days.

The event began Friday afternoon with “Future Stars Friday,” where the sport’s stars of tomorrow compete in five Juvenile (two-year-old) races as the warm-up. Keep an eye on Immersive, the Juvenile Fillies winner for trainer Brad Cox. It was Cox’s seventh straight Breeders’ with a win.

In 48 hours, the Breeders’ crown 14 World Champions across different surfaces and divisions, including the season-defining $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, won by Sierra Leone, the No. 2 finisher in May’s Kentucky Derby.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There were two sudden thoroughbred deaths from cardiac events as they raced or trained this week. On Tuesday (Oct 29) at Santa Anita, Practical Move, a horse training for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, died of a cardiac event after a morning gallop. … On Saturday, 3-year old French colt, Jayarebe, finished seventh in the field of 13 for the 1 ½-mile, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Turf race, which was won by Rebel’s Romance. Trained by Irish native Brian Meehan, Jayarebe was making his sixth start of the year and eighth of his career. He had won four times. “He was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts led by Dr. Brent Cassady, but unfortunately passed away,” said Dr. Al Ruggles, the on-call veterinarian for American Equine Racing Practitioners.

Mookie Betts (holding trophy) – (Getty Images)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Just in case you didn’t notice, former Red Sox All-Star Mookie Betts had the World Series winning RBI when his new team, the LA Dodgers, disposed of the New York Yankees Wednesday night in New York. The Series ended in LA’s favor a night after a moron, otherwise identified as a Branford, Connecticut man, ripped a ball out of Betts’ mitt but was later tossed out of Yankee Stadium to the streets of the Bronx for the act. The umps properly ruled the play as an out and the so-called fan was banned for Game 5.

THE NBA in MEXICO CITY: The NBA staged another Mexico City Game on Saturday night (9:30pm ET), featuring the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards in concert with a lengthy roster of marketing sponsors. The sponsor line-up included presenting partner Michelob Ultra, and associate partners 2K, AT&T, Azteca, Banco, Betcris, Elektra, Emirates, Hennessy, Hisense, Mercado Libre, Nike, PlayStation, Pepsi, Tissot, TotalPlay, Visit Washington and Wilson. … It was the 33rd time the NBA played a game (preseason or regular season) in Mexico with most games in Mexico City and a few in Monterey.

GET JACKED: The Boston Bruins and their broadcast partner NESN (co-owned by the Red Sox and Bruins) will celebrate former play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards’ career at the mic on Sunday, November 3. The honors will include in-arena and NESN’s features on the game broadcast as the Bs take on the Seattle Kraken at TD Garden at 5:00pm (ET).

“Jack has been an integral part of the Bruins organization for many years,” said Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs. “His passion for the game and deep connection with our fans elevated the experience of Bruins hockey.”

“Jack’s career as the voice of the Bruins on NESN has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Matt Volk, COO of NESN. “For nearly two decades, he brought an unmistakable energy and passion to every game, making each moment memorable for fans across New England. We thank Jack for his exceptional contributions and the impact he’s had during his time with us at NESN, and we are thrilled to be able to do so tonight with such a special celebration at TD Garden and on NESN.”

The team will commemorate Edwards’ storied career and lasting impact on the organization with a special pregame presentation. Sunday’s game will also feature special Jack Edwards-themed contests and entertainment in the arena while Jack Edwards t-shirts and commemorative hockey pucks will be on sale in the team store.

BOB COSTAS: After a 44-year stint as one of baseball’s all-time greats, veteran broadcaster Bob Costas announced his retirement from play-by-play broadcasting of games. He will still be involved in various broadcasts, studio shows and general coverage of the game and other sports. Costas will appear on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight Monday at 6:00pm (ET) to discuss his decision. Costas was the recipient of the 2018 Ford C. Frick Award, recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a legend of the game.

NHL VALUATIONS AND CLUB $ INCREASES: It’s been a while since we’ve passed along a few notes on NHL valuations, reported by friends of WWYI from Sportico. The recent numbers are quite impressive, although still at the bottom of the four major North American team sports.

Sportico did the entire league, of course, and highlighted the Top 10 NHL franchises, in terms of value as of 2024. Here’s the Top 5, the usual characters:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.6 billion
2. New York Rangers – $3.25b
3. Montreal Canadiens – $2.93b
4. Boston Bruins – $2.67b
5. Los Angeles Kings – $2.5b

In terms of franchise value increase this past year, there’s a surprising list of clubs rising in the ranks:

1. Utah Hockey Club – +193%
2. Florida Panthers – +140%
3. Carolina Hurricanes – +137%
4. New Jersey Devils – +127%
5. Tampa Bay Lightening – +124%

While the average NHL franchise value is now $1.7 billion, Commissioner Gary Bettman estimates an expansion club would fetch more. “Whether it is $2 billion or $2.5 billion or $2.7 billion, I think that is the range I believe the owners would want to be in if we were going to consider expansion,” said Bettman to The Hockey News earlier this year. … Of course, Bettman’s main focus among franchise issues is the settling of the Utah Hockey Club which just relocated from Arizona and the Ottawa Senators, a franchise struggling in the national capital of Canada.

TIDBITS: There are some serious NFL coaches ready for induction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the years to come. This year, the Pro Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee narrowed a list of 14 candidates to these semifinalists: Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. All but Arnsparger, Knox and Seifert reached the semifinalist stage in 2023.

RETIRING, BUT NOT TODAY: The 2024 NWSL regular season is coming to a close this weekend. “Betcha” didn’t know Christine Sinclair will be the biggest storyline, as the 41-year-old veteran will retire after her final game – whenever it comes. Sinclair has spent her whole NWSL career with the Portland Thorns and is one of the all-time greats of the women’s game, maybe the very best. With 190 goals for Team Canada, she is the most prolific international goal scorer in history, female or male. For Portland, she’s netted 66 goals in 199 regular-season appearances and is one of just three active players to have spent her entire NWSL career with the same club. On Friday night, she scored in the first half of Portland’s 3-0 victory over Angel City FC as the win allowed the Thorns to qualify for the NWSL playoffs. Sinclair received a standing ovation as she was subbed out in the 83rd minute, replaced by Meghan Klingenberg.

RATINGS GAME: The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 this week and the TV numbers capped an amazing postseason for MLB. Game 5 attracted 18.6 million viewers across multiple FOX platforms. It marked the most-watched Game 5 in seven years and the most-viewed World Series game since 2019. Overall, the series averaged 15.8 million viewers, a 74% increase year-over-year from 2023.

SPORTS BIZ: Moonshot, one of the fastest growing companies in the national security industry, and CTH Advisors, an investment banking and advisory firm specializing in sports, media and entertainment, have announced a strategic partnership to combat the rising digital threats in the sports industry. … Moonshot secured over $20 million in government contracts to protect schools, national infrastructure, and public figures from terrorism. This initiative will leverage that technology to deliver best-in-class national security solutions to elite athletes, officials, and sports organizations. … Moonshot’s technology is already being used by major sports institutions, including the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Moonshot is responsible for protecting all Team USA athletes from online threats on behalf of USOPC. … As digital threats become more sophisticated, from AI-generated deepfakes to coordinated doxxing (the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent), the sports industry is increasingly vulnerable to both physical harm and threats to an athlete’s reputation. One in five players at major international sporting events, such as the Women’s World Cup, experiences significant online abuse​. Female athletes face disproportionate volumes of online threats, much like the national security space where Moonshot has found that 92% of women in public life experience bullying and abuse online.

Note: To receive the Notes column on Saturday nights at 10:00pm ET, please see: While We’re Young (Ideas)

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NEW YORK – Was it the revenge of Mookie Betts, the Curse of the Betts-bino, or is it a deeper, darker Curse of the Morons? That’ll be the question the New York Yankees and their ill-fated fans will have to answer after the Los Angeles Dodgers performed the unthinkable and defeated the Yankees in a comeback for the ages, a day after a fan attempted to grab a baseball right out of Betts’ glove. The fan was ejected and banned from baseball but, the Curse might remain.

Betts, LA’s right fielder, lifted a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a five-run deficit and clinched their eighth World Series title with a 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday night in Game 5 in the Bronx.

Six outs away from being forced back to Los Angeles for a sixth game on Friday, the Dodgers won their second title in five seasons and first in a full season since Kirk Gibson and the 1988 team stunned the Oakland Athletics.

Los Angeles also avoided becoming the first team to win the first three games of a best-of-seven Fall Classic and get taken to a sixth game.

The Dodgers trailed 6-5 entering the eighth before Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle (1-1) allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Gavin Lux cracked a tying sacrifice fly to center field off Luke Weaver.

Shohei Ohtani then reached base on catcher’s interference when his bat grazed Austin Wells’ glove. Following a brief review, the call was confirmed.

On the next pitch, Betts lifted a fly ball to center fielder Aaron Judge, and utility man Tommy Edman trotted home for a 7-6 lead.

It was the largest comeback ever in a World Series clincher, surpassing the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates overcoming a four-run deficit in Game 7 against the Washington Senators.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Yankees a 6-5 lead after Los Angeles erased its 5-0 deficit by sending 10 to the plate in fifth. The Dodgers capitalized on physical errors by Judge and Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe along with a mental error by Gerrit Cole, New York’s starting pitcher.

New York held a 5-0 lead and Cole had yet to allow a hit before Enrique Hernandez singled to open the fifth inning.

Edman reached when his fly ball caromed off Judge’s glove, putting runners at first and second. Will Smith followed by hitting a grounder to Volpe, whose throw bounced in front of third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., loading the bases with no outs.

After Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, Betts hit a soft grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Cole went about halfway off the mound before stopping, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag allowing the Dodgers’ first run to score.

Cole was one strike away from ending the inning with a 5-1 lead but allowed a two-run single to Freddie Freeman. Teoscar Hernandez also was one strike away from making the final out before lining a two-run double over Judge’s head, tying the game 5-5.

Los Angeles rallied after getting a short start from Jack Flaherty, who was tagged for four runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Blake Treinen (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out Anthony Rizzo with two on in the eighth.

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jack Flaherty and Gerrit Cole spent Tuesday afternoon preparing for a game they weren’t certain would happen. A few hours later, Anthony Volpe ensured the World Series would continue with Game 5 on Wednesday, when Flaherty pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cole starts for the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers held a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series entering play on Tuesday, but New York cruised to an 11-4 victory in Game 4, sparked by Volpe’s third-inning grand slam.

Another Yankees win on Wednesday would create some history. Of the 24 previous teams that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series, 21 were swept in four games and the other three were eliminated in Game 5.

If New York can extend the series again, Game 6 would be played Friday in Los Angeles.

The Yankees hit .186 in the first three games and scored a total of seven runs. The Dodgers then grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Wednesday before Volpe sparked a comeback.

“They’re just like, ‘Let’s go get it,’” New York manager Aaron Boone said of his players. “Again, these guys love playing with each other, and you kind of got that sense before the game. And obviously as the game unfolded, it kind of got better and better tonight.

“It’s one game. We wanted to get it to tomorrow, and we’ve done that. Excited for the opportunity tomorrow.”

The Yankees are now hitting .206 in the series after posting their highest-scoring World Series game since a 12-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1978 Fall Classic.

Besides Volpe, Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres homered for New York. Aaron Judge hit an RBI single and walked, and every New York player except Anthony Rizzo reached base at least once.

“We’re just going to play our game,” Volpe said. “We feel like if we do that and we play the way we know we’re capable of playing, they can — they’re obviously a good team, and they can do what they do and whatever they want to do. We just have so much confidence in us that we play … that way, we feel like we’ll win.”

The Dodgers had few highlights other than Freddie Freeman setting a pair of major league records by homering in his sixth straight World Series game and becoming the first player to homer in the opening four games of a Fall Classic. Los Angeles mustered just six hits and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

“We’re up 3-1 right now,” Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts said. “We feel pretty good about it, but you know that they’re going to fight. It doesn’t matter what the score is and it doesn’t matter when it is; they’re going to fight. So, I mean, no lead is safe until you win the fourth game.”

Flaherty (1-2, 6.10 ERA in the postseason) allowed eight runs in three innings during Game 5 of the NLCS against the New York Mets on Oct. 18, but he opened the World Series by allowing two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Flaherty departed his first World Series start due to hamstring tightness he felt on the pitch before allowing a two-run homer to Giancarlo Stanton on his final delivery, but he said he feels fine now.

“It’s caused a little extra work that I normally wouldn’t have to do, but I’m feeling good today, felt good yesterday during my bullpen (session),” Flaherty said before Game 4. “At this point, it’s not anything I’m worried about.”

Cole (1-0, 2.82) will make his fourth career World Series start and first in an elimination game. Cole is 1-1 with a 3.15 ERA in World Series starts, and he took a no-decision in Game 1 when he allowed one run on four hits in six innings while throwing 88 pitches.

Cole was not a consideration to start Game 4 on three days of rest because his season began with a 2 1/2-month absence caused by an elbow injury.

“I feel now like I’m in good shape,” he said. “I have a reserve while I’m pitching. So if I need to dip into the tank, I can go get it, and then I can go get it again. It’s not like a one-time thing.

“And then familiarity both with myself and my delivery, how I’m moving, how well I’m concentrating the ball in the areas of the strike zone that I want to get. I’m … missing east and west very rarely anymore. Things are more defined.”

–Field Level Media

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a commanding lead in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers will turn to rookie right-hander Ben Casparius to open Game 4 on the road against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Holding a 3-0 advantage in the series, the Dodgers are in position to pull off the sweep for their first title since 2020, and their first championship after a full 162-game season since 1988.

Casparius, 25, has just three games of regular-season experience. They all came after Aug. 31 when he went 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 total innings. After he was given a spot on the postseason roster, he has made three appearances in the playoffs, going 1-0 without allowing a run in 4 1/3 innings.

Tuesday’s game will be the Dodgers’ fourth bullpen game of the postseason, going 2-1 in those contests. They entered the playoffs with just three healthy starters: Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler.

The Dodgers’ most recent bullpen came in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against New York Mets when they earned a 10-5 victory to clinch a spot in the World Series. Casparius went 1 1/3 scoreless innings in that game while earning the win.

Right-hander Ryan Brasier started two bullpen games in the playoffs for Los Angeles, while right-hander Michael Kopech started the other.

–Field Level Media

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NEW YORK – In the opening two games of their first World Series appearance since 2009, the New York Yankees were close to at least exiting Dodger Stadium with a split and possibly two wins.

Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers were productive enough and even with Shohei Ohtani off to a quiet start and sustaining a partially dislocated left shoulder, the best team during the regular season is halfway to a title.

While Ohtani is slated to play and attempt to help the Dodgers inch closer to their eighth title, the Yankees hope returning home can aid them in getting back into the series when the Fall Classic shifts to Yankee Stadium on Monday.

After the Dodgers won games started by Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler gets the nod for Game 3. Following losses in games started by Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt gets the ball for New York in a matchup of former first-round picks.

The Dodgers are attempting to win their first title in a 162-game season since beating the Oakland Athletics in five games in 1988. Like that series, Los Angeles won the opening two games at home and the Dodgers are seeking a three games to none lead for the first time since 1963 when they swept the Yankees.

Los Angeles held serve by earning a 6-3 victory in the opener and following it up with a 4-2 win in Game 2 on Saturday. Freddie Freeman hit the game-ending grand slam with two outs in the 10th inning off Nestor Cortes in the opener, and homered again Saturday before Alex Vesia needed one pitch to escape a bases-loaded jam after the Yankees scored their second run.

Vesia’s escape occurred after Ohtani hurt his shoulder attempting to steal second in the seventh inning. Ohtani is 1-for-8 in the series and manager Dave Roberts said the superstar felt good Sunday morning, flew separately from the team and was able to participate in their workout.

“If (Ohtani) feels good enough to go, I see no reason why he wouldn’t be in there,” Roberts said of the starting lineup before the Dodgers worked out.

The Yankees are hoping to get some better clutch hitting after going 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position in Los Angeles. Juan Soto homered in Game 2 but Aaron Judge went 1-for-9 with six strikeouts and is 6-for-40 with 19 strikeouts during the postseason.

“Just expanding the zone. That’s 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.”

Judge is struggling while hitting between Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, who are hitting a combined .313 (26-for-83) with 10 homers and 23 RBIs in the postseason.

“We’ve been through a lot of tough moments throughout the year. So I think we’ve been there,” Soto said. “We know how (to take) a couple punches in the face and just keep battling and keep going. We can go home and do our thing.”

The Yankees are facing a 2-0 deficit for the first time since dropping the first two against the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 in a series that reached Game 7. New York is facing a two games to none World Series deficit for the ninth time and rallied to win a title in 1996 against the Atlanta Braves, 1978 against the Dodgers, 1958 against the Milwaukee Braves and 1956 against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Under the World Series’ current 2-3-2 format, the team winning the opening two games has won 45 out of 56 times. The last team to overcome a two games to none deficit was the Yankees, who are the only team to do so since the 1986 New York Mets.

Schmidt, who has a pair of no-decisions in the postseason, will pitch in Game 3 for the third straight time. Schmidt is pitching for the first time since allowing two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings in Cleveland in Game 3 of the ALCS on Oct. 17.

“I’m obviously very excited to get out there, but I know I have a job to do. We’re trying to win this World Series,” Schmidt said before Game 2. “I think for me I’m just trying to go out there and execute and do my job.”

Buehler is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in a pair of postseason starts. He was tagged for six runs in five innings in Game 3 of the Division Series at San Diego and allowed three hits in four innings during an 8-0 win over the Mets in Game 3 of the NLCS on Oct. 16.

Buehler is 1-0 with an 0.69 ERA in a pair of World Series Starts which occurred in Games 3 in 2018 against the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay two years later.

“We love Walker in big games,” Roberts said. “The road isn’t going to faze him. It also allows him potentially to be available for a Game 7 too.”

–Field Level Media

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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