9+ hour, 28+ min ago (419+ words) After playing into November and winning a second consecutive World Series championship with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram on Monday that he will play for Team Samurai in the World Baseball Classic next spring. "Dear fans, thank you for sharing this wonderful season with me. I will train hard and see you again next year," Ohtani posted in Japanese. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to play again representing Japan." Ohtani was named the MVP of the 2023 WBC, when he memorably struck out Mike Trout to end the gold-medal game against Team USA. As Japan's DH, Ohtani hit .435 with a home run, eight RBIs and a 1.345 OPS in seven games during the tournament. He was 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA in three appearances as a pitcher. Ohtani's post does not specify whether he will participate for Japan as a…...

16+ hour, 43+ min ago (419+ words) After playing into November and winning a second consecutive World Series championship with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani announced on Instagram on Monday that he will play for Team Samurai in the World Baseball Classic next spring. "Dear fans, thank you for sharing this wonderful season with me. I will train hard and see you again next year," Ohtani posted in Japanese. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to play again representing Japan." Ohtani was named the MVP of the 2023 WBC, when he memorably struck out Mike Trout to end the gold-medal game against Team USA. As Japan's DH, Ohtani hit .435 with a home run, eight RBIs and a 1.345 OPS in seven games during the tournament. He was 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA in three appearances as a pitcher. Ohtani's post does not specify whether he will participate for Japan as a…...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (232+ words) Three historic home run balls were sold at auction this week for a combined total over $500,000. SCP Auctions of Laguna Niguel sold the ball Shohei Ohtani hit for the second of his three home runs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium for a top bid of $270,000. The ball Miguel Rojas hit into the seats for the game-tying home run in the ninth inning of World Series Game 7 at Rogers Centre went for $156,000 and the ball Will Smith hit for the game-winning home run in the 11th inning went for $168,000. Rojas" homer was the first in World Series history to tie a Game 7 in the ninth inning or later. Smith"s 11th-inning home run was the first extra-inning home run in a winner-take-all World Series game. A father and son " John and Matthew Bains " claimed to have…...

3+ day, 6+ hour ago (301+ words) LOS ANGELES " The Dodgers did not tender a contract to right-hander Evan Phillips before Friday's deadline, allowing their former closer to become a free agent. Minor-league right-hander Nick Frasso was also non-tendered, making him a free agent. Phillips led the Dodgers in saves in 2024 and 2023, but he suffered a shoulder injury during the Dodgers' postseason run in 2024 and started the 2025 season late. He made just seven appearances, pitching 5" innings before being shut down in May. A month later, he underwent Tommy John surgery. The 31-year-old Phillips is in the final year of arbitration eligibility this winter after making $6.1 million on a one-year contract this season. He has yet to start throwing off a mound and is not likely to be ready to return to pitching in major-league games until midseason 2026. After spending four seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles…...

5+ day, 13+ hour ago (362+ words) Two pieces of World Series history have found their way to SCP Auctions and are currently open for bids. The ball Miguel Rojas hit into the seats for the game-tying home run in the ninth inning of World Series Game 7 and the ball Will Smith hit for the game-winning home run in the 11th inning are being auctioned off by SCP Auctions. In addition, the second of Shohei Ohtani's three home run balls in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series is also part of SCP's fall auction. Bidding closes on Saturday. Rojas' homer was the first in World Series history to tie a Game 7 in the ninth inning or later. Smith's 11th-inning home run was the first extra-inning home run in a winner-take-all World Series game. A father and son " John and Matthew Bains " claimed to have caught both balls…...

6+ day, 19+ hour ago (911+ words) Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Mike Morin described his decision to use illicit opioid pills surreptitiously obtained by former team communications staffer Eric Kay as the result of the pressures of staying on a major league roster in testimony he offered on the stand Tuesday, Nov. 18 in the Tyler Skaggs wrongful death trial. Morin testified to receiving opioids from Kay after Skaggs tipped Morin that Kay was a source for illicit pills. He expressed regret for taking the pills, explaining that he had been trying to deal with the stress of a professional baseball career. "I didn't want to tell people I wasn't OK," Morin said. "Because in some way " whether it was true or not, whether it is in my mind or not " there are potential ramifications if the team knows I am dealing with an injury." Morin acknowledged…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (165+ words) In the Los Angeles Dodgers star-studded lineup, he was a bit player. Until his game-tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series made him a big deal. Rojas dropped by Legends" Attic, the sports memorabilia shop opened by a group that includes former Dodgers player and current broadcaster Orel Hershisher. ESPN LA co-hosted the event, which also featured team broadcasters Stephen Nelson and John Hartung as well as ex-Dodgers player Rick Dempsey. Also present was a special baseball " the one Rojas sent over the fence in Toronto that night. Up for auction, it was on public display Friday for the first time, a news release states. Bidding has hit $50,000, with another week to go, according to the release. The auction also includes slugger Shohei Ohtani"s second home run ball from Game 4 of the National League Championship Series and…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (1094+ words) The Los Angeles Angels team physician prescribed more than 600 opioid pills over a half-decade to Eric Kay, the communications staffer who later gave Tyler Skaggs a counterfeit pill that led to the pitcher's death, according to testimony on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the ongoing wrongful death trial against the ball club. Dr. Craig Milhouse acknowledged that he had prescribed 630 Norco and Vicodin pills to Kay from 2009 to 2015, based on information attorneys for Skaggs' family pulled from a California Department of Justice database that tracks pharmacy prescriptions for controlled substances. It was unclear from Milhouse's testimony exactly why he prescribed Kay the pills. Milhouse noted that patient confidentiality laws prevented him from going into specifics regarding his professional relationship with Kay. When asked generally what type of condition would lead to the type of prescriptions that Kay received, Milhouse referenced post traumatic…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (930+ words) INGLEWOOD " When it reigns " With their thrilling Game 7 victory in Toronto on Saturday night, the Dodgers delivered two rings in two seasons and I know you, L.A., I know you want more. I know you want to pour it on. Guess what? So do the Rams, who walked off the SoFi Stadium field Sunday to Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." after their inspired and suspense-free 34-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints (1-8). And the Rams happen to have the credentials to make you believe in their championship potential. They've got a championship quarterback playing MVP-caliber football in his 17th NFL season, in Matthew Stafford. They've got arguably the best receiver in the league, and the toughest, in Puka Nacua. They've got one of the NFL's scariest defenses, a unit that's given up just 20 points combined in the past three games. And yes, they've got…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (727+ words) TORONTO " There was a time when Dave Roberts could spark a team with his legs. Maybe that day hasn't passed. During Thursday night's off-day workout at Rogers Centre, the Dodgers manager challenged utility player Hyeseong Kim " the fastest player on the Dodgers' roster " to a race from first base to third base with the 53-year-old Roberts getting a 20- to 30-foot head start. Roberts tried to take more of an advantage, cutting across the edge of the infield grass rather than touching second base. Roberts stumbled and went sprawling onto the dirt as Kim cruised on by. "I was trying to add a little levity, that's for sure," Roberts said Friday. "I wasn't trying to do a face plant at shortstop. "The legs just gave way. That will be the last full sprint I ever do in my life. And I…...