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The 25-year-old, who has 48 caps for the Netherlands, has found love in Manchester – settling down with her partner Ruth, who she met on a dating app.

Now an openly gay woman, Casparij says the community is “close to her heart”.

“It was hard at times growing up until I got into women’s football. It was normal and openly spoken about [at Heerenveen],” she said.

“I learned a lot about myself. I didn’t have that when I was young, I had so many doubts and questions.

“I was lying awake at night thinking ‘is this weird or am I weird?’ Being able to be that role model now with my partner, for so many young girls, is so important.”

The right-back has a platform to promote inclusivity in women’s football and has taken full advantage.

She wears rainbow laces on her football boots, rainbow armbands, regularly posts messages of LGBTQ+ support on social media and in April, dedicated her goal against Everton to the transgender community.

“Why I find it really important to spread the word and stand with people is because in modern society if it’s often not against you, you won’t say anything,” said Casparij.

“It’s important that we stand up for people that need it so they feel supported. For example, the trans community. They are good people and I care about them.

“I want to show that I stand with them. I’m hoping to inspire people to do the same. I think we need more togetherness generally and a sense of community.”

She has supported numerous campaigns – most recently becoming a patron for the LGBTQ Foundation, helping to fund helplines against domestic abuse and transphobia.

“I think queer women are having a tough time at the moment and I want to help them have safe spaces,” said Casparij.

“In domestic violence, for example, queer women are often overlooked. I want to make sure they have a place to heal and someone to talk to.

“I want to be a woman that helps women.”

She is also passionate about setting an example to young, gay women – the type of representation she wished she had as a child.

“It’s nice to be able to make other people take away doubt. It’s about helping them to understand why they are feeling how they are feeling,” she added.

“I always love being surrounded by queer people. Feeling included and supported is important. All I want to do is spread love.”

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  Brian WindhorstOct 10, 2025, 04:00 PM ET

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  • ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010
  • Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years
  • Author of two books

EXACTLY ONE HOUR before the tipoff of the gold medal game last summer in Paris, when Olympic rules dictated players could come onto the court for warmups, an unlikely duo was the first to hit the floor.

Erik Spoelstra and LeBron James, all business, worked through their pregame routine, Team USA’s assistant coach putting the player through the paces. It was a common sight all summer, Spoelstra and James working together individually, their past history of joy, pain and drama with the Miami Heat pushed out of consciousness.

“Moments like those are a testament to what USA Basketball is all about,” Spoelstra told ESPN. “No matter what friction or misunderstandings you may have had in the NBA, it all gets moved aside because you have the same goal.”

Spoelstra is known for his obsessive nature, but especially so when it comes to what he refers to as the “purity” of competition. Whether he’s talking about a bench player filling his role, a superstar delivering in the clutch or his own responsibilities, it’s one of the guiding principles in Spoelstra’s 17 years as head coach of the Heat.

And it’s why Spoelstra has been destined to lead Team USA, which was formalized Tuesday when he was announced as the next head coach of the national team. Spoelstra will guide the Americans through the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“Everyone in this business wants to be a part of Team USA, the legacy and history of the program is the ultimate in the sport and I’m both humbled and grateful,” Spoelstra said. “Competing on the world stage is so stimulating.”

SPOELSTRA HAS QUICKLY moved up the USA Basketball ranks, coaching the Select Team in 2021 during a COVID-limited training camp in Las Vegas that helped prepare the national team for the Tokyo games that summer.

Then he was former coach Steve Kerr’s assistant for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics, impressing USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill so much with his investment in the role that he instantly became the leading candidate to be Kerr’s successor.

“Just watching him the last two summers and getting to know him up close rather than just from afar, where I’ve admired him for so long, I got a firsthand glimpse at what a great coach he is,” Kerr said last week. “I think the assistant coaching [on Team USA] is almost a prerequisite for coaching USA … he’s a perfect choice. He’s going to be great.”

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Hill, who took over USA Basketball in 2021, didn’t run an expansive search, sources said. After seeing Spoelstra’s performance, Hill and other members of the USA Basketball leadership team, including CEO Jim Tooley and Chairman Gen. (Ret.) Martin Dempsey, were convinced.

“I have known Erik Spoelstra for the better part of two decades and have gotten to know him better throughout our time with USA Basketball,” Hill said. “Spo is not only an outstanding coach, but a great colleague, friend and father, all of which make him the perfect choice to continue the USA Basketball Men’s National Team coaching legacy through 2028.”

Spoelstra has a significant task ahead of him — both in selecting and preparing the team to defend its home turf and its gold medal. The superstars who powered the 2024 team in Paris — Olympics MVP LeBron James, gold-medal-game hero Stephen Curry and four-time gold medalist Kevin Durant — are obviously no guarantee to participate in LA28.

In addition to turning over the roster, getting players to sign up for the World Cup in ’27 might be a challenge.

The World Cup is the primary way teams qualify for the Olympics and it’s a grueling three-year process. It includes six qualification game windows over a 15-month span — most of them played during the NBA season when top players aren’t available and many game are in far-flung places such as Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil — that must be navigated to qualify for the World Cup. Then only the top two finishers from North and South America at the World Cup itself get into the Olympics. The U.S. has squeaked into Olympic berths over the past two cycles, not medaling in the previous two World Cups.

But because the U.S. is the host nation, the Americans are given an automatic berth into 2028. With the summer heat in Doha (the World Cup starts Aug. 27, 2027), getting participation from top stars — with an Olympic berth already guaranteed — could be a harder sell.

Other countries, such as the reigning World Cup and European champion Germany, have required players to make multiyear commitments to ensure they make the Olympic roster. Team USA created this standard in 2005 after losing the 2004 Olympic gold but has moved away from it over the past 15 years.

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Hill and Spoelstra do not currently have plans for such a requirement, but the coach made it clear there will be a standard.

“This is a time where players are going to understand the importance of putting your hand up and saying you want the opportunity to be a part of the USA program,” Spoelstra said. “It’s more than just about having to qualify [for the Olympics], it’s about the shared life experience that being on Team USA means.”

Managing high-profile stars, their egos and their needs is one of the demanding parts of the job. In 2024, for example, Kerr faced scrutiny when he elected to take Celtics star Jayson Tatum out of the rotation for two games.

Team USA won them both, but Kerr was still heartily booed when he brought the Warriors to Boston last season, and probably will continue to be into the future.

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, GREGG POPOVICH and Kerr, the past three men in the job who have led Team USA to five straight Olympic golds, have all discussed the demanding nature of the decisions the job requires and the stress it induces.

“There’s only one outcome that you are allowed to have — it’s did you win?” Krzyzewski said last year looking back at his time as USA head coach from 2006-2018. “To win the Olympic gold, you have to win what is essentially three straight Game 7s against NBA talent playing the biggest games of their lives, and you’re expected to win them all.”

And never more so than now.

The U.S. is expected to win in 2028, but it no longer enjoys the large margin for error against international competition that it used to. The team has had to pull off double-digit comebacks in the medal round of the past two Olympics, the Game 7-style situations Krzyzewski referred to, to keep the gold streak alive.

Spoelstra, who won two NBA championships as head coach and has led teams to the Finals six times, is well aware of the strings that come along with the promotion.

“When you’re an assistant coach, it’s easier for the players to see you as more of a friend, so the relationship changes [when you’re head coach],” Spoelstra said. “But that is what you understand when you are a part of Team USA, you’re the ‘Man in the Arena,’ and it really makes you feel alive.”

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RALEIGH, N.C. — K’Andre Miller didn’t need preseason game action to get a fast start with his new Carolina Hurricanes teammates.

The defenseman twice found the net in Carolina’s 6-3 season-opening win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, showing a glimpse of the potential that enticed the Hurricanes to acquire him from the New York Rangers and sign him to a long-term deal.

“It was amazing, I loved it,” Miller said.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Miller spent much of preseason wearing a yellow noncontact jersey in what coach Rod Brind’Amour called a precautionary move before he shed that to ramp up in the final week or so of camp. He was in a pairing with Jalen Chatfield, working 19-plus minutes of ice time with a team-high 31 shifts.

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“I thought he was exceptional,” Brind’Amour said. “Take the goals away, even — just impactful.

The Hurricanes saw the 25-year-old former first-round pick as an ideal fit for their aggressive system with his size and skating ability. He had shown flashes of his potential with the Metropolitan Division foe Rangers, including posting 17 goals and 56 assists for 73 points over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

But his play fell off last season as he went from building block to expendable in a rough finish to his time in New York. So the Hurricanes made the trade on the first day of free agency, then gave him an eight-year contract paying an average annual value of $7.5 million through the 2032-33 season.

Carolina has won a series in seven straight postseasons, including reaching the Eastern Conference final twice in the past three seasons before falling to two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida each time.

The Hurricanes looked to Miller and the signing of free agent Nikolaj Ehlers as part of their next steps to playing for the Cup. And they are looking for Miller in particular to bolster a system that relies on an aggressive forecheck to pressure opponents, get control of the puck and keep it to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.

He just decided to bring the offense to his Carolina debut, too, on a night when the Hurricanes repeatedly rang the post against Jacob Markstrom.

His first goal was unexpected. He took a puck from William Carrier along the boards and flicked it toward Markstrom from the slot. The puck appeared to deflect off Devils forward Nico Hischier, then slip past Markstrom as a hopper for a 2-1 lead midway through the second.

His third-period goal was far different: a powerful blast from near the left circle that sent the puck slamming off Markstrom’s glove, skittering off his arm and behind him into the net.

“Two quite different goals there,” said forward Seth Jarvis, who had the go-ahead deflection late in the third followed by an empty-netter from beyond the blue line. “But you could tell from the first time he stepped on the ice in practice at training camp that he’s a special player. And he’s still young, so I can only imagine what level he’s going to get to.”

Miller’s second goal sent the Hurricanes home crowd into a roar, with Miller kicking up his leg and yelling in celebration then motioning for more noise from the crowd before heading to the bench.

“I think that was one of the biggest things, just making a good first impression,” Miller said of his debut. “I think the guys have done an amazing job of getting me caught up to speed. And this adjustment period has been honestly very simple. Very easy, and all the guys are pushing me in the right direction.”

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When Son Heung-min arrived at Los Angeles Football Club last month, there was a huge sense of excitement: here was South Koreaâ€s most popular athlete and one of the best Asian footballers in history. In a city with the largest South Korean community in the United States, there was also a belief that – just as with Lionel Messi and Miami – the diaspora would create a strong bridge between club and city.

But this was also about LAFC itself. Undoubtedly, there was much Son could offer to Steve Cherundolo and a squad that was already blessed with attacking talent, including Denis Bouanga, the 30-year-old France-born Gabon international. Just before Sonâ€s debut for LAFC on 9 August against Chicago Fire, Bouanga – a three-time All-Star – had 13 goals in the league and had long served as the main goal threat for the club, who at the time were sixth in the Western Conference.

The potential of adding Sonâ€s production to Bouangaâ€s was tantalizing. But both men presented similar profiles – speedy forwards used to playing on the wing. It was no sure thing that they would gel.

That aforementioned game against Chicago put those concerns to rest. Son won a penalty in the late stages of the game, which was converted by Bouanga, making it 2-2 on the night. But the most important takeaway from that evening was that the two looked in-sync, despite limited training time together.

The next game against New England didnâ€t feature goals from either player but after that, on 23 August against FC Dallas, a magnificent hot streak began. Today, Son and Bouanga have scored 17 consecutive goals between them – an MLS record for any goal scoring pairing in league history.

This past weekend against St Louis City, Son scored a brace while Bouanga netted another, giving LAFC their fourth consecutive win, with a combined 15-4 scoreline.

Quite simply, this is the most lethal pairing in the league.

“We are feeling good,†Bouanga told the Guardian. He has 23 goals in the league and trails Messi in the golden boot race by only one goal. “I feel so good with Sonny on the pitch. As you can see, I get along with him so well and so as a result the team does well when we go forward.â€

Since Sonâ€s arrival, Bouanga has scored 10 goals, including two hat-tricks, which passed Carlos Vela to make him the top scorer in club history. He made even more history by becoming the first MLS player to score 20 or more goals in three straight seasons. Bouanga has never been short of confidence but thanks to Son, it has skyrocketed and itâ€s because his teammates†career achievements inspire him to push himself further.

“Heâ€s such a great football player with a huge reputation,†says Bouanga. “Especially in the Premier League and everyone knows him. And now here? Heâ€s so happy to have joined us and I think we can do even more with him on the squad.â€

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Bouanga has always been a great goalscorer in this league so itâ€s not like much is changing for him on the training ground. For him, itâ€s more about the mentality of wanting to be the very best that he can be, and Sonâ€s presence – alongside the elite depth of this squad, which includes Sonâ€s former Spurs teammate and World Cup champion Hugo Lloris – helps him get even better as a scorer.

“I havenâ€t done anything different compared to last year,†says Bouanga. “Iâ€m still doing the same, I am the same, trying to be a killer in front of goal and this year, itâ€s working too. Iâ€m super happy so far but it is not over.â€

LAFC sit fourth in the West with 30 points, trailing San Diego FC by four points. But they have two games in hand so there is a possibility of topping the table and securing home field advantage at least until MLS Cup. That is another incentive for Bouanga and his team as they want to do everything possible to make sure Cherundolo wins the title in his final season – in April he announced his departure from the club at the end of the 2025 campaign.

“I would like to win this last title for him. I think it would be very important for LAFC and for him to win MLS Cup,†says Bouanga.

As long as the dynamic duo of Son and Bouanga continue to flourish, there is a very real possibility that could happen.

• Luis Miguel Echegaray is a writer, analyst and host specializing in soccer and sports content that also appeals to the U.S. Latino and young audience. He has previously worked at ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and is returning to the Guardian as a contributor.

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At this time last year, the pressure was palpable.

Up until last October, the Dodgers had a reputation as postseason failures.

It wasnâ€t an unwarranted distinction. In each of the previous two seasons, the team had been upset in the National League Division Series by lesser opponents in the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The fall before that, their title defense flamed out against the underdog Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series. Yes, they won a World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But outside of that, itâ€d been more than three decades since they last triumphed under typical circumstances.

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That checkered history weighed on them. Their urgency to change it in last yearâ€s playoffs was fervent.

“That kind of sour taste that you have when you make an early exit from the postseason, our guys are tired of it,†manager Dave Roberts said on the eve of last yearâ€s postseason. “So this is another opportunity. I do sense that edge.â€

This week, of course, the Dodgers face a different kind of dynamic.

After their memorable run to a championship last year, the team has gotten the monkey of its full-season title drought off its back. And while expectations are still high, with the Dodgers and their record-setting $400-million roster set to begin the playoffs with a best-of-three wild-card round starting Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the questions about past October disappointments have dissipated.

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So, does the pressure of this postseason feel different?

“You would think,†veteran third baseman Max Muncy said. “But the pressure’s always going to be there. Especially when you’re this team, when you’re the Los Angeles Dodgers, there’s a lot of expectations around you. There’s a lot of pressure.â€

Indeed, after an underwhelming regular season that saw the Dodgers win the NL West for the 12th time in the last 13 years, but fail to secure a first-round bye as one of the NLâ€s top two playoff seeds, the Dodgers have a new task before them.

Erase the frustrations of their 93-win campaign. Maintain the momentum they built with a 15-5 regular-season finish. And recreate the desperation that carried them to the promised land last fall, as they try to become MLBâ€s first repeat champion in 25 years.

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“For us, the challenge is not letting that pressure get to you and finding our rhythm, finding what’s going to work for us this year,†Muncy said. “Each year the team has to find their identity when they get to this point. You have an identity during the regular season, and you have to find a whole ‘nother identity in the postseason.â€

The Dodgers†preferred identity for this yearâ€s team figures to be the opposite of what worked last October.

Unlike last year, the team has a healthy and star-studded starting rotation entering the playoffs. Also unlike last year, the bullpen is a major question mark despite an encouraging end to the regular season.

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For the wild-card series, it means the team will need big innings out of Game 1 starter Blake Snell, Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and (if necessary) Game 3 starter Shohei Ohtani — who is being saved for the potential winner-take-all contest in part to help manage his two-way workload.

Ideally, their production should ease the burden on a relief corps that ranked 21st in the majors in ERA during the regular season, and has no clear-cut hierarchy for its most trusted arms.

“The starting pitching is considerably better†than it was last year, Roberts said Monday. “That’s probably the biggest difference between last year’s team.â€

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Granted, the Dodgers do feel better about their bullpen right now, thanks to the return of Roki Sasaki, the reallocation (at least for this series) of Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow from the rotation to relief roles, and recent improvements from Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott.

“[We have] much more confidence than we had a couple weeks ago,†Roberts said of the bullpen. “I think that it’s because those guys have shown the confidence in themselves, where they’re throwing the baseball. I think last week we saw guys more on the attack setting the tone, versus pitching behind or pitching too careful.â€

Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott delivers against the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 19. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Still, itâ€s anyoneâ€s guess as to who will pitch in the ninth inning, or be called upon in the highest-leverage moments.

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Close, late contests would be best for the Dodgers to avoid.

To that end, the continuation of the Dodgers†recent uptick at the plate would also help. During a dismal 22-32 stretch from July 4 to Sept. 6, the Dodgers ranked 27th in scoring, struggling to overcome injuries to several key pieces, slumps from some of their biggest stars, and a general lack of consistent execution in situational opportunities. Over their closing 20 games, however, the lineup averaged an NL-best 5.55 runs per game behind late-season surges from Ohtani and Mookie Betts, plus team-wide improvements while hitting with runners in scoring position.

“The team is starting to fire on all cylinders, finally,†Muncy said. “It’s something that we haven’t really felt all year.”

The Dodgers had good news on the injury front during Mondayâ€s team workout at Dodger Stadium. Muncy, who missed the last four games of the regular season while battling leg bruises and what Roberts has described as other “overall body†issues, is expected to be in the lineup. So too is Tommy Edman, who hasnâ€t played in the field since last Wednesday because of a lingering ankle injury.

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The big question remains catcher Will Smith, who has been out since Sept. 9 with a right hand fracture.

Roberts said Monday the team has been “encouraged†with Smithâ€s recent progress. The slugger was even able to take live at-bats Monday night.

“If he can get through today and feel good,†Roberts said, “then it’s a viable thought†that he could be on the final 26-man roster the Dodgers will have to submit ahead of Tuesdayâ€s game for the wild-card series.

Either way, the Dodgers†biggest concern remains on maintaining their recent level of play. Erasing past October failures might no longer be a motivation. But, like Muncy, Roberts said the urgency to win another World Series remains the same.

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“I don’t know if it’s easier or harder that we won last year,†Roberts said. “But, honestly, all we care about is winning this year.â€

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Houston Astros’ streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances ended Saturday night in the second inning of their 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Astros took the field at Angel Stadium with a glimmer of hope, as the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers were tied going into the ninth inning at Progressive Field.

But with Christian Walker at the plate in the top of the second in Anaheim, Guardians outfielder C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give Cleveland a 3-2 win over the Rangers, clinching the final American League playoff berth for the Guardians and eliminating the Astros.

This will be the first time the Astros (86-75) miss the postseason since 2016. They made seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series from 2017-23, winning four pennants and a pair of World Series titles (2017 and 2022) during that stretch.

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In fact, Sunday’s season finale against the Angels will be only the fourth game since the start of the 2015 season in which the Astros will be out of playoff contention.

“I want to apologize to the fans in Houston for falling short. It’s not what they’re accustomed to,” Astros infielder Carlos Correa said. “They’re used to watching playoff baseball, and they look forward to that every single year.

“We were not able to accomplish that this year, but we promise our fans in Houston that this offseason is going to be one of a lot of hard work. We’re going to get better, and next year is going to be one to remember.”

Houston began the season without two of its best players from 2024, as third baseman Alex Bregman signed a free-agent deal with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

The Astros lost their top slugger, Yordan Alvarez, to injuries for much of the season and several other key players — closer Josh Hader, shortstop Jeremy Peña and third baseman Isaac Paredes among them — to injuries down the stretch.

Houston was still in the hunt for a fifth straight AL West title, tied with Seattle entering a big three-game series against the Mariners on Sept. 19. But the Astros were swept at home by Seattle and lost two more games to the Athletics — they did not hold a lead in any of the five consecutive losses — to fall five games back in the division race.

They had a chance to pull into a three-way tie with the Guardians and Detroit Tigers on Friday night, but failed to hold an early 3-0 lead and lost 4-3 to the Angels to remain a game behind the two AL Central teams.

Cleveland and Detroit both hold tiebreakers over Houston, so the Astros needed to win their final two games and have either the Guardians or Tigers lose their last two to extend their playoff streak. But then Cleveland and Detroit both won on Saturday to punch their tickets to the postseason.

“That’s a meeting, that’s a conversation that you don’t want to have with your team,” Houston manager Joe Espada said of his postgame address to the club. “This is my eighth season, and this has never happened. But it happened today.

“I told this team I’m really proud of them, because we’ve gone through a lot. We have guys who have no business being on the field right now, who are banged-up, but they’re playing through pain, through injuries, because they want it for our city, they want it for their teammates, and that’s the heart of a champion, right?”

Walker, who hit two solo homers Saturday night, believes Houston’s absence from the postseason will be an aberration, not the start of a downward spiral for the franchise.

“This stinks. It hurts, for sure. We poured a lot of energy and emotion, and blood, sweat and tears into the season,” Walker said. “I felt like with this team, there’s a lot of special moments that could happen in this room, so it sucks not to be able to show that on the postseason stage.

“There were some unfortunate injuries and things that happened along the way, but that’s part of it. Good teams find a way, and we almost did. We were close but not good enough. But even with the lineup and the roster we have, I think this group can win a World Series, for sure.”

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They didnâ€t dogpile on the mound. They were animated but relatively reserved in an abbreviated clubhouse champagne shower.

It was no doubt a celebratory moment for the Dodgers, capturing their 12th division title in the last 13 years with an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

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But it was accompanied by moments of internal reflection, as well. About a regular season that has posed challenges at every turn. About a six-month slog in which frustration and adversity were around every corner.

“This has been a tough year,†third baseman Max Muncy said.

Dodgers Roki Sasaki, left; Shohei Ohtani, left center; Hyeseong Kim, right center; and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, right, celebrate after clinching the National League West title against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Thursday. (Darryl Webb / Associated Press)

“Not the smoothest of rides to get here,†first baseman Freddie Feeman added.

The reasons why are numerous, from early-season injuries in the rotation to an extended second-half slump from the lineup to a string of bullpen collapses that made the division race unexpectedly close.

Through it all, however, ran one common thread.

While there is no universal consensus over the veracity of a so-called “World Series hangover,†some team members have acknowledged the unique obstacles that have come with trying to repeat as champions.

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There is the physical toll. The mental exhaustion. The threat of complacency and stagnant satisfaction.

In their bid to win a second-consecutive World Series this year — something no team has accomplished since the New York Yankees†three-peat from 1998-2000 — the Dodgers at various times seemed to battle each one.

“Baseball is different than any other sport,†manager Dave Roberts said. “The psyche part of it, the battle of attrition, all that stuff kind of matters. There’s probably many reasons why [repeating as World Series champions] hasn’t been done since the Yankees did it [from 1998-2000]. But that’s something we’re trying to do. We have an opportunity to make history. It hasn’t been easy. But that’s part of it.”

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The question now: Have the obstacles of the regular season steeled them for another championship run? Or will this prove to be a campaign that in some ways was ill-fated from the start?

“This was as tough a path as weâ€ve been through,†Roberts said, amid Thursdayâ€s clubhouse celebration. “But the old adage — iron sharpens iron. I do think weâ€re better for the adversity … I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addresses the team in the locker room after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-0 to clinch the National League West title at Chase Field on Thursday. (Chris Coduto / Getty Images)

The “World Series hangover†conversation has followed the Dodgers ever since they reported for spring training. It slowly revealed itself in ways that were both obvious and small.

Start with the bullpen, where every impact reliever who returned from last yearâ€s title-winning team either regressed in their performance, spent time sidelined with an injury, or in several cases endured both after the heavy workload they shouldered in last year’s playoffs.

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“I think it would be probably trying to fool ourselves if we said it didn’t have anything to do with it,†right-hander Michael Kopech, who has been limited to just 14 appearances this year and will begin the playoffs on the injured list with a knee problem, said last month. “But at the same time, that’s what we all sign up for. Any team that was in the position that we were last year would have done the same.â€

“There probably is some mental fatigue and some physical [carry] over,†fellow right-hander Blake Treinen echoed. “But to say it’s an effect on the whole year, I don’t know. I think getting caught up on excuses and reasons is a dangerous thing.â€

The bullpen has pointed elsewhere in explaining its season-long struggles. As Treinen noted, “at the end of the day, we get paid to handle†the burdens of bouncing back from whatever happened the previous fall.

The Dodgers also tried to mitigate such factors, bolstering the group with the veteran offseason signings of Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. But as they flopped, the unit as a whole suffered one calamity after another. The more they spiraled, the harder it became for speculation about the after-effects of last October to be blocked out.

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“You donâ€t try to lean on the what-ifs and maybes and this could be and that couldnâ€t be,†Treinen said. “We just have a job, and itâ€s been weird [this year].â€

On the other side of the ball, the Dodgers dealt with a different dynamic in the wake of last yearâ€s triumph. For an offense usually predicated on a disciplined daily approach and ability to work quality at-bats, there were long stretches of the season in which that edge would seemingly soften. When consistent execution at the plate looked like a puzzlingly difficult task.

“This is not an excuse, but we started the year last year really early, we played until November, and then this year we started early again,†infielder Miguel Rojas said, citing not only the Dodgers†grind to get through last postseason but also their two international trips to Japan and South Korea over the last 18 months.

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“We’re human beings. And sometimes you get tired, especially mentally. You got a lot of things going on in your life, and your year. It’s not easy to be locked in every single time.â€

That was especially evident during the teamâ€s second-half slide, when a common contrast could be drawn between the Dodgers and their upset-minded opponents.

“When you’re the defending champions … we definitely got everyone’s best shot this year,†Muncy said.

Dodgers third base Max Muncy is injured while tagging out Chicago White Sox outfielder Michael A. Taylor, who tried to steal third, on July 2 at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

And, too often, the Dodgers struggled to conjure the intensity to match.

“That’s part of what we signed up for, but it takes a tax,†Roberts said. “It’s tough every day to bring your best when you know that other teams are bringing their best … You try to put forth every game is the same, April is just as important as September and October. That in theory is great. But itâ€s hard to do that in practice.â€

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Add in the fact that “when you make deep playoff runs every year, it takes a toll on guys’ bodies. And this year, I think you saw it more than ever,” noted Muncy, who missed time with knee and oblique injuries.

Despite all that, of course, the Dodgers still rang in what has become a nearly annual tradition on Thursday night. They sprayed bottles and smoked cigars in a division-clinching clubhouse celebration. They doused Shohei Ohtani with all manner of liquid and “MVP†chants. They turned the booze-soaked plastic lining on the floor into a slip-and-slide for members of their training and support staff.

“This never feels old,†Freeman said from behind champagne-drenched ski goggles.

“It’s still the best feeling in the world,†a shirtless Clayton Kershaw added.

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Amid the scene, however, was also a business-like understanding.

Winning the division was what the Dodgers always expected to accomplish.

Repeating as World Series champions, and overcoming all the hangover effects that have followed them to this point, remains the ultimate challenge.

“We’ve been battle-tested,†Muncy said, framing the ups and downs of this year as building blocks to lean on in the postseason.

“The thing that I think is pretty telling is, [with] all that we’ve gone through, this team stayed connected,†Roberts similarly declared.

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The path ahead still isnâ€t simple. The team will have to take the long route through October — starting with a best-of-three wild card round next week, rather than a bye to the division series.

But lately, theyâ€ve seen signs that their hangover might be subsiding, winning 12 of 17 games behind a more consistent offense, a dominant surge from the starting rotation, and a bullpen that is getting new reinforcements from the likes of Kershaw, Roki Sasaki and (likely starting in the playoffs) Emmet Sheehan.

“Yeah, we won the division,” Roberts said. “But on top of that, more important, weâ€re playing good baseball.â€

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The goal now is to maintain that momentum, embrace the lessons this regular season provided, and avoid any further pitfalls that have tripped up so many previous defending champions before them.

After all, winning consecutive World Series might not be easy. But next year, they’d love to give it yet another try.

“Itâ€s more about playing for each other, trusting each other,†Roberts said. “The rest of it will take care of itself.â€

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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  Bradford DoolittleSep 25, 2025, 12:49 AM ET

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  • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Been with ESPN since 2013

CHICAGO — In a season with so many teams clustered in the top couple of tiers of baseball’s standings, one day can shake things up for a team. So it was on Wednesday for the Chicago Cubs, who can see their immediate future with a lot more clarity now than when the day started.

The Cubs’ 10-3 rout of the Mets didn’t change their place in the National League seeding hierarchy, but it did solidify it, an appropriate outcome on a day when Chicago’s roster appears to be taking its eventual postseason shape. It also snapped a season-worst skid.

The Cubs got production up and down their lineup while dispatching of a Mets team desperately clinging to the NL’s last playoff slot. Rookie Matt Shaw homered among his three hits, Michael Busch’s two-run homer was his 31st of the season and electric center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong scored from second base on a Clay Holmes wild pitch when the Mets righty failed to cover the plate, igniting the Wrigley Field crowd.

“Wrigley’s already got [electricity] in it, like everybody that shows up is ready to party,” Crow-Armstrong said. “So I think everybody knows that we’re getting close to October baseball, and with that feeling in the air, being able to embrace that is the most fun thing ever.”

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The Cubs’ offense has been up and down during the second half of the season, but Wednesday’s game was a reminder that when their attack is rolling, they can beat a team with power or speed.

“It’s our brand of baseball,” said Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, beneficiary of the Cubs’ onslaught. “We slugged, we scrapped across runs, we manufactured runs, we kind of did a little bit of everything. That’s the danger, the potency in this lineup, that we beat you in multiple ways.”

This all backed a solid 5â…“ innings from Boyd, who earned his 14th win of the season, allowing just two runs. For Boyd, whom the Cubs signed as a free agent last winter even though he logged just 39â…” innings last season for Cleveland, it was a fitting end to a regular season in which he started 31 times, his most since 2019.

“I get to go play in front of these fans,” Boyd said. “Like tonight, they just give you so much energy. It felt like a playoff atmosphere, but they’ve been doing that since April. I’m just so grateful for everything.”

The playoff implications were also important for the Cubs who replaced Boyd, including closer Daniel Palencia, who worked in middle relief hours after being activated from the IL.

The Cubs’ victory Wednesday night moved them 2½ games up on the Padres in the race for the fourth seed in the NL playoffs. Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Palencia, whose 22 saves lead the Cubs, retired both batters he faced, striking out one and cracking 100 mph with his fastball. Palencia had been out since Sept. 7 because of a right shoulder strain.

“We just need to get Daniel in games,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But it was really good to get Daniel back, and he looked good.”

Palencia’s return buoys the Cubs’ bullpen days before the start of the postseason. More good roster news could be in the offing later this week. Counsell said before Wednesday’s game that the club is hoping to welcome star right fielder Kyle Tucker back to the active roster Friday, at least as a DH initially.

If that comes to pass, the Cubs’ roster will look a lot more complete than it did just one day before, when they squandered a five-run lead and fell 9-7 to the Mets for their season-worst fifth straight loss. That defeat returned the gaze of Cubs fans to the NL standings, where the San Diego Padres had moved within 1½ games of the Cubs in the race for the fourth seed — and home-field advantage when the clubs play next week in the wild-card round. Securing that spot is the Cubs’ lone remaining regular-season goal, and it’s a big one.

“I just think that’s hugely important,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We know how to play ball here. We love embracing everything that comes with this place.”

Wednesday’s win was coupled with San Diego’s loss to Milwaukee, putting the Cubs firmly in control of that race. For now, though, the Cubs remain more focused on themselves than on what the Padres are doing.

“It’s a slippery slope if you watch other teams, wanting certain situations and whatnot,” Boyd said. “We take care of our business, things will work out. All the focus, all the energy, should be focused on what we do, right?”

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