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  Alden GonzalezOct 17, 2025, 11:30 PM ET

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  ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts stood on the Dodger Stadium field Friday night, a commemorative World Series cap on his head and a wide smile on his face, and made what felt like an apt comparison moments after the Dodgers completed a National League Championship Series sweep of the Brewers.

“It’s like we’re the Chicago Bulls,” Betts said, “and he’s Michael Jordan.”

Betts was referring, of course, to Shohei Ohtani, who had once again put together a performance many of his peers described as the greatest in baseball history. On the mound, he pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 10. In the batter’s box, he clobbered three home runs, one of which might have left the ballpark.

When it was over, and the Dodgers had clinched a second straight pennant on an Ohtani-fueled 5-1 victory in Game 4 of the NLCS, his teammates once again struggled to make sense of it.

“Some human, huh?” Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez said of Ohtani, the NLCS MVP despite being almost nonexistent for the first three games.

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“I can’t wait for when I’m a little bit older and my kids are asking about, ‘What’s the greatest thing you’ve ever seen in baseball?'” third baseman Max Muncy said. “I can’t wait to pull up this game today. That’s the single best performance in the history of baseball. I don’t care what anyone says. Obviously, I don’t know what happened a hundred years ago, but that’s the single best performance I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Ohtani entered Game 4 with three hits and 14 strikeouts in 29 at-bats over his previous seven games, a slump so pronounced and prolonged it prompted a rare session of outdoor batting practice. Questions swirled about whether attempting to be a two-way player in the postseason was affecting his hitting, a thought at least partly backed by his struggles at the plate when he started on the mound during the regular season.

Ultimately, though, it was doing both that set him free.

“No one puts more pressure on himself than Shohei,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. Focusing on pitching, Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates believes, “actually took his mind off the hitting a little bit.”

“It let him go be an athlete in the box,” Bates said. “It let him just play baseball.”

Ohtani became the first player in major league history to hit two home runs as a pitcher in a postseason game, let alone three, according to ESPN Research. He hit more home runs than he allowed hits (two), also a first. Before him, no pitcher — at any stage in the season — had hit a leadoff home run, and no player had accumulated three home runs as a hitter and 10 strikeouts as a pitcher. Ohtani is the first player in Dodgers history to homer as a pitcher in the postseason and the second to have a three-homer performance in an LCS-clinching game, joining Hernandez’s performance from 2017.

“I played left field that time,” Hernandez said, “and I didn’t get to punch all those people that he punched out.”

YearPlayerTeam2025Shohei OhtaniDodgers1971Rick Wise*Phillies1962Earl Wilson*Red Sox1944Jim Tobin*Braves1931Wes Ferrell*Cleveland* Threw no-hitter
— ESPN Research

The Dodgers responded to their 2024 championship, their first in a full season in 36 years, by doubling down on a star-laden roster, coming away with another impressive group in free agency. They entered the ensuing season with expectations of challenging Major League Baseball’s regular-season wins record. A 23-10 start only strengthened that belief.

But the Dodgers won just two more times than they lost over their next 110 games. For much of the season, they were basically mediocre. Their rotation was hurt, their bullpen was a mess, and their lineup was inconsistent. Around their lowest point, while in Baltimore during the first weekend of September, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called a team meeting in an effort to inject confidence in his players. They responded by winning 15 of their last 20 regular-season games, looking every bit like the juggernaut so many expected.

It continued in the playoffs.

The Dodgers breezed past the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card round, dispatched the Philadelphia Phillies in four NL Division Series games then completely stifled the No. 1-seeded Brewers, limiting them to four runs on 14 hits in 36 innings. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani combined for an 0.63 ERA in the NLCS. In 10 playoff games, they are a combined 9-1 with a 1.40 ERA.

“We knew going into October that the strength of our club was going to be our starters,” Friedman said. “For them to do what they did eclipsed even our expectations.”

Ohtani took the ball on 12 days’ rest, allowed a leadoff walk to Brice Turang then struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich on back-to-back 100 mph fastballs, an early sign to teammates and coaches that he had brought his best stuff with him. Another strikeout, on a sweeper to William Contreras, followed.

He then walked briskly toward the third-base dugout, put on his helmet, strapped on his elbow and shin guards, raced to put on his batting gloves and approached the batter’s box. In moments like these, the Dodgers had noticed Ohtani rushing at-bats, almost as if his mind was too locked in on pitching. This time, he worked the count full against Jose Quintana, turned on a low-and-inside slurve and produced a titanic 446-foot home run.

Something different was clearly brewing.

“When the starting pitcher strikes out the side and then goes and hits a home run, you think, ‘Whoa, this is something special,'” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said.

“That’s the single best performance in the history of baseball. I don’t care what anyone says. Obviously I don’t know what happened a hundred years ago, but that’s the single best performance I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Max Muncy on Shohei Ohtani

The Brewers did not record their first hit until Chourio led off the fourth inning with a ground-rule double. Ohtani followed by getting Yelich to ground out and striking out Contreras and Jake Bauers. Ohtani came to bat again in the bottom of the fourth, with two outs, none on and the Dodgers holding a three-run lead. He swung so hard at a Chad Patrick cutter that he sent it 469 feet, clearing the right-center-field bleachers. Ohtani followed with a string of four consecutive strikeouts in the fifth and sixth innings, all on splitters.

Ohtani came out for the seventh inning after throwing 87 pitches, allowed the first two batters to reach and exited to a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of 52,883. “MVP” chants serenaded him when he came to bat again in the bottom of the seventh — and Ohtani responded with a 113.6 mph line drive that cleared the wall near straightaway center field, cementing a masterful production.

“That was probably the greatest postseason performance of all time,” Roberts said. “There’s been a lot of postseason games. And there’s a reason why he’s the greatest player on the planet.”

The 2025 Dodgers are the first team since the 2009 Phillies to return to the World Series one year after winning it, and Los Angeles is just the fifth to ever win nine of its first 10 postseason games, joining the 2014 Kansas City Royals, 2005 Chicago White Sox, 1999 New York Yankees and 1995 Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers are the only team to benefit from a performance like this.

Since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893, 1,550 players have struck out 10 batters in a major league game. In that same stretch, 503 players have had a three-homer performance.

Only one has done both simultaneously.

“There’s only one person who can do that in the world, and in the history of this game, and it’s him,” Hernandez said of Ohtani. “He is who he is for a reason.”

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Next Match:

vs. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

10/18/2025 | 4 p.m.

Oct. 18 (Sat) / 4 p.m.

vs. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

History

MINNEAPOLIS – Behind the third kill-dig double-double of the season for Taliah Triggs (SO, Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead HS), the Augsburg University volleyball team scored a three-set Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sweep of Concordia College-Moorhead on Friday evening at Si Melby Hall.

THE BASICSÂ
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg def. Concordia-Moorhead 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 26-24)
LOCATION: Si Melby Hall, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 8-12 overall (3-2 MIAC), Concordia 5-12 overall (1-4 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg hit .227 as a team, with 43 kills against 18 errors in 110 swings, while Concordia hit just .103 (30 kills, 18 errors, 116 attacks). The Auggies also took advantage of nine service aces, compared to five for the Cobbers.
• Triggs had a strong all-around night, with 14 kills on .407 hitting, adding 10 digs and three service aces. She was also perfect in 11 serve-receive opportunities.
• Elizabeth Oster (JR, Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji HS) had nine kills on .300 hitting, adding two block assists.
• Sierra Washington (SR, Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) and Marley Mitchell (SO, Nevis, Minn./Nevis HS) had six kills each, with Mitchell claiming two blocks (one solo).
• Setter Jovial King (SO, Caledonia, Minn./Caledonia HS) continued her outstanding all-around season, with 31 assists, eight digs, four kills and two blocks (one solo).
• Libero Maggie Lile (JR, Spring Grove, Minn./Spring Grove HS) had 14 digs and was perfect on 17 serve-receive opportunities, and Elise Uphoff (JR, Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield HS) had nine digs and was perfect on 12 serve-receive opportunities.

FOR THE FOES
• Annie Horan and Mallory Leitner had seven kills and one block assist each for Concordia.
• Betsy Schiltz had 22 digs, and Lauren Bangs had three blocks (one solo).

UP NEXT
• Augsburg travels to face Wisconsin-Stevens Point (4 p.m.) and No. 7-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire (6 p.m.) at the UW-Eau Claire Tournament on Saturday (10/18) in Eau Claire, Wis.

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KL Rahul scored a fifty in the second innings as India beat West Indies in the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. (AP) India secured a 2-0 series sweep against the West Indies in the second Test at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, reaching the 121-run target with 7 wickets to spare.India entered the fifth and final day of the Test needing 58 runs and got the job done without much fuss. KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 58 alongside Dhruv Jurel (6). Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill fell on the day as India sauntered to victory. The hosts had also lost Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply on Day 4 in chase of the small total.After the shock series loss to New Zealand last year, India have turned things around at home by sealing a sweep. The Shubman Gill-led side had won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.Latest WTC standingsTeamsMatchesWonLostTiedDrawnDeductionPTPCTAustralia33000036100.00Sri Lanka2100101666.67India7420105261.90England5220122643.33Bangladesh201010416.67West Indies50500000.00New Zealand00000000.00Pakistan00000000.00South Africa00000000.00Despite the win, India remain third in the World Test Championship standings with four wins, two defeats and a draw from the seven matches. That took their percentage of points won to 61.90, behind Australia (100.0) and Sri Lanka (66.67).West Indies, meanwhile, have now suffered five consecutive defeats to begin the 2025-27 WTC standings. They had earlier been blanked 0-3 by Australia at home.India’s attempt at closing out the contest was delayed a day prior by battling centuries from John Campbell and Shai Hope. At stumps on day four, India reached 63/1, having bowled out the West Indies for 390.The West Indies showed remarkable resilience earlier in the day, with Justin Greaves scoring an unbeaten 50 and forming a stubborn 79-run last-wicket partnership with Jayden Seales (32).Campbell (115) and Hope (103) had earlier steered West Indies into the lead, combining for a 177-run third-wicket partnership after resuming the day at 173/2 while following on.Campbell reached his maiden Test century with a six off Ravindra Jadeja before falling lbw to the same bowler in the morning session.Hope achieved his first Test hundred in eight years with a boundary off Mohammed Siraj but was soon dismissed when he dragged the ball onto his stumps.Kuldeep Yadav, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, added three more to his tally including the crucial wicket of captain Roston Chase for 40.The Indian bowlers had to toil for more than 200 overs on a slow pitch that proved challenging for the bowling side.”Good to be bowling long spells and heartening to have taken 20 West Indies wickets,” Indian spinner Washington Sundar told reporters. “We got to be really fit and on top of our game. In Test cricket you honestly expect most of the Test matches to go till the fifth day and challenge you in every way possible.”India had enforced the follow-on after dismissing West Indies for 248 in their first innings, trailing India’s declared total of 518-5 by 270 runs.

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh volleyball returned to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Friday evening for a Patriot League match against the visiting Loyola Maryland Greyhounds. The Mountain Hawks put on a dominant display in a 3-0 sweep of the Greyhounds that lasted only a little over an hour.

Lehigh (9-7, 3-4 PL) took full control of the match from the start, quickly building a 16-8 lead in the first set over Loyola (4-12, 2-5 PL). From there, the Mountain Hawks concluded the set on a 9-4 run to take set one by a score of 25-13. Lehigh hit .321 in frame while holding the Greyhounds to a .167 hitting percentage.

The Mountain Hawks built upon their dominant first set with an incredible effort in set two. Lehigh hit an absurd .588 in the period while limiting Loyola to a .000 hitting percentage. Leading 11-6, sophomore Sophia Bond took serve and helped orchestrate a 12-0 run that included five service aces from Bond. Lehigh ultimately came away with a 25-8 win in set two.

Loyola showed more fight in set three, playing to a 14-14 tie at the midway point of the set. However, the Greyhounds’ offense struggled to find consistency, hitting a match-worst -.028 in the frame. After the tie, the Mountain Hawks soared past the Greyhounds with a 10-1 run to set up match point. A Loyola service error sealed the deal in a 25-17 set three win and resounding Patriot League victory for Lehigh.

Lehigh stuffed the stat sheet in Friday’s win, hitting .373 as a team on 36 kills. Junior Ufuoma Omene tallied nine kills on a blistering .583 hitting percentage while senior Natalie Luscomb matched with nine kills on a .320 hitting percentage. First-year Mary Massias chipped in six kills on a .600 hitting percentage. First-year Chloe Fisher led the way with 12 assists on a .750 assist percentage while Bond impressed with eight service aces on the night.

The Greyhounds were led offensively by Kacy Sekunda and Ava Nepkin with seven kills apiece.

The Mountain Hawks are back at Grace Hall on Saturday, October 11 at 4 p.m. to take on reigning league champion Colgate.

Like Lehigh Volleyball on Facebook,Âfollow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Nekias Duncan & Steve Jones kick off this Friday podcast reacting to the Las Vegas Aces’ 90-88 last second win over the Phoenix Mercury to go up 3-0 in a WNBA Finals series that may end tonight in Arizona. The guys break down A’ja Wilson’s impressive 34 point performance and what the Mercury can do to avoid a sweep on Friday night. They also break down the recently announced WNBA All-Defensive Teams which Aâ€ja Wilson, Alanna Smith, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier & Gabby Williams nominated to the first team.

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Later in the show, Nekias & Steve break down the NBA’s Southeast division heading into the 2025-2026 season. Will the Orlando Magic take advantage of a wounded Eastern Conference and elevate deeper into the playoffs with Desmond Bane joining Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and company? Are the Miami Heat able to get out of the muddled middle or will they be a trade deadline seller?

Finally, the guys break down some injury news affecting both conferences. First and foremost, LeBron James will miss at least the first 2-3 weeks of the season with a right sciatica. For the first time ever, LeBron will miss a season opener, which will just feel strange all around. How will Lakers fans and the league as a whole react?

Also, the hits just keep on coming for the Indiana Pacers as T.J. McConnell will also miss at least 4 weeks to start the season with a right hamstring injury. With Tyrese Haliburton already out with an Achilles injury suffered in last June’s Finals Game 7, can the Pacers backcourt catch a break?

(0:00) – Aces take Finals Game 3, what will happen in Game 4?

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(23:45) – Orlando Magic season preview

(39:05) – Atlanta Hawks season preview

(50:40) – Miami Heat season preview

(1:03:00) – Charlotte Hornets season preview

(1:11:10) – Washington Wizards season preview

(1:18:50) – LeBron James to miss opening 2-3 weeks of season

(1:23:10) – Indiana Pacers injuries keep stacking up

🖥ï¸Watch thisfull episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at or atyahoosports.tv

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Orlando Magic F Paolo Banchero are two of the brightest stars in the Southeast Division heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season. (Photos by Sam Hodde/Getty Images; David Jensen/Getty Images)

(Photos by Sam Hodde/Getty Images; David Jensen/Getty Images))

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IND vs WI Live Score, 2nd Test Match Day 1: Team India enters the second and final Test against West Indies with a focus on assessing Sai Sudharsanâ€s form and Nitish Kumar Reddyâ€s utility in home conditions.

The visitors, once a formidable force, now appear rudderless, a pale shadow of their past, with many players reluctant or lacking opportunities in T20 leagues. Their innings defeat in Ahmedabad underscored the decline, which head coach Darren Sammy described as a “terminal disease.†Legends Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Richie Richardson, and Brian Lara offered guidance during a mentoring session, but the West Indies dressing room still struggles for direction and belief.

For India, the match is about more than winning the series. Itâ€s an opportunity to strengthen their World Test Championship position and build confidence ahead of the home series against South Africa. Nitish Kumar Reddy retains his spot for his seam-bowling skills, while Sudharsan faces scrutiny after six low scores in seven innings, despite backing from skipper Shubman Gill. The depth of Indiaâ€s batting, including in-form KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja, makes the hosts overwhelming favourites.

The Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, a black soil track with a dry patch, promises good value for shots and quick finishes. Indiaâ€s top order is expected to dominate a West Indies attack where only Jayden Seals impressed in the first Test.

With a sharper focus, superior depth, and home advantage, Team India appears set for another ruthless, possibly three-day, victory, reinforcing the wide gap in belief and purpose between the two sides.

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LOS ANGELES — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, his first towering shot clearing the right-field pavilion in a three-run fourth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies avoided a sweep with an 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night.

It was the first Schwarbomb of the postseason for the NL’s leading home run hitter and the first allowed by the Dodgers in these playoffs. Schwarber snapped an 0-for-8 skid in the NLDS, slugging a 96 mph fastball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto 455 feet.

“It’s ridiculous how far that ball went,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. “Sometimes it’s hard to create your own momentum, and you’ve got to build off things like that. No better way than the ball leaving the stadium.”

Schwarber became just the second player to homer over the pavilion, joining Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell, who did it in 1969 and 1973. Fans standing near the back railing pointed as the ball went out.

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“I didn’t even see where it landed,” Schwarber said. “I was looking in the dugout, trying to get the guys going.”

Schwarber’s 23 career postseason homers rank third all time and are the most among left-handers. Game 4 of the best-of-five series is Thursday at Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers clinging to a 2-1 lead. Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, who started Game 1 of the series, goes for the Phillies against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who pitched 1â…” scoreless innings of relief in Game 1.

“It’s pretty close to being flushed already,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel good with where we’re at.”

After Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola pitched the first two innings, Ranger Suarez came in and allowed one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.

“Ranger did a fantastic job,” Schwarber said. “Kept everyone right there for us to eventually crack through and have a beginning.”

The Phillies tacked on five more runs in the eighth — including a solo shot by J.T. Realmuto and a two-run drive by Schwarber — off three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019.

Six of the Phillies’ 12 hits came off Kershaw in his 18th and final season with the Dodgers before retiring at season’s end.

“I was battling command,” Kershaw said. “It’s hard when you’re trying to throw strikes in the postseason to get people out.”

Yamamoto retired nine of his first 10 batters before the Phillies jumped on him in the fourth. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm followed with singles and Harper scored on center fielder Andy Pages’ throwing error. It skipped away from third baseman Max Muncy and into the Dodgers’ dugout, moving Bohm to third. He scored on Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice fly to left for a 3-1 lead.

The Phillies chased Yamamoto with back-to-back singles by Bryson Stott and Turner in the fifth.

Reliever Anthony Banda came in and worked out of a bases-loaded jam. He struck out Schwarber after Stott and Turner’s double steal. Harper flied out and Bohm was intentionally walked before Banda got Marsh on a swinging strikeout to end the threat.

The Dodgers led 1-0 on Tommy Edman’s homer on the first pitch by Suarez leading off the third.

The Dodgers had the potential tying runs on first and second in the sixth but Muncy grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Kershaw allowed three runners to reach base in the seventh, but none scored. Another left-hander, 89-year-old Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, was on his feet applauding as Kershaw jogged to the mound.

Dodgers sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were a combined 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. Mookie Betts tripled and singled in four at-bats.

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LOS ANGELES — October baseball isnâ€t always a crapshoot.

Sometimes, the sportâ€s deepest-pocketed, most talent-rich juggernaut swats away an 83-win, small-market opponent like a pesky fly.

A Los Angeles Dodgers team that had hoped to be resting up for the division series this week played its way out of the wild-card round as quickly as possible Wednesday. They swept a Cincinnati Reds team that slipped into the postseason with the second-fewest regular-season wins of any playoff team in the wild-card era, clinching the best-of-three series with an 8-4 victory in Game 2.

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For two straight days, the Dodgers mostly looked like the team hailed as the preseason favorites to be World Series champs for a second straight year, the team with three league MVPs at the top of its lineup, the team with a starting rotation so deep that Clayton Kershaw was left off the wild-card roster. The Dodgers†offense and starting pitching were more than strong enough to overcome a tenuous bullpen, one that twice took breezy victories and needlessly injected moments of late-game tension.

But this was the Reds. This was the easy part. For the advancing Dodgers, much tougher challenges await.

[Get more Los Angeles news: Dodgers team feed]

Up next come the talented, rested, playoff-tested Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers†opponent for a best-of-five division series beginning Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies piled up 96 wins this season, won four of six against the Dodgers and edged them in the race for home-field advantage and a first-round bye.

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On Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described the Phillies as a “very talented ball club†but insisted that he thinks the Dodgers “match up very well against those guys.†He contended that his squad could be the sharper team early in the series, having played two wild-card games while the Phillies had the week off.

“Getting through the wild-card series kind of seamlessly like we did, I think weâ€re in a great spot,†he said.

If the performance of the starting rotation the past two nights is any indication, the Dodgers will arrive in Philadelphia fists bared, ready for a fight. In the wild-card round, the Reds were unable to make Roberts pay for the decision to save Ohtani to start Game 1 against the Phillies.

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In their outings against Cincinnati, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both secured 20-plus outs, struck out nine-plus batters and surrendered five or fewer hits. Thatâ€s the first time in MLB postseason history, per OptaSTATS, that a team’s starters have done that in back-to-back games.

Yamamoto was especially resilient Wednesday after the Reds loaded the bases with nobody out and the Dodgers leading by a single run in the top of the sixth. He caught a break when Austin Hays†one-hop liner found Mookie Betts†glove at shortstop and Betts astutely threw home to force out the third-base runner. Then Yamamoto locked in and struck out both Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz on sharp curveballs below the zone.

Through an interpreter, Yamamoto said postgame that he worried he was “throwing too many curveballs†during that sequence, but he said he trusted catcher Ben Rortvedt. Only after De La Cruz checked his swing but could not hold up at strike three did Yamamoto concede, “That was a good call.â€

And as deep as the Dodgers†starting rotation is, so is their lineup.

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Just two games into this postseason, October heroes of the past are heating up, most notably Kiké Hernandez. After the Dodgers fell behind in the first inning on two unearned runs made possible by a Teoscar Hernandez error, Kiké helped his team recover. In the fourth, he drove in the tying run with a ringing double in the gap, then scored the go-ahead run on a Miguel Rojas single, pumping his fist as he stepped on home plate.

The Dodgers star who struggled most over the course of the regular season has also caught fire at the ideal time. Betts had four hits Wednesday, including three doubles, which tied a Dodgers single-game postseason record dating to 1953.

“Better late than never,†he said afterward with a smile. “I went through arguably one of the worst years of my career. But I think it really made me mentally tough. So now there’s just a different level of focus. And it’s not really on myself. It’s more on winning the game.â€

In the Game 2 victory, nearly everyone in the lineup contributed. Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run double. Rojas and Rortvedt had two hits apiece. Itâ€s no wonder that before the game, Reds manager Terry Francona scoffed at the idea of intentionally walking Ohtani, who singled and scored a run.

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“Youâ€re kidding, right?†he said. “Have you heard of Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman? … You start walking people in that lineup, and youâ€re asking for trouble.â€

But if thereâ€s one reason for concern heading into the Philadelphia series, itâ€s the same one that plagued the Dodgers throughout the second half. Their relievers canâ€t be trusted to protect big leads, let alone small ones in high-leverage situations.

On Tuesday in Game 1, relievers Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer frittered away much of an eight-run lead over the course of a 59-pitch top of the eighth inning. Boos rained down from the Dodger Stadium crowd after Dreyer walked in a run, the Reds†third of the frame, to allow Cincinnati to send the tying run to the on-deck circle.

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A pattern emerged in Game 2, when Roberts called starter Emmet Sheehan in the top of the eighth with the Dodgers leading 8-2. Sheehan walked the bases loaded, then yielded a base hit and a sacrifice fly.

When Sheehan nearly hit Will Benson with a pitch on an 0-2 count, Roberts had seen enough. He pulled Sheehan in the middle of the at-bat and brought on Vesia, who sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to wriggle out of the inning with an 8-4 lead intact.

Why didnâ€t Roberts allow Sheehan to finish pitching to Benson? The skipper conceded postgame that Sheehan “wasnâ€t sharp†and said he felt better about Vesia against the right-handed hitters on deck. Would Roberts hesitate before turning to Sheehan in future postseason games? No, the manager gave Sheehan his vote of confidence.

“I believe in him,†he said. “I really do.â€

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The one pitcher who earned Roberts†trust in this wild-card sweep was starter-turned-reliever Roki Sasaki, who finished off the Reds with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth inning Wednesday. Asked if Sasaki would be the Dodgers†postseason closer moving forward, Roberts gave a non-answer but acknowledged, “I donâ€t think the moment is going to be too big for Roki.â€

With the Phillies looming, Sasaki will need to be ready for bigger moments as October rolls on. For the Dodgers, the Reds were a speed bump.

Now comes the hard part.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are headed back to the National League Division Series.

Led by a strong performance from Mookie Betts, the Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds in their NL Wild Card Series matchup with an impressive 8-4 win in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Betts finished 4-for-5 with three RBI in the victory.

Los Angeles will now face the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, as fans looked forward to the upcoming matchup.

Cincinnati struck first in Wednesday’s contest, scoring two runs in the top of the opening frame with a sacrifice fly from Tyler Stephenson and Sal Stewart’s RBI single.

The Dodgers scored once in the third inning before taking their first lead of the game in the fourth, as a run-scoring double from Kiké Hernandez and RBI single from Miguel Rojas gave Los Angeles a 3-2 edge.

Cincinnati couldn’t respond right away, as the Dodgers gained some more separation with a four-run sixth inning that was highlighted by RBI doubles from Betts and Teoscar Hernández. Shohei Ohtani also chipped in with his own RBI.

Another RBI double by Betts in the seventh gave Los Angeles a lead of 8-2. The Reds scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning, but ultimately couldn’t pull any closer.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for the Dodgers, allowing four hits without giving up an earned run. He also racked up nine strikeouts compared to just two walks in 6.2 innings of work.

Yamamoto ran into some trouble in the sixth inning as the Reds loaded the bases with no outs, but a fielder’s choice and two strikeouts kept Cincinnati off the board.

Los Angeles’ lineup exploded offensively, with seven players accounting for the team’s 13 total hits.

The Dodgers ended up outscoring the Reds 18-9 in the series.

Now, Game 1 between Los Angeles and Philadelphia is set for Saturday.

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SEATTLE — Before even taking the field on Thursday night, the Mariners did so knowing that theyâ€d secured a first-round postseason bye.

Thanks to Clevelandâ€s loss to Detroit, Seattle clinched — at the very least — the American Leagueâ€s No. 2 seed, then the club continued its red-hot roll with a 6-2 win over Colorado to cap a three-game sweep.

“It’s the mark that we’ve done something and that we’ve accomplished something and that we’ve had a good season,†Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Obviously, we haven’t been in this position before, so understanding how to progress through the bye, and we’re going to be talking about that here, and sort of planning for it and getting ready for it.â€

Eugenio Suárez was the nightâ€s headliner, crushing a two-run homer in the second inning that marked his 49th of the season.

Though most of his homers this season came with Arizona — 36, compared to 13 since rejoining Seattle at the Trade Deadline — Thursdayâ€s blast put him on the doorstep of history with Cal Raleigh, as they could become the second teammates with at least 50 each in the same season. The others were the Yankees†Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961.

Raleigh grounded out in his second plate appearance then was intentionally walked in his third, but only after Randy Arozarena took off for second base for his 28th steal that eliminated a possible forceout. Raleigh was in a 2-1 count at that point.

The slugger then struck out and popped out the rest of the way, keeping him three homers shy of breaking the AL record of 62 set by Aaron Judge in 2022 — the final record thatâ€s still in reach in this historic season.

Raleigh was moved from catcher to designated hitter as part of a late lineup switch once the Mariners secured the No. 2 seed, signaling that the Mariners will likely keep him in the lineup as he continues to chase Judgeâ€s record — and especially given that the two are in a head-to-head heat for AL MVP.

“We’ll put our heads together as a staff and try to figure that out the best way that we can, and go from there,†Wilson said.

Thanks also to four scoreless innings from Emerson Hancock, which featured seven strikeouts, the Mariners (90-69) have now won 17 of their past 18 games and 11 in a row at T-Mobile Park, where they will finish the regular season with a three-gamer beginning on Friday vs. the Dodgers, who won the National League West earlier on Thursday.

Los Angeles doesnâ€t have anything left to play for, as it has secured the NLâ€s No. 3 seed and canâ€t climb higher. But Seattle is still mathematically in play for the ALâ€s No. 1 seed, which would come with home-field advantage in a potential AL Championship Series.

Those odds, however, are less likely. The Mariners are one game behind the Yankees and Blue Jays for the top spot but those clubs both hold the tiebreaker, essentially amounting it to a two-game deficit with three games to play.

But by claiming the No. 2 seed, the Mariners will bypass the Wild Card Series — a best-of-three slated for Tuesday through Thursday next week — and instead begin the playoffs in the AL Division Series, with home-field advantage.

“The trick is to be ready and to stay ready during that [bye] week,†Wilson said. “And we’re going to talk about that and get some planning down and be ready to go.â€

If things stand pat, the Mariners would host the winner of the Wild Card Series pitting the AL Central champion and the No. 6 seed, a matchup that as it currently stands would feature Cleveland (86-73) hosting Detroit (86-73), though Houston (85-74) is lurking as the first team on the outside looking in.

The ALDS schedule is as follows (start times have not yet been announced by MLB):

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