During the Los Angeles Dodgers’ October rampage to the NL pennant, the defending World Series champions have actually been the dark eminence that many baseball people have long feared they would become.
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Researchers say some other critter likely created Chicago's 'rat hole' sidewalk landmarkChicago's 'rat hole' removed after city determines sidewalk with animal impression was damagedWalking is good for you. Walking backward can add to the benefitsPrescription drug coverage options are shrinking for Medicare shoppersThe World in PicturesUS blocks a global fee on shipping emissions as international meeting ends without new regulationsCalifornia mpox cases raise concerns. But health officials say the risk remains lowPrescription drug coverage options are shrinking for Medicare shoppersAs the world discovers the Faroe Islands, there's a push for local foodIn Dallas, 6,700 women rally for culture war battles after Kirk’s deathVenezuela propuso que Maduro renuncie en 3 años, pero la Casa Blanca rechazó el plan, dice fuente APEEUU ha apresado a sobrevivientes de ataque contra lancha en el Caribe, dicen fuentes APSportsLos Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates the the trophy after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and pitcher Roki Sasaki celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki and catcher Will Smith celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.Los Angeles Dodgers pose after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates the the trophy after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates the the trophy after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and pitcher Roki Sasaki celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and pitcher Roki Sasaki celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki and catcher Will Smith celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki and catcher Will Smith celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto celebrates their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.Los Angeles Dodgers pose after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Dodgers pose after their win against the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball’s National League Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES — During the Los Angeles Dodgers’ October rampage to the NL pennant, the defending World Series champions have actually been the dark eminence that many baseball people have long feared they would become. The Dodgers are 9-1 in the postseason — and they’ve looked like a juggernaut while doing it, with near-flawless starting pitching and a deep, resilient lineup producing key hits and electrifying highlights.The Dodgers beat the Yankees to win it all last year, and they’re headed back to the World Series on Friday with a chance to become MLB’s first repeat champions in a quarter-century. They’re in the Fall Classic for the fifth time in nine seasons during a streak of 13 consecutive postseason appearances. But naysayers have claimed for years that it’s bad for baseball if one team ever becomes this successful. The Dodgers’ ravenous spending of their extensive resources could irretrievably fracture the majors’ competitive balance, and they could even hurt the Dodgers by providing fuel for some owners’ desire for a salary cap in the next labor negotiations.Raleigh’s 64th homer of the year sparks Mariners’ 8th-inning rally against Blue JaysThe players and coaches in Dodger Blue — and the more than 4 million fans who have packed Dodger Stadium all season long — had absolutely no interest in worrying about what their success means to other people while they celebrated another unforgettable night. Manager Dave Roberts said it best when he took the microphone on the field stage after his team steamrolled the 97-win Brewers. “I’ll tell you, before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Roberts shouted. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!” The Chavez Ravine crowd roared in appreciation of a team that repeatedly has made the most of its advantages — for the past two years in particular. The Dodgers will spend about $509.5 million on players this season, with their $341.5 million payroll plus $168 million in projected luxury tax. That dwarfs the expenditures of their prospective World Series opponents from Seattle and Toronto . At this point, it’s clearly because Los Angeles has a strong top-to-bottom organization, starting with player development and scouting. Baseball boss Andrew Friedman makes the sport’s most judicious choices among the free-agent prizes and veteran trade targets — and when he gets it wrong, his mistakes don’t sting as much because of his roster’s overall depth. “It’s just a very talented group, but it’s a very focused and very hungry group,” said Roberts, the first manager in several decades to win five pennants in his first 10 seasons with a club. “So I think that when you get those components, it’s tough to beat. And we mind the little things. We’re hungry. We don’t really care what happened before.” Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, Max Muncy, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow all started their major league careers elsewhere, but the Dodgers identified them and gave them what their previous clubs wouldn’t or couldn’t. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki chose the Dodgers out of Japan over the past two winters precisely because of the culture and the opportunity created by the club’s previous successes. Snell faced the Dodgers with Tampa Bay in the 2020 World Series, and he emerged from the loss with admiration for the club. He seized the chance to join LA as a free agent last winter. “This is why I came here,” said Snell, who has thrown 21 innings of two-run ball with 28 strikeouts in three majestic playoff starts. “Now we’re in the World Series, so I can’t wait to prove myself what I can do there.” Not even a profoundly leaky bullpen — stocked with high-priced additions like Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott who simply have not performed — has stopped the Dodgers from romping through the postseason, outscoring their opponents by a combined 46-28. And it doesn’t fit the naysaying narrative to remember that Los Angeles only rounded into dominant form quite late in a tumultuous regular season. The Dodgers won 93 games and the NL West title, but they finished with only the ninth-best winning percentage during their 13 straight playoff seasons — tied for the second-longest streak of postseason appearances in MLB history. Los Angeles didn’t run away with its division, trailing San Diego as late as Aug. 23 and beating the Padres by only three games. Thanks to a prolonged midseason stretch of mediocre play, the Dodgers finished third overall in the NL and had to play a wild-card series for the first time since 2021. But that might have been a good thing: The Dodgers struggled with rust in recent October division series after sitting out for a week, but they’ve been locked in sinceAfter Los Angeles thumped Cincinnati with 18 runs in two Wild Card games, the Dodgers handled NL East champ Philadelphia with impressive ease in four games, winning twice on the road and rebounding from The Dodgers then overwhelmed the Brewers, who had the NL’s best record in the regular season and made the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons with fans clamoring for their franchise’s first World Series appearance. The Dodgers’ playoff savvy and top-end talent were too much, even before Ohtani turned in a superhuman Game 4. The star-studded Dodgers are not a jaded bunch, however. They jumped and cheered wildly in the dugout along with their fans when each of Ohtani’s three homers soared over the outfield fence, feeling just as much giddy disbelief as the paying customers.“That was special,” said Freeman, last year’s World Series MVP. “We’ve just been playing really good baseball for a while now, and the inevitable kind of happened today.”How Trump’s approval shifted after the ceasefire in Gaza, according to a new AP-NORC pollIn the smoke and escalating violence, an AP photo intern captured the intensity of a protest
Shohei Ohtani Dave Roberts Blake Snell Los Angeles Dodgers Tyler Glasnow Max Muncy Baseball Tommy Edman MLB World Series MLB Playoffs General News MLB Washington Wisconsin AP Top News WA State Wire California WI State Wire Sports Teoscar Hernandez Yoshinobu Yamamoto Andrew Friedman U.S. News Tanner Scott Mookie Betts Blake Treinen MLB Baseball U.S. News
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