NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo certainly isn’t taking his return to the World Series lightly.

It’s been eight years since the first baseman last appeared in the Fall Classic, then as a member of the curse-breaking Chicago Cubs, whose 2016 championship marked that franchise’s first in 108 years.

“To be back in the World Series is special,�...Read more

NEW YORK — Moments before David Stearns sat down for his end-of-season press conference, the Mets’ president of baseball operations crossed paths with Pete Alonso at Citi Field.

Knowing much of Wednesday’s address would revolve around Alonso’s fast-approaching free agency, Stearns told the first baseman he was about to answer a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Fernando Valenzuela vanished without saying a word, which, in retrospect, was the most Fernando Valenzuela thing he could have done.

Not until he was falsely rumored on social media to have passed away did the Dodgers issue an official statement acknowledging that he stepped away from their Spanish-language radio broadcast. His ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — El Toro.

That was the nickname fans bestowed upon Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela early in his career. Bulls are a symbol of virility and manhood in Hispanic culture, and the Bull — thick-built, hard-charging, yet graceful in his attack — manifested that fearsome animal through most of his career with the Blue Crew.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season last month.

The home run ball that gave the Dodgers superstar that distinction has set a record of its own.

Goldin Auctions announced Tuesday night that the coveted collectible sold for $4.392 million, an amount that far surpasses any...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The artwork of Mister Cartoon can be seen pretty much everywhere — tattooed on celebrities, exhibited in art galleries, airbrushed on cars, painted on public walls and printed on team jerseys.

Still, the 60-year-old San Pedro native, whose real name is Mark Machado, didn't expect to see his work covering the faces of some ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — I wanted to pick up my phone Monday and call Vin Scully.

The Dodgers! The Yankees! The World Series! The stories!

The best broadcaster in baseball history was a historian, delighted to share what he had witnessed over the decades of his decorated career, not as impressed with his accomplishments as he was with the opportunity ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It was in the spring of 1989, my first full year covering the Dodgers for The Los Angeles Times, and I was still in awe of this legend that I had not yet met.

Valenzuela sensed this, and one day I was carefully navigating around his locker when I felt a rope fasten around my foot. He had corralled me with his trademark toy lasso...Read more

NEW YORK — The Yankees are back in the World Series for the first time in 15 years. The Bombers will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in a clash of the baseball titans with Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Mookie Betts and others sharing the field in the Fall Classic.

The matchup between the two powerhouses is arguably one of the most ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Shohei Ohtani made history when he launched a homer into left field at loanDepot Park in Miami on Sept. 19 during a game against the Miami Marlins. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. He did so in spectacular fashion, going 6 for 6 with three ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — It might be the World Series matchup everyone wanted to see. But three days before the Dodgers and New York Yankees were to open their best-of-seven set, Freddie Freeman had no intentions of watching from the side.

Despite missing two of the Dodgers' final three games in the National League Championship Series, and going just 1 ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It can be a trap to offer extensions and long-term deals to managers and coaches.

The Padres have generally had the opposite issue.

They have had as much coaching-staff turnover as any team in the major leagues over the past half-dozen years and have moved on from their manager every other year since 2019.

Technically, they are ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Yankees didn’t offer Nestor Cortes life-changing money when they used a 36th-round draft pick on the Hialeah High School product in 2013.

Still, his parents encouraged him to do what he thought was best.

“They said it was my decision, and they respected that,” Cortes said Tuesday. “I feel like this is kind of like the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Surrounded by dancing teammates and soaked in champagne, Aaron Judge thought back to a painful memory from the early part of his career on Saturday.

“It’s still with me,” Judge said as the Yankees threw a pennant party in Cleveland after beating the Guardians in the ALCS. “Even as sweet as this is, it’s still with me.” ...Read more

First pitch, slider down and in. Ball one.

Juan Soto, bent at the knees, now straightened up, never taking his eyes off pitcher Hunter Gaddis. There was some symbolism in the confrontation that was just beginning Saturday night in Cleveland. If you’re romantic, or poetic when it comes to baseball and not affected by dislike for a particular ...Read more

NEW YORK — When the Yankees and Dodgers met in the Bronx in early June, manager Aaron Boone said he could “feel the buzz” surrounding the regular season, weekend series.

“The series we had this summer with them felt like competitive, heavy, tough games,” Boone said Monday of the matchup, which saw the Yankees lose the first two games ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — In a Zoom call Monday with San Diego media, A.J. Preller sat in front of the framed sports page from the San Diego Union-Tribune that captured the franchise’s second no-hitter.

Under the headline “Classic Dylan,” architect Dylan Cease is leaping into the arms of catcher Luis Campusano after shutting down the Nationals on ...Read more

The Athletics will play on grass in Sacramento next season, with Major League Baseball yielding to concerns from players about the risks of an artificial turf surface in a city where summer temperatures often rise above 100 degrees.

The Triple-A stadium into which the A's are moving, Sutter Health Park, currently features a grass field. However...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The World Series is set: the Dodgers against the New York Yankees, featuring two of baseball's three biggest spenders.

Also some of baseball's biggest spenders: fans buying tickets for the World Series.

Resale prices soared Monday, on the day after the Dodgers clinched their spot in the World Series. The Fall Classic matchup is...Read more

LOS ANGELES — From a corner of the clubhouse, Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly smiled as they watched the chaos unfolding in the room.

In front of them, Shohei Ohtani was closing his eyes as manager Dave Roberts emptied a beer on his head. Soon, Ohtani and Roberts were hopping up and down together on the alcohol-soaked carpet, now ...Read more