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Sasaki works around traffic all day in up-and-down start

@sonjamchen
20 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES -- Navigating the highs and lows of a long season is the game within the game of baseball. For Roki Sasaki, every start tends to come with those extremes. That was apparent in the Dodgers' 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Sasaki set one favorable MLB

Hello, goodbye! Shohei welcomes deGrom to LA with 1st-pitch homer

@sonjamchen
5:16 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES -- One pitch was all it took. For the second straight day, Shohei Ohtani led off the Dodgers' half of the first inning with a home run, crushing a first-pitch four-seamer from Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom into the Right Field Pavilion seats. While L.A. got on board first

Roberts viewing Díaz as 'day to day' as closer works through velo dip

@sonjamchen
1:20 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES -- Although the Dodgers have downplayed their concern about Edwin Díaz's diminished fastball velocity to open the season, manager Dave Roberts said he is "treading lightly" with the closer's usage while the team figures out what is going on with his stuff. Díaz blew his first save as

Dodgers far from worried about Díaz's velo after blown save

@sonjamchen
April 11, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have raved about how Edwin Díaz has anchored the back end of the bullpen, but their closer hit his first bump in the road with his new team on Friday night. Díaz could not hold onto a three-run lead, blowing his first save as a

Muncy climbs all-time ranks with historic 3-HR night in LA

@sonjamchen
April 11, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- None of his current teammates have spent more continuous time wearing Dodger blue than Max Muncy -- and only five former Dodgers can say they've outhomered him in that jersey. Muncy continued his steady ascent up the home run leaderboard by going deep three times -- including

Ohtani breaks Ichiro's record as on-base streak hits 44 games

Suzuki previously held MLB milestone for players born in Japan
@sonjamchen
April 11, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- As Shohei Ohtani has redefined what is possible in baseball, he's rewritten record books along the way, for the franchises he's played for and the Major Leagues at large. He also continues to set himself apart as one of the greatest players from Japan to have played

Vesia's emotional return to Toronto highlights Dodgers' bullpen surge

@sonjamchen
April 9, 2026

This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Ohtani ties Ichiro for longest on-base streak by Japanese-born player

Two-way star's scoreless streak ends, but he still delivers quality start in World Series rematch
@sonjamchen
April 9, 2026

TORONTO -- The lasting images from Game 7 of the World Series come from how it ended: Miguel Rojas hitting a game-tying home run, Yoshinobu Yamamoto closing it out on zero days' rest, Will Smith launching a go-ahead homer and Mookie Betts turning a double play to clinch back-to-back championships.

The 1st first-pitch challenge? Of course it happened with Ohtani

@sonjamchen
April 8, 2026

TORONTO -- Shohei Ohtani uncorked a first-pitch sinker to George Springer that dropped below the zone. The two-way star's hand went to the back of his cap, and mirroring him from behind the dish, catcher Will Smith tapped his head to challenge the pitch. That set the first Automated Ball-Strike

Rojas mourns death of father, returns to lineup vs. Blue Jays

@sonjamchen
April 8, 2026

TORONTO -- One day after being a late scratch due to the unexpected death of his father, veteran infielder Miguel Rojas was back in the Dodgers' lineup for Wednesday afternoon's 4-3 finale loss to the Blue Jays. The day before, manager Dave Roberts had been unsure whether Rojas would remain

Yamamoto ignores boos, subdues Blue Jays yet again in Toronto encore

@sonjamchen
April 8, 2026

TORONTO -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto came into the 2025 World Series as one of the most accomplished active players in baseball, having won championships in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball and gold medals in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. But it was two starts and a relief

Rushing's career night fuels Dodgers' 5-homer outburst in return to Toronto

@sonjamchen
April 7, 2026

TORONTO -- The early days of the baseball season are a prime time for the small-sample fallacy to take hold.

Yamamoto set for return to scene where he made history as '25 WS MVP 

@sonjamchen
April 6, 2026

TORONTO -- It was just over five months ago that Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned to watch Mookie Betts turn a World Series-clinching double play, then threw his hands up in elation as his teammates swept him up in the beginning of a celebration that would last deep into the night.

Betts 'in a good spot' despite landing on IL with oblique strain

Infielder Kim recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to form shortstop platoon with Rojas
@sonjamchen
April 6, 2026

WASHINGTON -- With dark clouds gathering over Nationals Park on Sunday, a piece of unwelcome but not unexpected news clouded over the Dodgers' series sweep over the Nationals. Shortstop Mookie Betts was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain prior to L.A.'s 8-6 series-finale win. The

'Feels like we’re getting ready for Game 8': Blue Jays to host Dodgers in World Series rematch

@sonjamchen
April 5, 2026

Last November, Miguel Rojas experienced the kind of moment that kids dream about while playing baseball in the backyard: He saved his team's season with a game-tying homer in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, setting the stage for Los Angeles' comeback victory. Five months later,

Sasaki stumbles early, but rallies to save 'pen ahead of World Series rematch

@sonjamchen
April 5, 2026

WASHINGTON -- Luck was not necessarily on Roki Sasaki's side on Sunday afternoon, but he didn't help himself at times either. Fortunately for him, the Dodgers continued to roll. Sasaki gave up a career-high six earned runs in his second start of the season, but the Dodgers came back for

This Dodger has more hits than whiffs -- and he's homered on back-to-back days!

@sonjamchen
April 4, 2026

WASHINGTON -- When the Dodgers came to Nationals Park last April, there was a real sense that Andy Pages' job was on the line. The young center fielder was scuffling, having gone 4-for-34 (.118) to start the season and displaying some troubling free-swinging tendencies. That series, Pages was left out

Betts (back pain) undergoing MRI, but injury 'more moderate than significant'

@sonjamchen
April 4, 2026

WASHINGTON -- Just as the top of their order has started clicking, the Dodgers' back-to-back wins over the Nationals have been clouded over with uncertainty as they wait to learn more about the status of Mookie Betts. Betts was replaced at shortstop in the bottom of the first inning of

Sheehan takes pitch in right direction, sees results from mechanical tweaks

@sonjamchen
April 3, 2026

WASHINGTON -- Dating back to Cactus League play, Emmet Sheehan has been working with diminished velocity. But the Dodgers' right-hander showed that he may be able to overcome losing some speed on his fastball. Sheehan picked up his first win of the season in Friday's 13-6 victory over the Nats

Tucker mashes 1st long ball in Dodger blue while cutting down on the K's, too

@sonjamchen
April 3, 2026

WASHINGTON -- With the Dodgers' home run party in full swing, Kyle Tucker joined in on the fun. Tucker went deep for the first time as a Dodger in L.A.'s 13-6 win on Friday afternoon, slugging a solo shot off Nationals left-hander Ken Waldichuk to extend Los Angeles' lead to

That'll do it! Ohtani's 1st homer ignites rest of lineup in 5-homer rout of Nats

@sonjamchen
April 3, 2026

WASHINGTON -- When Shohei Ohtani goes, so do the Dodgers. And that was true in a big way in Friday afternoon's 13-6 victory over the Nationals. Ohtani launched his first home run of the season in the third inning, a three-run blast that tied the contest at 3 before the

Ohtani makes it look easy in 2026 pitching debut

@sonjamchen
April 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- On a Shohei Ohtani start day, one of the biggest spectacles comes not when he's on the mound, nor when he's at the plate, but as he's transitioning from one to the other. When Ohtani finishes an inning on the mound, he has just two minutes to

Yoshi bobblehead almost as popular as Yoshi to Dodgers players

@sonjamchen
March 31, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- As Yoshinobu Yamamoto sat in front of his locker in the home clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, a few of his teammates approached him, holding pens and Tuesday's giveaway item, a Yoshi bobblehead. They wanted Yamamoto's signature on the lovable green dinosaur who shares part of his name.

Ohtani to make 2026 pitching debut tonight (7 p.m. PT)

@sonjamchen
March 31, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- The greatest show in baseball is nearly upon us. For the first time this season, Shohei Ohtani will carry out his full two-way duties during Tuesday night's game against the Guardians, when he'll make his pitching debut. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m. ET

Roki finds his confidence in promising first start of the season

@sonjamchen
March 31, 2026

LOS ANGELES -- Roki Sasaki had a spring to forget. But that's the beauty of spring: Once it's over, every player starts the regular season with a clean slate. Questions arose every time Sasaki took the mound this spring, resembling the shaky starting pitcher he was early last season far