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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-playoff-slump');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hints at secret to breaking out of playoff slump');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Shohei-Ohtanis-50th-HR-ball-headed-to-auction-after-restraining-order-denial.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hints at secret to breaking out of playoff slump</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-16T06:58:32-07:00">October 16th, 6:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-16T06:58:32-07:00">October 16th, 6:58am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MLB’s best players, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, have been mired in 2024 postseason slumps. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-aaron-judge-has-fans-going-bonkers-after-first-2024-mlb-playoffs-home-run">Judge, though, broke out of his slump with a home run</a> in the New York Yankees’ 6-3 Game 2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series. So will Ohtani end his slump soon?</p><p>The Dodgers star is currently slashing .222/.344/.333/.677 in his first ever MLB postseason. He has hit a home run, but Ohtani is not playing up to his elite standards.</p><p>“I do feel OK at the plate,” Ohtani <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/10/15/shohei-ohtani-slump-dodgers-mets-nlcs/75694890007/" rel="noopener">said recently</a>, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I do feel like I should recall back to the times when I feel good and perhaps incorporate that into it. …. Regardless of however they are pitching to me, my plan is to stay with the same approach as much as possible, and not really be too focused on how they attack me.”</p><p>Rumors have swirled about a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-dave-roberts-not-keen-on-making-big-shohei-ohtani-move-in-game-3-vs-mets">potential lineup change amid Ohtani’s struggles</a>. However, the Dodgers may not change anything in hopes of Ohtani bouncing back soon. After all, he is arguably the greatest player in the game today. Even stars endure slumps, but they also find ways to get back on track.</p><h2><b>Dodgers need Shohei Ohtani to defeat Mets</b></h2><p>The Dodgers and New York Mets will go head-to-head on Wednesday night. The series is currently tied at one game apiece. New York is looking to pull off the upset against a Dodgers ball club that finished with the best record in the regular season.</p><p>Anything short of a championship will be considered a failure for the Dodgers. They were the most aggressive team in the offseason, adding stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez. Injuries have significantly impacted the Dodgers, but they still feature more than enough talent to clinch a World Series appearance.</p><p>The Mets will not back down, though. They are playing with momentum right now and the remainder of the National League Championship Series projects to be competitive. LA will earn a crucial advantage if Ohtani is able to find his rhythm at the plate.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hints at secret to breaking out of playoff slump

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-la-2025-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clayton Kershaw drops big 2025 Dodgers update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Clayton-Kershaw-drops-big-LA-2025-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Clayton Kershaw drops big 2025 Dodgers update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-16T06:13:09-07:00">October 16th, 6:13am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-16T06:13:09-07:00">October 16th, 6:13am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-confirms-comeback-2025-season">Clayton Kershaw has already made his intentions about returning</a> for the 2025 season clear. But when he does make that return, there’s only one team Kershaw will play for.</p><p>The right-hander has a player option for the 2025 season. Even if he doesn’t accept it, he seems likely to work out <a href="https://x.com/billplunkettocr/status/1846326059651739718" rel="noopener">some form of contract agreement</a> with Los Angeles, via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.</p><p>“I’m going to be a Dodger,” Kershaw said emphatically.</p><p>While the Dodgers are competing for the National League pennant, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clayton-kershaw-to-miss-entire-dodgers-postseason">Kershaw has had to watch from afar</a>. His toe injury ended his season, as the righty has already been ruled out for the playoffs. While he played a role in helping Los Angeles get to this point, his 2024 numbers weren’t as sterling as usual.</p><p>He only appeared in seven games, as Kershaw began the season still recovering from shoulder surgery. Kershaw put up a 2-2 record with a 4.50 ERA and a 24/9 K/BB ratio. He never went longer than six innings with his final start before getting shut down lasting just one.</p><p>But with everything Kershaw went through injury wise, the Dodgers can call it an anomaly. He was an All-Star in back-to-back seasons before 2024. He is a 10-time All-Star overall, alongside a former MVP, three-time Cy Young winner and a World Series champion.</p><p>The Dodgers have seen their rotation depleted, forced to employ a bullpen game during Game 2 of the NLCS. Getting Clayton Kershaw back into the rotation would give LA some consistency and an arm they can trust in big games. While he would do the same for any pitching staff in the major leagues, Kershaw has found his home.</p><p>He has spent his entire 17-year MLB career playing for the Dodgers. When he makes his return for 2025, he doesn’t want any other name across the front of his jersey.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clayton Kershaw drops big 2025 Dodgers update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-dave-roberts-not-keen-on-making-big-shohei-ohtani-move-in-game-3-vs-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Dave Roberts not keen on making big Shohei Ohtani move in Game 3 vs. Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Los-Angeles-not-keen-on-making-big-Shohei-Ohtani-move-in-Game-3-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Dave Roberts not keen on making big Shohei Ohtani move in Game 3 vs. Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T23:25:35-07:00">October 15th, 11:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T23:47:48-07:00">October 15th, 11:47pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a multifaceted writer who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After struggling mightily<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-new-mets-end-shohei-ohtani-streak-nlcs-game-1" rel="noopener"> as the Los Angeles Dodgers lead-off hitter</a> through the playoffs, recording just six hits and a single home run over his seven postseason games of the season, some fans have been banging the table to see another hitter, likely Mookie Betts, take Shohei Ohtani’s spot at the top of the order.</p><p>On paper, it makes sense; <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-the-hole-shohei-ohtani-game-new-york-exploit-padres">while Ohtani is a certified weapon on base</a>, he’s rarely getting there, and as a result, the Dodgers are often starting off the game down and out before Betts goes up to bat.</p><p>Discussing this concept ahead of Game 3 of the NLCS with reporters, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the suggestion but let it be known that he <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41817702/dodgers-keeping-ohtani-leadoff-nlcs-game-3-vs-mets" rel="noopener">doesn’t plan to make a move any time soon</a>.</p><p>“It’s just funny how things change, where there was a lot of concern about Shohei not being able to get hits with the runners in scoring position — and now we’re all trying to find ways… to get guys on base so he can hit, right?” Roberts said. “I kind of find that comical, a little bit.”</p><p>Asked if he thinks Ohtani can get his game back on track ahead of an incredibly important Game 3, Roberts asserted that he believes the star DH’s issues are “isolated” and that he will eventually get back on track… from the lead-off position.</p><p>“I think it’s isolated. There have been times that he has to reset, as all hitters do. Sometimes certain pitchers sort of kind of trigger bad habits,” Roberts explained. “And you’ve got to identify that to then reset… But to think that I’m going to move Shohei to the 4 or the 3, that’s just not going to happen.”</p><p>Could the Dodgers benefit from placing Ohtani at the three or the four spot? Sure, maybe the MVP would attack the ball differently with players on base instead of hoping that he makes contact from the dugout. But considering Ohtani is the highest-paid player in baseball, if he wants to be a lead-off hitter, it’s hard to justify moving the MVP to a different spot, especially with the season on the line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts not keen on making big Shohei Ohtani move in Game 3 vs. Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-walker-buehler-brutally-honest-admission-on-pitching-vs-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers righty Walker Buehler’s brutally honest admission on pitching vs. Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Walker-Buehlers-brutally-honest-admission-on-pitching-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers righty Walker Buehler’s brutally honest admission on pitching vs. Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T18:56:27-07:00">October 15th, 6:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T19:00:00-07:00">October 15th, 7:00pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Walker Buehler may be a shell of himself these days, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is still trusting him with a huge responsibility in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-darryl-strawberry-dwight-gooden-new-york-nlcs-first-pitch-plans">Game 3 of the National League Championship Series</a>. It will be the right-handed starting pitcher’s job to silence the New York Mets in front of a wild Citi Field crowd on Wednesday night.</p><p>If he fails this daunting task, it will be quite difficult to slow down the Mets’ momentum. Their offense can be relentless, as the MLB playoffs have repeatedly shown, which could create a disastrous matchup problem for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-walker-buehler-admission-frustrations">the shaky Buehler</a>. He combusted in the second inning of his NL Division Series start versus the San Diego Padres, giving up a whopping six runs. The two-time All-Star settled down, but the damage was done. Another implosion could result in a 2-1 series lead for New York.</p><p>Despite the overwhelming pressure facing both him and the Dodgers, Buehler <a href="https://x.com/DodgerInsider/status/1846298531931505070" rel="noopener">is relishing the chance</a> to take the mound in a frenzied postseason atmosphere against one of the most resilient lineups in baseball.</p><p>“I imagine it’s going to be rocking here tomorrow,” he said, per Dodger Insider. “That’s what excites me more than anything is the noise and the excitement. And the kind of live-or-die feeling on every pitch is something I’ve really grown to love.”</p><h2><b>Can Walker Buehler put the Dodgers in position to win Game 3?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Dodgers-SP-Walker-Buehler.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Buehler’s October numbers support his enthusiasm. He has a respectable 3.40 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 16 postseason appearances. Again, though, this is not the same player who dominated hitters during LA’s 2020 World Series run. The 30-year-old has yet to bounce back from 2022 Tommy John surgery, making him one of the more unpredictable starters in the 2024 MLB playoffs.</p><p>Buehler has been more trustworthy in the last few weeks, but withstanding a boisterous reception from Queens requires supreme composure. He will try to make Dodgers fans forget all about the 5.38 ERA he recorded this season and remind them why he was one of the best hurlers in the sport only a few years ago.</p><p>The Walker Buehler comeback tour heads to Queens for its most important test yet. First pitch is set for 8:08 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers righty Walker Buehler’s brutally honest admission on pitching vs. Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-freddie-freeman-expectation-nlcs-game-3');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Dave Roberts drops Freddie Freeman ‘expectation’ for NLCS Game 3');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Dave-Roberts-drops-Freddie-Freeman-Gavin-Lux-expectation-for-NLCS-Game-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Dave Roberts drops Freddie Freeman ‘expectation’ for NLCS Game 3</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-15T15:50:12-07:00">October 15th, 3:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-15T15:50:12-07:00">October 15th, 3:50pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-makes-striking-admission-after-game-2-loss-to-mets">tied in the NLCS after two games</a>. Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman and second baseman Gavin Lux have been battling through injuries all postseason. They both played in the first two games, but Freeman especially was limping around the field. Manager Dave Roberts gave his expectations <a href="https://x.com/MikeDiGiovanna/status/1846301128859803859" rel="noopener">for the</a> Dodgers’ Game 3 lineup, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.</p><p>“Dodgers MGR Dave Roberts said “my expectation” is that 2B Gavin Lux and 1B Freddie Freeman will be in lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday night and that reliever Daniel Hudson will be available after being down for Game 2.”</p><p>This is massive news for the Dodgers, who are already working with a limited bench. Starting shortstop Miguel Rojas is not on the NLCS roster after he suffered an injury in the NLDS. That has sent Tommy Edman to shortstop and Andy Pages into the everyday lineup. They need innings from Freeman and Lux to not completely tax their depth.</p><p>Freeman has been solid at the plate this season despite his ankle injury. He is 6-22 in the five games, which is a .273 average, with a .577 OPS. He hobbled around third and scored in the first inning of Game 1 against the Mets. Lux has also been good, with a .263 average and a home run, which came against the Padres.</p><h2><b>Dodgers need their stars to shine in NLCS</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Freddie-Freeman-with-LA-Dodgers-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Mets have been a magical team this season. From 0-5 and 11 games under .500, they have battled back into the NLCS. They upset the Phillies in a tidy four-game NLDS. After their comeback win in Game 161 to make the postseason, they have felt like a team of destiny. The Dodgers had a one-billion-dollar offseason and expected to be here. They must lean on their stars, including Freeman, in this series.</p><p>Shohei Ohtani leads off for the Dodgers and has been sensational with runners on base. He is 6-8 this postseason with ducks on the pond but does not have a hit with the bases empty. While that is a tough stat for the leadoff hitter, it shows that he is close to putting it all together. Mookie Betts has multiple home runs and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-teoscar-hernandezs-agent-gets-last-laugh-1-year-deal">Teoscar Hernandez hit a big homer</a> against the Padres.</p><p>Freeman has a chance to have his Kirk Gibson moment in Dodger Blue this October. As he hobbles around the bases, don’t think that he is no longer a threat in the box.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts drops Freddie Freeman ‘expectation’ for NLCS Game 3

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-max-muncy-brutally-honest-game-2-debacle-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Max Muncy gets brutally honest about Game 2 debacle vs. Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Max-Muncy-gets-brutally-honest-about-Game-2-debacle-vs.-Mets.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Max Muncy gets brutally honest about Game 2 debacle vs. Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T20:19:15-07:00">October 14th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T20:19:15-07:00">October 14th, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a New Orleans Pelicans beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Every postseason lead is precious, every October loss is heart wrenching. Looking for positives is sometimes tougher than hitting an Edwin Diaz fastball, especially if there were any self-inflicted wounds. They only committed one error but the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-snake-slithers-into-dugout-nlcs-game-2">Los Angeles Dodgers were swinging snakes</a> in a 7-3 Game 2 NLCS loss versus the New York Mets.</p><p>Los Angeles was lost at the plate as only three players got a hit. Mets starter Sean Manaea peppered the strike zone for seven strikeouts and jusr two hits over five innings. Diaz struck out three Dodgers for the save while allowing a single hit. Third baseman Max Muncy <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsNetLA/status/1845997841627730437" rel="noopener">made things clear</a> after being one of two Dodgers to reach base safely more than once, via SportsNet LA.</p><p>“You can’t sit there and cry about it. We still have a bunch more games to play,” Muncy admitted. “Just got to make sure we are ready to go. Glad there is an off day tomorrow.”</p><p>“The loss sucks but we were a couple of swings away from blowing it open,” Muncy continued. “They executed pitches and we didn’t execute the at-bat but we saw their guys. It’s always good to see their guys when we don’t see them a ton so you got to try and take something out of it.”</p><p>The Dodgers got zero hits from their top five hitters. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith accounted for nine strikeouts in 19 combined plate appearances. Muncy seemed ready to move on while talking to the postgame media scrum. Unlike the first two rounds of the MLB Playoffs, the NLCS is a seven-game series after all.</p><p>“It’s a long series. You don’t win or lose a series in one game, especially early on. You move on. We have to work out tomorrow. Show up the next day and it’s zero-to-zero,” Muncy replied. “Thankfully, we have some good guys in this clubhouse. We are going to make sure everyone is in the right headspace moving forward.</p><h2><b>Dodgers cannot dodge Mets’ ace Sean Manaea</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Max-Muncy-admires-a-home-run.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>New York might have the hottest hand in the postseason. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-sean-manaea-reveals-attack-strategy-game-3-win">Mets starter Sean Manaea has been slinging</a> some Cy Young-caliber stuff since changing an arm slot issue down the stretch. Muncy admitted the Dodgers will have to adjust should Manaea take the mound again.</p><p>“(Manaea) was good. He was locating, getting in on the righties,” explained Muncy. “I felt like we were having a little trouble from the right side pushing him out. He kept executing. He was just tough…It’s a tough angle.”</p><p>The only angle away from Manaea for the Dodgers is to win the next three games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Max Muncy gets brutally honest about Game 2 debacle vs. Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-news-mark-vientos-reaction-nlcs-game-2-grand-slam');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Vientos’ immediate reaction to NLCS Game 2 grand slam');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mark-Vientos-immediate-reaction-to-NLCS-Game-2-grand-slam.jpg"></figure><h1>Mark Vientos’ immediate reaction to NLCS Game 2 grand slam</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T18:08:50-07:00">October 14th, 6:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T18:08:50-07:00">October 14th, 6:08pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If the New York Mets have runners on second and third with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-francisco-lindor-snaps-dodgers-streak">Francisco Lindor</a> coming to the plate, it makes sense to walk him. The shortstop had an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-francisco-lindor-mvp-take-david-stearns">MVP-caliber season</a> and was the heartbeat of a team that seems to have some magical aura around it.</p><p>But if you’d rather pitch to Mets postseason hero Mark Vientos, he’s going to take notice.</p><p>Vientos came to the plate in the second inning on Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers under those exact circumstances. The gamble didn’t pay off for pitcher Landon Knack, who gave up a grand slam to Vientos to extend the Dodgers’ deficit to 6-0.</p><p>A day after the Dodgers’ pitching staff tied the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-tie-eye-popping-postseason-record-1966-humbling-mets">MLB postseason record</a> for consecutive scoreless innings, the Mets were threatening to blow their opponents out less than an hour into the game. Though the Dodgers eventually put up three runs of their own, the Mets coasted to a 7-3 win to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.</p><p>“To be honest with you I took it personal,” Vientos told FOX’s Tom Verducci in an <a href="https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1845974073941098702" rel="noopener">on-field interview</a> after the game. “You want me up to the plate, I’m gonna try to drive in a run. Honestly I was trying to simplify the game, I wasn’t trying to do too much but I did take it personal.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"To be honest with you, I took it personal."</p><p>Mark Vientos talks with Tom Verducci about the grand slam after the Mets 7-3 win to even up the series <a href="https://t.co/KeJ7QLov7h">pic.twitter.com/KeJ7QLov7h</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1845973084412461424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Mark Vientos has been the Mets’ postseason savior</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mark-Vientos-Mets.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>October is known for producing unexpected heroes. Vientos didn’t exactly come from out of nowhere, but he also wasn’t at the top of the list of potential Mets postseason leaders. The third-year infielder hit .266 with 27 home runs in the regular season, but has transformed into Mr. Clutch over the last couple weeks.</p><p>It started with a go-ahead two-run RBI single in the fist game of the Mets’ NL Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Then, in the Division Series against their rival Philadelphia Phillies, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-mark-vientos-joins-carlos-correa-manny-ramirez-mlb-history-game-2-feat">Vientos had a two-homer Game 2</a>. Even in a losing effort, he made his presence known by opening the scoring with a two-run shot, then tying the game with another two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning.</p><p>It all adds up to Vientos hitting .378 over his fist nine postseason games. Just as importantly, if Vientos keeps hitting like this, he is going to force other teams to give Lindor better pitches to hit. With the series now shifting across the country to Queens, the top of the Mets’ order seems ready to put immediate pressure on Dodgers pitching.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Vientos’ immediate reaction to NLCS Game 2 grand slam

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-snake-slithers-into-dugout-nlcs-game-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'Snake slithers into Dodgers’ dugout during NLCS Game 2');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Snake-slithers-into-LAs-dugout-during-NLCS-Game-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Snake slithers into Dodgers’ dugout during NLCS Game 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T16:27:19-07:00">October 14th, 4:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T16:32:06-07:00">October 14th, 4:32pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLCS by a score of 9-0. With the victory, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-tie-eye-popping-postseason-record-1966-humbling-mets">Dodgers tied a postseason record</a> with 33 scoreless innings. It was LA’s third straight shutout win as the team eliminated the San Diego Padres and jumped out to a lead in the Championship Series against the New York Mets.</p><p>Game 2 of the NLCS contained quite the surprise for Los Angeles. Despite the Diamondbacks long since eliminated from postseason contention, a snake <a href="https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2024/2024-10/14/b0d478f0-d5b6b9af-ef3c4696-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4" rel="noopener">could be seen</a> at Dodger Stadium, per MLB.com. The slithery invader was making its way across the dugout steps when Dodgers’ players noticed the unwanted guest. LA reliever Brent Honeywell had kept the Mets in check during the top of the fifth inning but as he made his way to the dugout he was caught off guard by a small snake crossing his path.</p><p>Honeywell simply pointed at the scaly visitor and the team waited for a clubhouse attendant to wrap the serpent up in a towel and remove him from the vicinity.</p><h2><b>Were Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers snakebit in Game 2?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Shohei-Ohtani_5b4235.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With the Dodgers losing 6-0 at the time, perhaps the team should have leaned into the intruder. Rally snake? After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-mets-kodai-senga-100-percent-real-game-1-debacle-vs-dodgers">disastrous Game 1 start by Kodai Senga</a> and a complete lack of offense by New York, the Mets’ bats came alive early on Monday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-francisco-lindor-snaps-dodgers-streak">Francisco Lindor snapped the Dodgers 33-inning scoreless streak</a> and New York put up five runs in the second inning.</p><p>However, since the snake appeared, the Dodgers have kept New York off the scoreboard and plated three runs, making it a 6-3 contest in the top of the ninth inning. The Mets are hoping to close out the game and even the series at 1-1 before heading back to New York for Game 3.</p><p>While it’s certainly not something you see every day, the LA snake isn’t the first unusual animal to interrupt a baseball game. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/athletics-news-oakland-broadcast-booth-possum">Oakland Athletics famously had possums</a> living in the stadium’s broadcast booth. The A’s left Oakland and the possums behind as the team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/athletics-news-1-5-billion-las-vegas-stadium-proposal-shocking-update">prepares for a move to Las Vegas</a>. If they manage a comeback against the Mets in Game 2, maybe the Dodgers will embrace the snake.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Snake slithers into Dodgers’ dugout during NLCS Game 2

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mets-news-francisco-lindor-snaps-dodgers-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ Francisco Lindor snaps Dodgers’ wild 33-inning streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Mets-news-Francisco-Lindor-snaps-Dodgers-wild-33-inning-streak.jpg"></figure><h1>Mets’ Francisco Lindor snaps Dodgers’ wild 33-inning streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T13:41:19-07:00">October 14th, 1:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T14:04:36-07:00">October 14th, 2:04pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Dodgers came into Game 2 of the NLCS on an insane pitching streak. Using a variety of starting and bullpen arms, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-tie-eye-popping-postseason-record-1966-humbling-mets">Dodgers had held opponents scoreless for the last 33 innings</a>, which was <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1845921531823833485" rel="noopener">tied for a postseason record</a>, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Unfortunately for them, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was in no mood to see any history made on Monday.</p><p>Lindor ended the streak with one swing of the bat, crushing a leadoff home run to right field in the top of the first inning to put the Mets up 1-0.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="es">LEADOFF LINDOR LASER 💥 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NLCS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NLCS</a> <a href="https://t.co/nDvDghuYti">pic.twitter.com/nDvDghuYti</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1845920922546389354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The streak dated back to the middle of Game 3 of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-manny-machado-gets-100-real-heartbreaking-loss-dodgers">Dodgers’ NLDS series with the San Diego Padres</a>, which they trailed two games to one before coming back to win. The 33-inning shutout streak sits atop the record books along with the 1966 Baltimore Orioles for the longest in playoff history.</p><p>The Dodgers’ streak was heroic while it lasted, as they completely shut down the San Diego Padres’ star-studded lineup in the final two games of their series before jumping out to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-drops-blunt-response-to-jack-flahertys-game-1-gem-vs-mets">Game 1 blowout of the Mets</a>.</p><p>On the New York side, Lindor continues a stellar postseason where he has been on fire, coming up big in clutch moments time and time again. After his two-run home run against the Braves in game 161 clinched a playoff spot for Carlos Mendoza and the Mets, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-francisco-lindor-breaks-internet-dagger-phillies">Lindor crushed a grand slam late in Game 4</a> against the Philadelphia Phillies to give them a lead that they would not relinquish.</p><p>Lindor’s Game 2 homer is his second of the postseason and his fifth extra base hit. He now has seven RBI’s to go with seven walks in these playoffs.</p><p>The leadoff homer gave the Mets plenty of confidence to work with in Game 2, which they capitalized on to jump out to a big lead. In the top of the second inning, Mark Vientos slugged a grand slam to extend the New York lead to 6-0.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ Francisco Lindor snaps Dodgers’ wild 33-inning streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-confirms-comeback-2025-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clayton Kershaw confirms comeback for 2025 season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Clayton-Kershaw-confirms-comeback-for-2025-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Clayton Kershaw confirms comeback for 2025 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T13:23:54-07:00">October 14th, 1:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T13:23:54-07:00">October 14th, 1:23pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-breaks-silence-unfortunate-injury-update-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw</a> isn’t done yet. The future Hall of Famer told the FOX broadcast team prior to Game 2 of the National League Championship Series that he <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1845908518525710717" rel="noopener">plans to come back</a> next year.</p><p>Kershaw appeared in only seven games in 2024, missing the first half of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery. His July return lasted only a month before he went back on the Injured List with a bone spur in his left foot. The Dodgers remained hopeful that he could return for the postseason, but manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clayton-kershaw-to-miss-entire-dodgers-postseason">Dave Roberts officially ruled Kershaw out</a> for the rest of 2024 on October 5.</p><p>“Mentally, I feel great,”  Kershaw said on Monday. “My arm feels great. Obviously I had some tough luck with my foot this year.”</p><p>Now 36 years old, Kershaw is not about to let his 2023 surgery go to waste.</p><p>“I want to make use of this surgery,” he added. “I don’t want to have surgery then shut it down. I’m going to come back next year and give it a go and see how it goes.”</p><p>Kershaw has a $10 million player option with the Dodgers for next season.</p><p>Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner, 10-time All-Star, pitching triple crown winner, former MVP, and five-time National League ERA leader. The Dodgers legend, however, will enter 2025 with something to prove. He hasn’t reached 200 innings in a season since 2015. And even if he is able to put in a full season next year, his poor postseason track record means it could all be rendered pointless if he doesn’t show up next October.</p><h2><b>Clayton Kershaw feels like this Dodgers team is different</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Clayton-Kershaw-Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Kershaw won’t take the mound again until next year, he’s still focused on 2024. The Dodgers lead the New York Mets 1-0 in the NLCS and the Los Angeles pitching staff entered Monday in the midst of a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-tie-eye-popping-postseason-record-1966-humbling-mets">record scoreless streak</a>, not having allowed a run in 33 consecutive innings. That matched the 1966 Baltimore Orioles for the longest such streak in postseason history.</p><p>The Dodgers’ staff did that without Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, Dustin May and Shohei Ohtani (as a pitcher). The result has been a Division Series comeback against the San Diego Padres, erasing a 2-1 series deficit to win and now pull within three wins of another trip to the World Series.</p><p>Kershaw has been on winning teams before, but he told FOX he has a different feeling about this one.</p><p>“This group of guys, it just feels really resilient,” he said. “It just feels like there’s no quit. It feels like whether we’re down 6-0, whether were’ up 6-0, it’s that same fight every single inning. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of, especially taking a step back, being on the sidelines and watching this group of guys, you can really tell there’s a heartbeat there.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clayton Kershaw confirms comeback for 2025 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/byu-jake-retzlaff-sandy-koufax-controversy-playing-yom-kippur-explained');   ga('set', 'title', 'BYU’s Jake Retzlaff, Sandy Koufax and the controversy over playing on Yom Kippur, explained');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BYUs-Jake-Retzlaff-Sandy-Koufax-and-the-controversy-over-playing-on-Yom-Kippur-explained.jpeg"></figure><h1>BYU’s Jake Retzlaff, Sandy Koufax and the controversy over playing on Yom Kippur, explained</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T10:32:57-07:00">October 14th, 10:32am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T10:33:14-07:00">October 14th, 10:33am</time><address><a>Josh Silverstein</a>Josh Silverstein writes for The Association and writes, edits, and produces content for the video team as well. He's a writer for television/film/new media/stage/print and probably a few other mediums he's forgetting. He is also a wearer of many Mediums for those looking to buy him a shirt.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chances are, if you’re Jewish and have ever questioned why you don’t go to school or work on Yom Kippur, you’ve been told the story of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-truth-bomb-sandy-koufax-statue-unveiling">Sandy Koufax</a> not pitching on the holiest of Jewish holidays during the 1965 World Series. Now, a new generation of Jews has an alternate, more controversial sports metaphor to consider — that of BYU’s Jake Retzlaff.</p><p>Retzlaff has been gaining a lot of media attention lately — he’s the only Jewish quarterback in the FBS, and the school he plays for happens to be a predominantly Mormon university. It’s largely a feel-good story about inclusivity and embracing interfaith commonalities.</p><p>Retzlaff, who received no scholarship offers after graduating from his Corona, California high school, excelled at two junior colleges before getting a transfer offer from BYU, and now has the Cougars off to their best start since 2000 (6-0), and they’re ranked 14th nationally and climbing. They’ve also got a legit shot to make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.</p><p>The school loves him and Retzlaff showers that love right back. Retzlaff proudly wears his Star of David necklace, even during game day, and his teammates have affectionately given him the nickname “BY-Jew”.</p><p>But the Monday morning quarterbacking surrounding Retzlaff after his big 41-19 win over Arizona this past weekend concerns his decision to buck with Jewish tradition and play during the High Holidays.</p><p>Traditionally, Jews are supposed to abstain from work or physical activity on Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, to instead focus on fasting, prayer, and repentance.</p><p>That’s what Sandy Koufax did when he was scheduled to pitch in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series, even though Koufax described himself as a non-observant Jew. He was proud of being Jewish though, and felt not pitching on Yom Kippur was the right thing to do.</p><p>That decision has largely set the standard for Jews everywhere for the past nearly 60 years as a model to follow on the high holidays — if the best pitcher in baseball refused to play on his most important stage, shouldn’t everyone else do the same in their respective fields?</p><p>Now Retzlaff has decided to follow a different path, and he’s not shying away from his decision. In a recent College Gameday piece on the BYU quarterback, Retzlaff said of <a href="https://youtu.be/q0I1o5ArFk8?si=SFpoALEEbSC_qt6P" rel="noopener">playing on the holiday</a>, “It’s going to be a special day that there’s a Jewish kid playing football on Yom Kippur because if that makes headlines, that means I get to be another light for somebody else.”</p><p>“And that means I have to win,” he added.</p><p>“He might get a lot of criticism from this,” his mom Maxanne admitted. “But we’ve taught them to be part of both worlds.”</p><p>“That’s the way he can best contribute to the community that he’s in right now,” she added.</p><p>Granted, Retzlaff’s situation may have arguably been even trickier to navigate than Koufax’s. Koufax was playing for a team in a city with a large Jewish population, plus he was missing just one game in a best-of-seven series. And sure enough, after the holiday, Koufax went on to pitch heroically for the Dodgers — leading them to the World Series title after pitching a Game 7 gem.</p><p>Retzlaff is one of only three Jews currently enrolled at BYU, and every game in the college football season is important, especially for a team like the Cougars, which might need to run the table to have a shot at making the playoffs.</p><p>Retzlaff <a href="https://youtu.be/aObeMSQ2J3g?si=y9w68RW72VortqIu" rel="noopener">even brought up</a> the Koufax comparison himself in a recent CBS Sports profile.</p><p>“Somebody asked me last year about the Sandy Koufax story… and they asked, like, would you do something similar? Like, if we had a game on Yom Kippur, would you sit out?” Retzlaff admitted.</p><p>“And I’m like, I can’t see myself doing that because on the field is where I find so much sanctuary, where I… find the feeling of God behind me and what I’m doing,” he added.</p><p>Retzlaff seems to be arguing that how someone observes their faith is a very personal and independent decision. Sandy Koufax chose one path, but that doesn’t mean Retzlaff can’t choose another.</p><p>One thing is certain though — if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/arizona-vs-byu-prediction-odds-pick-for-college-football-week-7">Jake Retzlaff</a> keeps playing like he is now, his legend in the Jewish community and beyond is going to continue to grow, and this may not be the last time in his career he faces the Yom Kippur decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BYU’s Jake Retzlaff, Sandy Koufax and the controversy over playing on Yom Kippur, explained

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-jack-flaherty-shares-moment-mom-game-1-win-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty shares moment with mom after Game 1 win over Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Dodgers-news-Jack-Flaherty-shares-emotional-moment-with-mom-after-Game-1-win-over-Mets.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty shares moment with mom after Game 1 win over Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-14T07:20:45-07:00">October 14th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-14T07:51:13-07:00">October 14th, 7:51am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers are up 1-0 in the NLCS after a dominant 9-0 win. Starter Jack Flaherty was spectacular, throwing seven innings and allowing only two hits. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-jack-flaherty-tigers-trade">traded from the Tigers to his hometown Dodgers</a> at the trade deadline. Flaherty’s mom was in the crowd and the two shared a special moment after the game, <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1845666359587291172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1845666359587291172%7Ctwgr%5Eb76f2900e5c8045ebab29afd6c970dd216ef84ec%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fcolumnist%2Fbob-nightengale%2F2024%2F10%2F14%2Fdodgers-mets-game-1-jack-flaherty-gem%2F75667844007%2F" rel="noopener">as documented by</a> MLB’s social media page.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jack Flaherty shares a moment with his mom after his great Game 1 start 💙 <a href="https://t.co/W1Gh338DfP">pic.twitter.com/W1Gh338DfP</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1845666359587291172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Dodgers have dealt with starting pitching injuries all season long, which necessitated the trade for Flaherty. The Yankees were in the market for a pitcher but strayed away because of his injury history. At the time, the Tigers were out of the postseason and wanted to sell their pieces. All of these variables combined for Flaherty to land in his hometown.</p><p>The broadcast mentioned that Flaherty grew up a Dodgers fan. He estimates that he and his mom went to 100 games at Dodger Stadium growing up and now he is pitching for the team. That adds an extra level to the sweet moment after the game when the two share a long hug in the stands.</p><p>Flaherty’s mom and the rest of Dodgers nation are three games away from a National League pennant and it could be the hometown kid who locks it down. He could pitch as soon as Game 5 in Queens.</p><h2><b>Dodgers’ rotation relies on Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jack-Flaherty-with-Los-Angeles-Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Those Dodgers pitching injuries did not stop when Flaherty came to town. Clayton Kershaw came back for a short time before ending up back on the injured list. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-la-receives-tyler-glasnow-injury-update">Tyler Glasnow was the ace for the entire season but is now out</a> for the season. And Shohei Ohtani cannot pitch as he recovers from a UCL injury. The good news is that the $325 million man Yoshinobu Yamamoto is back.</p><p>The 26-year-old rookie was spectacular in Game 5 against the Padres. Yamamoto threw five shutout innings and passed the baton to the bullpen who shut it down. Walker Buehler is the third starter for the Dodgers but he has been brutal this season. Manager Dave Roberts originally said Buehler would start Game 3, but anything can change.</p><p>The bullpen game against the Padres was a spectacular success. The 8-0 win in Game 4 set the stage for the winner-take-all Game 5 back in Los Angeles. Now, they will roll it out again against the Mets on a tremendous amount of rest. Flaherty’s lengthy Game 1 start sets up the best possible rotation for the Dodgers moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty shares moment with mom after Game 1 win over Mets

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
84	3.536	25	0.9643	6	0

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
84	3.536	25	0.9643	6	0

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Brasier

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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hints at secret to breaking out of playoff slump

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Dodgers’ Dave Roberts drops Freddie Freeman ‘expectation’ for NLCS Game 3

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• Snake slithers into Dodgers’ dugout during NLCS Game 2

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Ryan Brasier

Latest Related Team News

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hints at secret to breaking out of playoff slump

Clayton Kershaw drops big 2025 Dodgers update

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts not keen on making big Shohei Ohtani move in Game 3 vs. Mets

Dodgers righty Walker Buehler’s brutally honest admission on pitching vs. Mets

Dodgers’ Dave Roberts drops Freddie Freeman ‘expectation’ for NLCS Game 3

Dodgers’ Max Muncy gets brutally honest about Game 2 debacle vs. Mets

Mark Vientos’ immediate reaction to NLCS Game 2 grand slam

• Snake slithers into Dodgers’ dugout during NLCS Game 2

• Mets’ Francisco Lindor snaps Dodgers’ wild 33-inning streak

• Clayton Kershaw confirms comeback for 2025 season

• BYU’s Jake Retzlaff, Sandy Koufax and the controversy over playing on Yom Kippur, explained

• Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty shares moment with mom after Game 1 win over Mets

Ryan
Brasier