Sports
No team has repeated in a quarter century. Are the Dodgers different?
WHEN THE LOW point arrived last year, on Sept. 15 in Atlanta, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts broke character and challenged some of his players in a meeting many of them later identified as a fulcrum in their championship run.
This year, he attempted to strike a more positive tone.
It was Sept. 6. The Dodgers had just been walked off in Baltimore, immediately after being swept in Pittsburgh, and though they were still 15 games above .500, a sense of uneasiness lingered. Their division lead was slim, consistency remained elusive and spirits were noticeably down. Roberts saw an opportunity to take stock.
“He was talking to us about the importance of what was in front of us,” Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said in Spanish. “At that time, there were like seven, eight weeks left because we only had three weeks left in the regular season, and he wanted all of us, collectively, to think about what we were still capable of doing, and the opportunity we still had to win another championship.”
Later that night, Yoshinobu Yamamoto got within an out of no-hitting the Baltimore Orioles, then he surrendered a home run to Jackson Holliday and watched the bullpen implode after his exit, allowing three additional runs in what became the Dodgers’ most demoralizing loss of the season. The next morning, though, music blared inside Camden Yards’ visiting clubhouse. Players were upbeat, vibes were positive.
The Dodgers won behind an effective Clayton Kershaw later that afternoon, then reeled off 16 wins over their next 21 games — including back-to-back emphatic victories over the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the playoffs.
It took a day, but Roberts’ message had seemingly landed.
“We needed some positivity,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said, “to remove all of the negativity that we were feeling in that moment.”
As they approach a highly anticipated National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers once again look like one of the deepest, most fearsome teams in the sport.
But the journey there was arduous.
A Dodgers team many outsiders pegged as a candidate to break the regular-season-wins record of 116 ultimately won only 93, its fewest total in seven years. Defending a championship, a task no team has successfully pulled off in a quarter-century, has proven to be a lot more difficult than many Dodger players anticipated. But they’ve maintained a belief that their best selves would arrive when it mattered most. And whether it’s a product of health, focus, or because the right message hit them at the right time, they believe it’s here now.
“We’re coming together at the right time,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said amid a champagne-soaked celebration Wednesday night, “and that’s all that really matters.”
BUSTER POSEY’S San Francisco Giants became the most dominant team in the first half of the 2010s, during which they won three championships. They won every other year — on even years, famously — but could not pull off the repeat the Dodgers are chasing. To this day, Posey, now the Giants’ president of baseball operations, can’t pinpoint why.
“I wish I could,” Posey said, “because if I knew what that one thing was, I would’ve tried to correct it the second, third time through.”
Major League Baseball has not had a repeat champion since the New York Yankees won their third consecutive title in 2000, a 24-year drought that stands as the longest ever among the four major North American professional sports, according to ESPN Research. In that span, the NBA had a team win back-to-back championships on four different occasions. The NHL? Three. The NFL, whose playoff rounds all consist of one game? Two.
MLB’s drought has occurred in its wild-card era, which began in 1995 and has expanded since.
“The baseball playoffs are really difficult,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “You obviously have to be really good. You also have to have some really good fortune. The number of rounds and the fact that the very best team in the league wins around 60% of their games, the very worst team wins around 40% — now you take the upper-echelon in the playoffs, and the way baseball games can play out, good fortune is a real part of determining the outcomes.”
The Dodgers, now 11 wins shy of a second consecutive title, will hope for some of that good fortune this month. They’ve already encountered some of the pitfalls that come with winning a championship, including the one Posey experienced most vividly: the toll of playing deep into October.
“That month of postseason baseball — it’s more like two or three months of regular-season baseball, just because of the intensity of it,” Posey said.
The Dodgers played through Oct. 30 last year — and then they began this season March 18, nine days before almost everybody else, 5,500 miles away in Tokyo.
“At the time, you don’t see it,” Hernández said, “but when the next season starts, that’s when you start feeling your body not responding the way it should be. And it’s because you don’t get as much time to get ready, to prepare for next season. This one has been so hard, I got to be honest, because — we win last year, and we don’t even have the little extra time that everybody gets because we have to go to Japan. So, you have to push yourself to get ready a month early so you can be ready for those games. Those are games that count for the season. So, working hard when your body is not even close to 100%, I think that’s the reason. I think that’s why you see, after a team wins, next year you see a lot of players getting hurt.”
The Dodgers had the second-most amount of money from player salaries on the injured list this season, behind only the Yankees, the team they defeated in the World Series, according to Spotrac. The Dodgers sent an NL-leading 29 players to the IL, a list that included Freddie Freeman, who underwent offseason surgery on the injured ankle he played through last October, and several other members of their starting lineup — Will Smith, Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Hernández.
The bullpen that carried the Dodgers through last fall might have paid the heaviest price. Several of those who played a prominent role last October — Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips — either struggled, were hurt or did not pitch. It might not have been the sole reason for the bullpen’s struggles — a combined 4.94 ERA from free agent signees Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates played just as big a role — but it certainly didn’t help.
“I don’t know if there’s any carryover thing,” Treinen said Sept. 16 after suffering his third consecutive loss. “I don’t believe in that. We just have a job, and it’s been weird.”
IN FEBRUARY, ROJAS made headlines by saying that the 2025 Dodgers could challenge the wins record and added they might win 120 games at full health. An 8-0 start — after an offseason in which the front office added Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim, Scott and Yates to what was arguably the sport’s best roster already — only ratcheted up the expectations.
The Dodgers managed a 53-32 record through the end of June — but then, they went 10-14 in July, dropped seven of their first 12 games in August and saw a seven-game lead in the National League West turn into a one-game deficit.
From July 1 to Aug. 14, the Dodgers’ offense ranked 20th in OPS and 24th in runs per game. The rotation began to round into form, but the bullpen sported the majors’ highest walk rate and put up a 1.43 WHIP in that stretch, fifth highest.
The Dodgers swept the San Diego Padres at home in mid-August, regaining some control of the division, but then Los Angeles split a series against the last-place Colorado Rockies and lost one in San Diego. The Dodgers swept the Reds, then lost two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks, dropped three in a row to the Pirates and suffered those back-to-back walk-off losses to the Orioles.
Consistency eluded the Dodgers at a time when it felt as if every opponent was aiming for them.
Before rejoining the Dodgers ahead of the 2023 season, Rojas spent eight years with the Miami Marlins, who were continually out of the playoff race in September and found extra motivation when facing the best teams down the stretch. Those matchups functioned as their World Series.
“I think that’s the problem for those teams after winning a World Series — you’re going to have a target on your back,” Rojas said. “And it’s going to take a lot of effort for your main guys to step up every single day. And then, at the end of the regular season, you’re going to be kind of exhausted from the battle of every single day. And I think that’s why when teams get to the playoffs, they probably fall short.”
Travis d’Arnaud, now a catcher for the Los Angeles Angels, felt the same way while playing for the defending-champion Atlanta Braves in 2022. There was “a little bit more emotion” in games that otherwise didn’t mean much, he said. Teams seemed to bunt more frequently, play their infield in early and consistently line up their best relievers. Often, they’d face a starting pitcher who typically threw in the low-90s but suddenly started firing mid- to upper-90s fastballs.
“It’s just a different intensity,” said A.J. Pierzynski, the catcher for the Chicago White Sox teams that won it all in 2005 and failed to repeat in 2006. “It’s hard to quantify unless you’re playing in the games, but there’s a different intensity if you’re playing.”
BEFORE A SEASON-ENDING sweep of the Seattle Mariners, the 2025 Dodgers were dangerously close to finishing with the fewest full-season wins total of any team Friedman has overseen in these past 11 years. Friedman acknowledged that recently but added a caveat: “I’d also say that going into October, I think it’ll be the most talented team.”
It’s a belief that has fueled the Dodgers.
With Snell and Glasnow healthy, Yamamoto dialing up what was already an NL Cy Young-caliber season and Shohei Ohtani fully stretched out, the Dodgers went into the playoffs believing their rotation could carry them the way their bullpen did a year earlier. Their confidence was validated immediately. Snell allowed two baserunners through the first six innings of Game 1 of the wild-card round Tuesday night, and Yamamoto went 6⅔ innings without allowing an earned run 24 hours later.
“For us, it’s going to be our starting pitching,” Muncy said. “They’re going to set the tone.”
But an offense that has been without Smith, currently nursing a hairline fracture in his right hand, has also been clicking for a while. The Dodgers trailed only the Phillies in slugging percentage over the last three weeks of the regular season. In the Dodgers’ first two playoff games, 10 players combined to produce 28 hits. Six of them came from Mookie Betts, who began the season with an illness that caused him to lose close to 20 pounds and held a .670 OPS — 24 points below the league average — as recently as Aug. 6. Since then, he’s slashing .326/.384/.529.
His trajectory has resembled that of his team.
“We had a lot of struggles, really all year,” Betts said. “But I think we all view that as just a test to see how we would respond. And so now we’re starting to use those tests that we went through earlier to respond now and be ready now. And anything that comes our way, it can’t be worse than what we’ve already gone through.”
The Dodgers still don’t know if their bullpen will be good enough to take them through October — though Sasaki’s ninth inning Wednesday night, when he flummoxed the Reds with triple-digit fastballs and devastating splitters, certainly provided some hope — but they believe in their collective ability to navigate it.
They believe this roster is better and deeper than the championship-winning one from last fall. And, as Rojas said, they believe they “know how to flip the switch when it matters most.”
“It’s been a long year,” Muncy said. “At this point, seven months ago, we were on the other side of the world. We’ve been through a lot this year, and to end up in the spot we’re in right now — we’re in a great spot. We’re in the postseason. That’s all that matters. That’s what we’ve been saying all year. Anything can happen once you’re in October.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in calling on FIFA to contribute toward World Cup transit security costs.
MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup games, including the tournament final. The Athletic reported earlier this week that NJ Transit is considering charging $100 for train tickets to shuttle fans between New York Penn Station and the stadium. Standard fare is $12.90.
Parking will be restricted at the Meadowlands stadium complex compared to NFL games — making public transport one of the only options to attend World Cup matches, which get underway June 11.
“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill said on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion. I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.
“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”
Speaking on WNYC on Wednesday, Sherrill said she would approve the fare increase if FIFA doesn’t step in.
“I will, if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.
On Wednesday, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to set transport prices to “cover any and all costs” to transport fans and comply with Sherrill’s directive.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri on Wednesday said he supported Sherrill’s plea to FIFA and confirmed that commuters would not pay extra costs, according to NJ.com.
“The governor said whatever the fare will be, it will not be cross subsidized by our regular commuters. I’d think every NJ Transit customer would stand behind that,” Kolluri told NJ.com. “It will cost us $48 million. We will charge FIFA fans for those tickets, and it will not be subsidized by our commuters.”
Schumer on Monday said FIFA should be helping pay for World Cup transit security costs.
“FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer’s World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill,” Schumer wrote on X. “The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s host travel committee released a detailed plan for transport and parking during the matches, outlining a park-and-ride plan with specific parking lots and shuttle buses that will run to and from the stadium.
“While rideshare and limited premium parking options will be available, the FIFA World Cup at NYNJ Stadium will be a public transportation first event, largely relying on NJ Transit rail and Host Committee bus shuttles,” Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokesperson, told NJ.com.
“We are strongly encouraging all ticket holders to utilize expanded NJ Transit rail service and the Host Committee’s Stadium Shuttle.”
A FIFA spokesperson insisted the host city had previously agreed to provide free or at-cost transportation to fans at all matches.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation,” FIFA said in a statement Wednesday.
“The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.
“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.
“FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticket holders enjoyed free transport on the city’s Metro system, funded by the country’s government.
UEFA bore the cost of ticket holders using German public transport in host cities on match days during Euro 2024.
Kansas City, where England’s training camp will be based, will offer free bus travel for fans from the airport close to the Fan Festival in the city center, and daily, weekly and tournament passes for unlimited regional travel costing $5.25 and $50, respectively.
Ticket holders will also be able to use a Stadium Direct service, which connects four park and ride locations as well as the Fan Festival to the Arrowhead Stadium for $15 per person, the host city committee said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said that there will be no fare increases connected to the staging of World Cup matches in Philadelphia.
The spokesperson said most if not all of the added operating costs of running the services during the World Cup would be covered by a recently awarded federal grant.
Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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The Baltimore Orioles fell victim to an accidental challenge.
In the second inning of the Orioles’ 8-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, third baseman Coby Mayo was forced to challenge a pitch he didn’t want to.
Mayo took a 3-0 pitch from Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodríguez on the outside and began walking toward first base, thinking he had a walk. Instead home plate umpire John Tumpane called it a strike.
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Baltimore Orioles’ Coby Mayo talks with umpire John Tumpane during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Baltimore, Maryland. April 15, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo)
Mayo expressed his displeasure with the call and raised his right hand toward his helmet, but did not tap his head, as he did not want to challenge the pitch. Tumpane thought he did indeed challenge the pitch and initiated a review.
The call was confirmed to be a strike as Mayo argued he did not challenge the call. The Orioles ended up losing the challenge, one of their two on the day. A replay confirmed that Mayo never actually touched his head.
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Baltimore Orioles’ Coby Mayo celebrates hitting a double during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Baltimore, Maryland. April 15, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo)
Mayo, however, still had a successful at-bat. On the ensuing 3-1 pitch, Mayo ripped a 91-mph fastball down the left-field line for a double and ended up scoring the game’s first run.
Mayo’s unintentional challenge is one of a few that have occurred so far this season. Last week, Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales challenged a pitch but immediately tried to reverse his decision, as the team only had one challenge left.
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Baltimore Orioles’ Coby Mayo celebrates with Blaze Alexander after scoring on an RBI hit by Sam Huff during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Baltimore, Maryland. April 15, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo)
Gonzales ended up winning the challenge, and the Pirates retained their last challenge.
Mayo and the Orioles (9-9) will hope they don’t have any more ABS snafus when they play the Cleveland Guardians (10-9) on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. ET.
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KARACHI: In the evolving landscape of Pakistan women’s football, diaspora talent is playing an increasingly important role, and few embody that shift more clearly than Layla Banaras.
Born in Birmingham in 2006 to a Pakistani father and English mother, Banaras has already carved out a professional pathway in English football while simultaneously becoming an important part of Pakistan’s national team setup.
A midfielder for FA Women’s National League South club Lewes, she represents a growing generation of British South Asian women breaking into elite football environments.
Her journey is not just about football development; it is also about identity, belonging, and opportunity across two cultures.
“It’s like two different worlds coming together, so it has really taught me a lot about myself and about the world, really, and I think I’m so grateful that I was brought up in that sort of household.”
That dual identity has helped shape her outlook, both as a player and as a person navigating the demands of professional sport.
Like many footballers, Banaras’ earliest steps came far away from stadium lights.
“I got introduced to football through, obviously, my brother, my cousins, my family. We always used to play in the garden, so that’s what sort of, you know, pushed me to play football, sort of.”
That informal beginning eventually turned into a historic rise through English football. In January 2023, she made history as the first South Asian heritage woman to appear for Birmingham City in the professional era, debuting in an FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town. Later, she joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on dual registration before moving to Lewes in 2025.
Now firmly established in the English system, Banaras continues to grow as a player in a highly competitive environment while balancing her international commitments with Pakistan.
Her decision to represent Pakistan came at a defining stage in her career“I think for me it was the right time in my career and my life to sort of take that next step to play international football and to represent Pakistan means so much, so I thought when they came, and they offered, I thought, why not, like just do it, and it’s been a dream so far.”
That choice has added a new layer to her football journey, one that connects her to her roots while testing her at the international level.
Like many players of her generation, Banaras grew up watching some of football’s biggest names“I used to watch clips of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Ronaldinho, just all these legends really, and I think they really helped me develop my game and really inspire me.”
Since joining the national setup, Banaras has quickly adapted to international football. In Pakistan’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualification campaign in Jakarta, she made an immediate impact from defence, registering assists in key matches against Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan.
Her performances reflect both technical ability and game intelligence, rare qualities for a young footballer adjusting to international demands.
Banaras also highlighted the importance of international exposure in shaping team unity and development“I think the experience in West Africa has been amazing,” she said about the Pakistan team’s tour to the Ivory Coast.
“The hosts have been so welcoming, the people are really lovely, and it’s a really nice place, and I think we’ve really been able to bond here.”
Facing different styles of opposition has also given her a clearer understanding of where the team needs to improve.
“Obviously, the physical side is really big, and it’s shown us that we need to probably work more in the gym, but I think, to be honest, the playing style is quite similar, but I think it’s just the physical aspect of the game, and I think everything else we do really matches in West Africa.”
Despite challenges, Banaras remains confident in Pakistan’s ability to compete on the international stage.
“I think we’re really excited. We’re the underdogs. And I think we’re really excited to go and show a world-class team what we can do and compete against them,” she said.
Beyond her playing career, Banaras has also contributed to athlete welfare and nutrition awareness.
As a teenager, she worked with Birmingham City’s nutrition staff to create Ramadan-specific performance guidance for fasting athletes.
For now, her focus remains split between club football in England and international duty with Pakistan.
“At club level, I’m not sure. When I go back, I’ve still got a week left of the season. So we’ll see what happens in pre-season. And with the national team, I just want to continue to help it grow football to grow in Pakistan and for us to keep showing the world what we can do.”
Layla Banaras represents more than a footballer moving through two systems. She stands at the intersection of English development structures and Pakistan’s emerging football ambitions, a bridge between established professionalism and growing potential.
For Pakistan women’s football, she is not just a member of the squad. She is part of a longer project: building belief, experience, and identity on the international stage.
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