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River Ryan gets a standing ovation in his major league debut as Dodgers edge Giants

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River Ryan gets a standing ovation in his major league debut as Dodgers edge Giants

River Ryan handed the ball to manager Dave Roberts in the top of the sixth inning Monday night, and as he headed toward the third-base dugout, a crowd of 49,576 in Dodger Stadium rose to applaud the 25-year-old right-hander, who tapped his chest in appreciation of the gesture.

No matter what happened after he departed with the score tied and runners on first and third and one out, it was clear by the crowd’s reaction and the high-fives and handshakes Ryan received in the dugout that his major league debut was a success.

“The ground starts to shake a little bit when everybody gets loud,” Ryan said of the standing ovation. “That was really fun to be a part of.”

Teoscar Hernández then drove the decibel level in Chavez Ravine even higher in the eighth when he knocked in his third run of the game with a two-out single to center field to lift the Dodgers to a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

With the score tied 2-2, Kiké Hernández opened the eighth with a fly ball that fell on the warning track between center fielder Heliot Ramos and left fielder Luis Matos for a double.

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Giants left-hander Erik Miller struck out Shohei Ohtani, but Will Smith walked. Shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald made a nice diving stop of Freddie Freeman’s grounder up the middle and shoveled the ball with his glove hand to second for the second baseman Brett Wisely for the second out.

San Francisco manager Bob Melvin summoned right-hander Randy Rodriguez to face Teoscar Hernández, who lined a 98-mph 2-and-2 fastball on the outside corner to center to score Kiké Hernández for a 3-2 lead, giving Teoscar 67 RBIs on the season, 27 of them coming with two outs.

Daniel Hudson struck out two of four batters in a scoreless ninth for his seventh save, as the Dodgers extended their win streak to four.

“He’s been fantastic,” Roberts said of Teoscar Hernández. “We’ve said it all year — he just hunts and smells those RBIs, and when you get a guy on second base, he’s trying to drive that run in. That ball was dotted, down and away, at 98 mph. He didn’t try to do too much with it. He just tried to get a base hit. That’s how you win baseball games.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts congratulates pitcher River Ryan after his strong major league debut against the Giants.

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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It helps to get starts like the one delivered by Ryan, who allowed one unearned run and four hits in 5⅓ innings, striking out two and walking three for a no-decision, the longest start by a Dodgers pitcher since Tyler Glasnow went six innings on July 5.

Ryan, who was drafted as a two-way player by San Diego in 2021 but gave up shortstop after the Dodgers acquired him for utility man Matt Beaty in the spring of 2022, had never pitched into the sixth inning in any of his 45 minor league starts, but he faced three batters in the sixth Monday night.

Using a six-pitch mix headed by a lively fastball that averaged 96.1 mph and topped out at 98.4 mph, Ryan threw a scoreless first inning despite walking Jorge Soler and giving up a single to LaMonte Wade Jr. to open the game.

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After San Francisco scored its only run off Ryan on a Smith passed ball in the fourth, Ryan struck out Mike Yastrzemski with a 95-mph cut-fastball with runners on second and third to end the inning.

Left-hander Alex Vesia bailed out Ryan in the sixth, striking out Matos with a 91-mph fastball and Matt Chapman with a 93-mph fastball to escape the first-and-third jam.

“He was commanding the baseball, attacking guys,” Smith said of Ryan. “I know he was a little nervous before the game, but he settled right in after the first and gave us 5⅓ innings. That was really good.”

Ryan, the brother of Pittsburgh reliever Ryder Ryan, is the third rookie starter — not counting Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto — to pitch well for the Dodgers after making his big-league debut this season, following Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski.

“It’s been huge,” Roberts said of the rookie contributions. “They’ve allowed us to sustain winning while at the same time cutting their teeth and gaining experience. That’s kind of the best of both worlds, where a lot of times you just don’t have that.”

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With Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw coming off the injured list this week, Ryan’s stay with the Dodgers is expected to be short. But he will likely get at least one more start.

“That’s the thought right now,” Roberts said. “He’s not going anywhere tonight. It’s day to day, but I think for him, the message is just to plan for making his next start with us.”

Teoscar Hernández had three of his team’s six hits, his first coming when he golfed a down-and-in slider from Giants left-hander Blake Snell 411 feet into the left-field seats for his 21st home run, a solo shot that tied the score 1-1 in the fourth.

Teoscar Hernández runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers' 3-2 win.

Teoscar Hernández runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-2 win over the Giants on Monday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Freeman walked with two outs, took second on Snell’s wild pitch and scored on Teoscar Hernández’s single to center.

San Francisco tied it 2-2 on Fitzgerald’s solo homer to left-center field off left-hander Ryan Yarbrough in the top of the seventh, but Teoscar Hernández answered again in the eighth.

“At the beginning of the season, I was not really good with men in scoring position,” said Hernández, who is seven for 17 with two homers since winning the All-Star Game Home Run Derby on July 15. “I think it was because I was trying to do too much, trying to overswing, trying to cover the whole plate.

“Now, it’s more having a plan and executing it the way I want to execute, sticking with it even if I don’t get the job done. … I try not to not put more pressure on myself and to calm myself down. I want those at-bats. I like to be in those situations.”

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Short hops

Roberts said Miguel Rojas, who was pulled from Sunday’s game in the fourth inning because of right forearm tightness, an injury that stems from the shortstop taking one-handed swings with a weighted bat over the All-Star break, is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday night. … Bobby Miller, who gave up three hits, struck out four and walked four over five scoreless innings for Oklahoma City on Saturday, will make at least one more triple-A start before being considered for a return to the Dodgers’ rotation. … Reliever Ryan Brasier (right-calf strain) will throw to hitters in Dodger Stadium again Tuesday, and the right-hander is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation stint with Oklahoma City on Saturday.

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Packers’ head-coaching situation thrust into spotlight after playoff loss

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Packers’ head-coaching situation thrust into spotlight after playoff loss

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The Green Bay Packers’ playoff exit on Saturday immediately put added focus on what the organization will do with head coach Matt LaFleur.

The NFL coaching cycle has been the wildest in recent memory, with veteran coaches like John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll being shown the door. Packers fans seemingly put LaFleur on the hot seat following their crushing defeat to the Chicago Bears.

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts during the wild-card playoff game against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday that the Packers will have a major decision to make.

“The Green Bay Packers and their new president, Ed Policy, have a significant decision to make here in the coming days – and that is whether to extend Matt LaFleur’s contract. He’s currently got one year remaining, or to move on from him,” Schefter said. “If they moved on from him, he would automatically go near the top of coaches available and shakeup this current head-coaching cycle yet again.”

Schefter added that Harbaugh could be one of the names that would interest the Packers’ organization.

BEARS’ BEN JOHNSON GIVES FIERY MESSAGE TO TEAM AFTER PLAYOFF WIN: ‘F— THE PACKERS!’

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur talks after the playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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“Notice how we said this belongs to the Packers’ president, Ed Policy. Well, the Packers’ former president from the back in the day was a man by the name of Bob Harlan,” Schefter explained. “Bob Harlan’s son, Brian Harlan, represents John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is a Midwestern guy, who has a home in the Upper Peninsula, and a lot of people around the league have been wondering if the Packers decide to go in a different direction, if all of a sudden the Green Bay Packers might fall to the top of John Harbaugh’s list as the top available choice for him.

“This has been a wild, crazy coaching cycle, and we may be just scratching the surface.”

Green Bay Packers’ Matthew Golden celebrates his touchdown against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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Green Bay finished 9-7-1 this season. LaFleur is 76-40-1 as the Packers’ head coach with a 3-6 record in the playoffs.

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Crossroads students begin push to make pickleball a varsity sport

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Crossroads students begin push to make pickleball a varsity sport

For brothers Boone and Ford Casady, pickleball is more than just a game, it is a passion. The 16-year-old twins are among the top junior players on the planet, but more important to them than trophies and medals is a desire to spread the fastest-growing sport in America to high schools and colleges.

Their vision, combined with the persistence of fellow Crossroads sophomores Samantha Leeds and Hannah Carey, has birthed the L.A. High School Pickleball League, the first of its kind in California. The first match will be Jan. 24 at the Santa Monica Pickleball Center.

Teams from Crossroads, Brentwood, Windward, Palisades, Notre Dame and Santa Monica Pacifica Christian will participate, and possibly several more.

Matches will be biweekly with all schools competing at the same shared location. The match format is loosely based on high school tennis with three doubles lines, one singles line and “friendlies” — ensuring that beginners, alternates and developing players all get playing time. The season culminates with semifinals and a league championship.

“My brother and I grew up playing competitive tennis and baseball,” Boone said. “We’d been playing tennis since we were about 3 and in eighth grade we moved to Barcelona to train at the Emilio Sánchez Academy for tennis. We were first introduced to pickleball earlier while we were in Mexico playing with friends and we immediately fell in love with it. We entered our first tournament in Palm Springs and realized we’d found something special.

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“We noticed that so many juniors were training and competing individually but there wasn’t a school-based structure like you have in other varsity sports. We decided to change that. We wanted girls to be involved from the start — it was important to us that the league be coed and inclusive to reflect how competitive girls pickleball already is. We’re also co-founders of the Crossroads Pickleball Club along with Samantha and Hannah and we’re working to grow participation on campus and across L.A.”

The four founders of the L.A. High School Pickleball League play mixed doubles.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Unlike most youth sports initiatives, the league was not created by adults or administrators, it was built entirely by students. Over the last two years they have coordinated with the Southern Section for recognition and guidance, worked with Crossroads administrators to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport, organized early intramural and inter-school tournaments, built communication networks among local high schools and helped other schools begin turning their club teams into varsity programs.

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“In high school sports, students usually join a system that already exists,” Leeds said. “With pickleball, we had to build the system ourselves.”

Boone defeated Ford to earn the No. 1 seed at the 2024 Junior PPA National Championships, but they met again for the gold medal and this time Ford won. They also took the gold in doubles and finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the country in the 14s division.

At the 2025 Junior PPA National Championships, the brothers took silver and bronze in the Boys U16 singles and partnered for silver in doubles. They were also presented the Community Assist Award to acknowledge their initiative in starting the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League. They are straight-A students and play shortstop and third base on the varsity baseball team.

So far, their toughest competition in pickleball has been each other.

“Boone and I practice together all the time and we play against each other constantly,” Ford said. “Boone knows the part of my game to attack and I know what to do against him so we always have great matches. No matter who wins, we hug it out at the end.”

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The siblings played in their first pro event of the year Saturday — the Masters Tournament in Palm Springs.

Leeds and Carey were introduced to pickleball in eighth grade.

“I remember leaving PE after playing pickleball, heading to soccer practice and honestly feeling kind of bored,” Leeds recalled. “All I wanted to do was keep playing pickleball.”

“Samantha and I got randomly paired to do pickleball in PE,” said Carey, who lost her home in the Palisades fire. “Most kids would sit out, look bored, or try to skip but as the pickleball nets went up our peers were engaged, exhilarated and connecting over their love of pickleball. So Samantha and I started making petitions to create a league.”

The girls, then 13, had a meeting with Anthony Locke, head of school at Crossroads, and made a pitch deck. Using her skills as a filmmaker Leeds created a short sizzle video to help show what pickleball could look like as a real school sport.

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“We were told that forming school-based teams and leagues is a necessary first step towards eventual CIF recognition,” she said. “I created a Varsity Team Starter Kit, outlining the steps we used to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport. Leaders at other schools are actively using it to establish their own teams.”

Added Carey: “We connected with Boone and Ford, which was such an honor considering their talent and passion for the sport. We decided to join forces and use our resources together to further our process of creating a league.”

The inaugural season runs from January to March but beginning in the 2026-27 school year the plan is to move to the traditional winter sports window, November through January.

“Pickleball has the potential to become a true varsity sport at both the high school and college levels,” Boone said. “We’re so excited to help push it forward.”

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US figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship

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US figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship

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U.S. figure skating stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history on Saturday with their record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western show “Westworld,” produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.

“The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said.

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston, at TD Garden,  on March 28, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.  (Jurij Kodrun – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)

They’ll be the heavy favorites to win gold next month in Italy.

“I felt so much love and joy,” Chock continued, “and I’m so grateful for this moment.”

U.S. Figure Skating will announce its selections on Sunday.

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the upcoming Winter Games.

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The men’s medals also were to be decided on Saturday, though two-time world champion Ilia Malinin had built such a lead after his short program that the self-styled “Quad God” would have to stumble mightily to miss out on a fourth consecutive title.

The U.S. also has qualified the maximum of three men’s spots for the Winter Games, and competition is tight between second-place Tomoko Hiwatashi, fan favorite Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov to round out the nationals podium.

The last time Chock and Bates competed in the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, they watched their gold initially go to an opponent who was later disqualified for doping violations.

Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals. 

It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists. 

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UN URGES COUNTRIES TO HONOR TRUCE DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date.

Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October. 

“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”

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Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”

Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics last summer.

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA perform in the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Nagoya at IG Arena on December 07, 2025 in Nagoya, Japan.  (Atsushi Tomura – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)

Chock, Bates and teammates Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were given a specialized gold medal ceremony to receive the medals in front of more than 13,000 fans. 

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Chock and Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades in March when they defeated Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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