Sports
Fans at Dodger Stadium and around L.A. honor Fernando Valenzuela
Lifelong Dodger fans Manny Acosta, 59, and his brother, Jose Acosta, 60, sit on Vin Scully Avenue, just feet away from the shrine at the Dodger Stadium sign dedicated to the life of Fernando Valenzuela.
The siblings are parked in their “Dodger Dodge” — a truck wrapped in Dodger blue with an image of Valenzuela pitching on the side.
Wearing their World Series gear, they parked at noon and sat for hours watching as hundreds of mourners arrived throughout the day to drop off flowers, Mexican flags and other gifts while paying their respects to a Dodger legend.
The Acostas were born in Sonora, Mexico, the same state where Valenzuela was born, coming to Boyle Heights in 1972.
Manny Acosta sits in the “Dodger Dodge,” his truck wrapped in Dodger blue featuring the team’s logo and an image of Fernando Valenzuela pitching.
(Anthony De Leon)
“I’m an immigrant like he was,” Manny Acosta said of Valenzuela. “He came over here and surpassed the American dream. He was such an icon and literally changed the profession of baseball and its connection with Hispanics.”
He heard false rumors Valenzuela died a few weeks ago, making his death on Tuesday less startling. But it still had a huge impact.
“I’m just glad he’s resting,” Acosta said. “It’s too bad he’s gone, but it’s good that he is no longer suffering.”
Acosta felt moved to physically be at Dodger Stadium to mourn, using the experience “as a way to combat the pain, the loss and the fact he is gone.”
He met Valenzuela several times during Dodger fan events, describing him as not only a great player but a great person.
“He didn’t talk much. He wasn’t social,” Acosta said. “But what he did quietly as an individual, a human being, an immigrant and a family man — he succeeded to the fullest.”
When news of Valenzuela’s death broke, Victor Montalvo, 31, was surrounded by friends and fellow Dodger fans at Boomtown Brewing Company, a place he describes as a “massive Dodger house,” where about 80% of the clientele is Latino.
A baseball player from Boyle Heights, Montalvo grew up listening to stories about Valenzuela’s pitching prowess from his father, who often wore a Valenzuela jersey.
“You couldn’t have grown up in L.A. without knowing who he was,” Montalvo said while visiting Grand Central Market Wednesday. “It’s impossible. … You can’t drive down Sunset Boulevard without seeing the large, old mural of him as you head away from Dodger Stadium.”
Montalvo compared Valenzuela’s death to the passing of other iconic L.A. sports figures like Vin Scully and Kobe Bryant. With Valenzuela’s death so close to the World Series, he hopes it inspires a similar spirit to Bryant’s passing in 2020 when the Lakers won a championship in his honor.
“I hope there’s a push like, ‘Let’s do this for one of the greatest that ever did it,’” Montalvo said. “Win it and bring it home. We’ll celebrate him during the parade.”
Alexander Escobar, 27, spent six years driving buses for the Dodger Stadium Express, which led to his first encounter with Valenzuela in 2020. He described Valenzuela as humble, kind and down-to-earth.
“He greeted us like we were family,” Escobar recalled. “They put together an event for us to meet him, and he actually showed up. It was empowering.”
Fans placed flowers, candles, baseball and other gifts at the gates of Dodger Stadium Wednesday in honor of Fernando Valenzuela.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Escobar found Valenzuela’s journey to becoming a Mexican superstar particularly inspiring, “especially when someone from the Hispanic community made it so far in the baseball world and in life.”
With Valenzuela’s passing occurring just days before the start of the World Series, Escobar said he is glad MLB plans to honor Valenzuela’s legacy.
“It’s a shame he won’t be able to make it to the World Series,” Escobar said. “It’s something he would have been a big part of. … From ‘81 to now, Dodgers-Yankees, it’s something that would have meant a lot for him to be there.”
He added, “Hopefully, in the spirit of Valenzuela, they win.”
Valenzuela’s death felt so unreal to Carlos Flores, 43, that he initially believed it was a hoax when he first heard the news.
“I got a message. … I was like, ‘I can’t believe this. It’s got to be fake,’” Flores said. “It wasn’t even on the internet yet. That’s how quick it was. Then, five minutes later, the story was posted.”
Flores found inspiration in Valenzuela’s journey — coming to the United States from Mexico, struggling with English in his early years and winning rookie of the year and a World Series in his first full season. That made the loss that much more significant for him.
“He’s going to be missed. That’s a legend,” Flores said. “That’s one of the first Mexicans that actually made it in baseball.”
Paul Serrano, 36, first saw the news of Valenzuela’s death on social media during his commute home and questioned whether it was accurate.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Serrano said. “As an Angeleno, it’s very sad, very depressing, and even more reason to win the World Series.”
He added, “The Dodgers are in mourning and are preparing something special. … We have to win for El Toro.”
Serrano’s father, originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, often shared stories of Fernandomania, proudly reliving memories of Valenzuela’s dominance on the mound.
“[My father] would say, ‘It’s an honor to have a Mexican pitcher do what he did,’” Serrano recalled. “Valenzuela was ruthless, and he gave it his all.”
Serrano described Valenzuela as the epitome of hard work, adding, “It doesn’t matter the odds against you, brother, you can still make anything happen. You can do what you want. It doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
Kristen Gaer, 31, a lifelong Dodgers fan, first heard the news of Valenzuela’s passing in her work chat, where fellow Dodgers fans were buzzing about the loss of a legend.
“It’s very, very sad,” Gaer said. “We lost a legend for sure.”
Though too young to have seen him in his prime, Gaer grew up hearing stories about Valenzuela’s impact.
“I hope we win this one for him,” Gaer said of the upcoming World Series. “But at the same time, it’s a bummer because if we do win, he won’t be here to see it.”
Sports
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329
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Nearly five years after his last walk to the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited UFC return Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a head kick moments later. He appeared to slip on both tries. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet.
Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after trying to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle underneath him.
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Conor McGregor of Ireland participates in the walkout before facing Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The official inside the Octagon waved off the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.
During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a first-round replay that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not to the same leg McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.
The loss extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming by first-round TKO against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.
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McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.
“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.
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“‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”
Conor McGregor jumps into the air for a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)
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Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS — The door opened for Arthur Kaluma to show his worth for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League on Saturday night.
He did so in a big way.
Kaluma had 34 points and five rebounds during the Lakers’ 91-70 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He was 11 for 16 from the field and six for 10 from three-point range.
With Lakers rookie guard Cameron Carr unable to play because of a right thumb contusion, Kaluma took over the scoring role. Carr, the 24th pick in the NBA draft, is averaging 17 points per game.
“Cam doesn’t play tonight, so he gets a little bit more minutes, gets a couple more touches,” said Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott about Kaluma. “But he’s done a really good job of making the most of it when he doesn’t have actions run for him. So the way that he’s been able to stay ready, find windows for himself has kept him in a rhythm. So, on a night like tonight, when we can run some actions for him, he knocks them down and just plays out of his mind. It was great.”
Kaluma said he was “a little nervous” but his three-point shooting said otherwise.
“When [teammate] Jon Elmore came down and he pitched it back to me for a three … I just knew when it came off my hand it was cash,” Kaluma said. “So I said, ‘Yeah, I’m hot.’ It went on from there.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Kaluma lined up a three-pointer, setting his feet and scoring from 29 feet out. He flashed three fingers and smiled. His teammates on the bench stood and cheered, as did the fans.
“We have such a great group of guys this year at Summer League and going through this it’s hard to get that camaraderie with a group,” Kaluma said. “But I feel like everybody wants to see everybody succeed and I felt that tonight. I’m not going to lie to you. They tell me to shoot the ball. I passed up a couple of shots and they were mad at me the other day.”
Kaluma played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season. He averaged 14.6 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and shot 55% from the field, 37% from three-point range.
“The G can get grimey, you know what I’m saying? It’s a time where everybody is trying to fight for a position and there is a certain hunger that you have to have in order to be successful in the G,” Kaluma said. “And I feel like that drive that I had my first year in it pushed me into this summer to really get better and work on my game and come here and have the opportunity to perform.”
Kaluma wasn’t alone in helping the Lakers improve to 2-0 in Summer League play.
Adou Thiero ran the court, took a lob pass from Chris Mañon and threw down a two-handed dunk. He had another solid outing with 15 points and four rebounds. He shot just four for 12 from the field, but was a plus-15.
But the night belonged to Kaluma.
“I pride myself on the defensive end,” he said. “I know I got hot offensively, but the shot was just falling today, you know what I’m saying? My game is three-and-D. I lock-up on defense and I know I can hit open shots. I just got hot today and I’m not going to try to let it get to my head.”
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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