Sports
Contentious Dodgers-Padres series ends with benches clearing and managers ejected
Seven times in the last 10 days, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres have renewed their steadily intensifying divisional rivalry.
And in the last inning of the last one of those games Thursday night, the mounting tensions between the clubs — and their respective managers — finally ignited into a benches-clearing confrontation.
At the end of the Padres’ 5-3 win against the Dodgers, San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a Dodgers pitcher for the third time over the two recent series between the National League West foes, and a career-high sixth time by the team in his six years in the majors.
Moments later, Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt were face-to-face on the field, engaged in a shouting match that caused both benches to empty in a heated melee behind home plate.
“I felt that he was trying to make it personal with me,” Roberts said of Shildt. “Which then, I take it personal.”
Indeed, as soon as Tatis got plunked on the hand by a 93 mph fastball from debuting Dodgers rookie Jack Little, Shildt came storming out of the dugout, walking over to check on Tatis while barking in Roberts’ direction.
Whatever Shildt said, Roberts took exception. Suddenly, he was charging onto the field, bumping into Shildt as the two jawed back and forth and their two teams swarmed around them.
The benches clear as Padres batter Fernando Tatis Jr. is assisted by a team trainer after being hit on the hand by a pitch from Dodgers reliever Jack Little.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I didn’t feel good about Tatis — great player, good guy — getting hit,” Roberts said, insisting the pitch from Little, who had been activated before the game and was laboring through a two-inning outing, was unintentional.
“And so as he comes out, and he’s yelling at me and staring me down, that bothers me. Because, to be quite frank, that’s the last thing I wanted. I’m taking starters out of the game. Trying to get this game over with and get this kid a couple innings. And so that’s why I took that personal. Because I understand the game, and I understand that it doesn’t feel good to get hit. But understand again, intent versus clearly no intent.”
Shildt didn’t seem to care about that last point.
“After a while, enough’s enough,” he said. “Intentional, unintentional, the fact of the matter is we took exception with it. I responded.”
Padres and Dodgers players stand on the field after the benches clear in the ninth inning.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The scuffle didn’t get overly physical, with some light shoving between the clubs pushing the pile into the screen behind home plate. But emotions were running hot. Roberts and Shildt had to be separated from one another. Umpires ejected both men.
“Teams I manage don’t take anything,” Shildt said. “And after a while, I’m not gonna take it. And I’m not gonna take it on behalf of Tati, I’m not gonna take it on behalf of the team, intentional or unintentional. It’s really that simple. That’s how this game is played. And if you wanna call that old school, then yeah, we’ll play old-school baseball.”
Shildt’s latter point was proven in the bottom half of the inning.
After the Dodgers scored twice to generate some late life, Shohei Ohtani was hit by Padres closer Robert Suarez in a 3-and-0 count on a 100 mph fastball off his shoulder.
Roberts, watching from his office, said he believed “clearly there was intent behind it,” marking the second time in this series he felt the Padres threw at Ohtani to retaliate for Tatis getting hit.
“I don’t really care what they say,” Shildt said. “I really don’t.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reacts after being hit by a pitch from Padres pitcher Robert Suarez in the ninth inning. Suarez was ejected.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Did Roberts feel the Padres crossed a line?
“That’s their decision,” he said, “and Major League Baseball is gonna have to look at that.”
The plot only thickened from there.
This time, the benches stayed put — in part, it appeared, because Ohtani waved for his team to remain in the dugout as he walked up the first base line.
But because dugout warnings had been issued after Tatis’ hit-by-pitch, Suarez was ejected (along with Padres bench coach Brian Esposito). That forced the Padres to summon left-hander Yuki Matsui to close things out.
And for a brief moment, it looked like he might blow it.
With two runners on, the Dodgers (46-30) were supposed to have the heart of their order up. However, Roberts had already pinch-hit for Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman an inning earlier, deciding to get his stars off their feet while facing a five-run deficit.
“We’re at a stretch here of a lot of games, and I felt that that was the right time,” Roberts said.
Thus, it was Miguel Rojas and Dalton Rushing who came to the plate as the tying and go-ahead runs.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up seven hits, three earned runs and struck out five over 6⅓ innings Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Rojas drew a walk to load the bases. Then Matsui spiked a sweeper that bounced under the chest protector of catcher Martín Maldonado, plating a run and moving the Dodgers’ other baserunners into scoring position.
Alas, Rushing struck out in a full count to end the game — denying the Dodgers the chance for a four-game sweep, but still leaving them 17-12 at the end of a daunting 29-game stretch against playoff-contending teams.
“It just shows we’re deep,” Betts said of the Dodgers’ performance over the last month, which vaulted them to a 3½-game lead in the division and five-game advantage over the Padres (40-34).
“But we still got a couple months to go, and just have to keep playing good Dodger baseball.”
Over those final couple months, there will still be six games to play against the Padres — all of which will come over another two-week stretch in mid-August.
When Roberts was asked whether the emotions of these past couple series might linger until then, he offered a diplomatic response.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We’re honestly trying to win baseball games, and that’s our only goal.”
But in the visiting clubhouse, where initial X-rays on Tatis’ hand were inconclusive about the severity of his injury, the Padres didn’t seem ready to turn down the dial.
“They need to set a little candle up for Tati,” third baseman Manny Machado said of the Dodgers, “and hope that everything comes back negative.”
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LSU Tigers football is reportedly set to land a coveted transfer on Monday to start Lane Kiffin’s tenure as head coach.
Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt will likely transfer to the Tigers and play in Baton Rouge next season, ESPN reported. Leavitt is one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal and reportedly visited Miami and Kentucky en route to his decision.
ASU Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) scrambles away from Houston Cougars defensive lineman Eddie Walls III (90) at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. (Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier graduated following the 2025 season and Michael Van Buren transferred to South Florida upon Kiffin’s arrival at LSU from Ole Miss. LSU was reportedly also targeting Washington’s Desmond Williams Jr. before he chose to stay with the Huskies.
Leavitt initially transferred from Michigan State to Arizona State following his freshman season in 2023. He became a star under Kenny Dillingham’s tutelage and had the Sun Devils in the College Football Playoff in 2024, only losing to the Texas Longhorns by eight points in the first round.
He only played in seven games in 2025, throwing for 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns before he suffered a foot injury that required season-ending surgery.
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Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Upon Leavitt’s decision to enter the transfer portal, Dillingham had warm words for him.
“Big 12 champ, put his name on the map, smart/talented player! Going to succeed wherever he goes,” Dillingham wrote on X in December.
LSU had high expectations for the 2025 season. But the team was only able to muster seven wins. The team fired Brian Kelly in the middle of the year.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, left, stands next to Louisiana State Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry, right, prior to the game against the Houston Cougars at NRG Stadium on Dec. 27, 2025. (Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images)
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Kiffin joined LSU after Ole Miss won its Egg Bowl rivalry game against Mississippi State. The Rebels made the College Football Playoff and got to the semifinals.
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Matthew Stafford suffered a sprained right index finger in the Rams’ wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers, but he will be ready for Sunday’s divisional-round game against the Bears in Chicago, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
“He’s as tough as it gets and will be good to go,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters.
Stafford injured his finger Saturday when his hand hit the helmet of a Panthers player during the Rams’ 34-31 victory in Charlotte, N.C. He played through the issue and passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winner to tight end Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their 34-31 wild-card playoff victory over the Carolina Panthers.
In his postgame news conference, Stafford said he did not know what happened until he saw video that showed his finger bent backward.
“It wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t great. We’ll see what it is,” said Stafford, who was not wearing a brace or splint. “Once the ball’s snapped, the adrenaline’s pretty good so we’ll hopefully just keep going.”
Stafford and the Rams are traveling to a cold-weather region, but Stafford has plenty of experience in those conditions, having played 12 seasons in the NFC North.
Temperatures in Chicago could be in the teens or lower when the Rams play the Bears, who defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-27, Saturday at Soldier Field.
“Seems like it’s going to be pretty damn cold,” McVay said.
McVay said he was optimistic that offensive lineman Kevin Dotson, who has been sidelined for three games because of an ankle injury, would play against the Bears.
“We’re going to really push that thing and see how he feels with the optimism that there’s a good chance he makes it,” McVay said.
Tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) and defensive back Josh Wallace (ankle) also could return after sitting out the last two games, McVay said. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon reinjured his shoulder against the Panthers and will be placed on injured reserve.
While the Rams are preparing for Sunday’s game, defensive coordinator Chris Shula, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase will interview virtually with NFL teams hiring head coaches.
According to reports, Shula will interview for the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders head coaching jobs.
LaFleur will interview with the Cardinals and Raiders.
Scheelhaase will interview with the Cleveland Browns, Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.
“I’m not at all concerned about it being a distraction,” McVay said.
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The New England Patriots defended home turf in the Wild Card Round, dominating the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-3 victory to move on in the NFL Playoffs.
New England, winning its first playoff game since their 2018 Super Bowl-winning campaign, will await the victor of the No. 4 Houston Texans and No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card game on Monday night to see who they face in the Divisional Round next week.
This game saw its first touchdown in the fourth quarter, but that was because of how suffocating both defenses were in this contest. But it was clear the Patriots had every answer for Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense.
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Drake Maye of the New England Patriots celebrates after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Mike Vrabel’s squad shouldn’t have given up only three points, especially after Drake Maye was picked off on the Patriots’ second drive at his own 10-yard line. However, the Patriots’ defense was relentless all night, and the Chargers couldn’t adjust.
They stopped the Chargers on four plays to turn them over on downs, and ultimately got on the board first thanks to a 93-yard drive that resulted in a field goal.
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Los Angeles was knocking at the door again with a third-and-2 from New England’s three-yard line, but Kimani Vidal was stuffed. Cameron Dicker added a field goal to tie the game, and only another Patriots field goal was added to the score before halftime, a 6-3 lead for New England.
While the Chargers couldn’t get anything going on offense, their defense kept them in this game, at least for the first three quarters. Maye was strip-sacked by Odafe Oweh while in Chargers territory to keep it a three-point game in the third quarter.
But after another failed drive, a third Patriots field goal split the uprights to make it 9-3.
Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots talks to teammates in a huddle prior to an AFC wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The dagger for the Patriots came after yet another Chargers punt, when Maye placed his pass perfectly for tight end Hunter Henry, the ex-Chargers star, for a 28-yard touchdown. The first six-pointer for either team seemingly ended all hopes for Los Angeles.
On the ensuing drive, Herbert was crushed by K’Lavon Chaisson, resulting in a fumble recovered by Christian Elliss, as the Gillette Stadium crowd went ballistic.
The Chargers tried to get some playoff heroics going, as they dinked and dunked their way down the field into Patriots territory. But on fourth-and-9 from New England’s 34-yard line, Milton Williams ended all hope when he delivered the Patriots’ sixth sack on Herbert to turn them over on downs again.
In the box score, Maye went 17-of-29 through the air for 268 yards, with running back Rhamondre Stevenson being his top receiver with 75 yards on three catches. Kayshon Boutte also added 66 yards on four grabs, while Henry finished with 64 yards.
Drake Maye of the New England Patriots looks to pass prior to an NFL wild card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
And Maye was also the Patriots’ leading rusher with 67 yards on the ground on nine carries, as he continuously picked his spots to gash the Chargers’ defense.
For Los Angeles, Herbert’s playoff woes continue, as he’s now 0-3 after this performance. He had just 159 yards passing and 57 yards rushing.
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