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Bryan Cranston tries to get Dave Roberts to reveal Dodgers' Roki Sasaki plans: 'Don’t get me in trouble'

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Bryan Cranston tries to get Dave Roberts to reveal Dodgers' Roki Sasaki plans: 'Don’t get me in trouble'

Bryan Cranston is such a huge Dodgers fan that he got goosebumps in a Los Angeles studio six years ago while narrating an MLB Network documentary on the team’s 1988 season, which culminated with one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history, Kirk Gibson’s Game 1, pinch-hit, walk-off shot off Dennis Eckersley.

The 68-year-old actor of “Breaking Bad” and “Your Honor” fame was in Chavez Ravine in late-October for another stunning World Series homer, Freddie Freeman’s Game 1, 10th-inning walk-off grand slam that lifted the Dodgers to a 6-3 comeback victory over the New York Yankees and propelled them toward their eighth World Series title.

“That was the most exciting game I’ve ever been to,” said Cranston, a lifelong fan who was 5 years old when his father took him to his first Dodgers game in the Coliseum in 1961. “Complete strangers were hugging each other.”

Cranston was back in a Los Angeles studio on Thursday, this time to conduct a SiriusXM Town Hall interview with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, but before the four-time Emmy Award winner sat down to grill the two-time World Series-winning skipper, he artfully dodged a difficult question directed at him:

Will Freeman’s delirium-inducing drive in 2024 supplant Gibson’s lightning bolt in 1988 as the most dramatic postseason home run in Dodgers history?

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“Can’t they live side by side?” Cranston said after a long pause.

“Good answer,” Roberts said, impressed with the actor’s diplomacy.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, and actor Bryan Cranston.

(Los Angeles Dodgers)

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Cranston and Roberts then spent an hour discussing a season that began with a $1.2-billion splurge on two-way star Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow and ended with the Dodgers erasing a 5-0 fifth-inning deficit in a World Series Game-5 clinching win over the Yankees.

The interview, which was held before a small live audience, will air on MLB Network Radio on Friday (1 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. PST) and again on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Among the highlights:

Roberts on the dizzying array of pitching injuries that forced the Dodgers to use 17 different starters and 40 total pitchers: “Our organization does such a good job of scouting, developing, trading for guys and having depth, but there were a lot of guys, to be honest, who were on our roster who I had never heard of. I know you guys here today better than I knew some of these players who pitched for me this year.”

Roberts on the rare team meeting he called before a Sept. 15 game at Atlanta, the day after the Dodgers learned Glasnow suffered a season-ending elbow injury and a 10-1 loss to the Braves reduced their division lead over San Diego to 3½ games:

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“The crux of the meeting was, ‘I believe in each one of you guys, but it doesn’t matter, if you guys don’t believe in each other, that we have enough talent in this room to win 11 games in October.”

Roberts on the conversation he had that same afternoon with Walker Buehler, who took a 1-5 record and 5.95 ERA into a Sept. 15 start in which the right-hander, who returned from a second Tommy John surgery, gave up one earned run and three hits in six innings of a 9-2, season-turning win over the Braves.

“Walker was scuffling, but I told him, ‘You’ve pitched some of the most meaningful games in Dodgers history and succeeded. We need you to step up tonight and go on a heater, because if we don’t have you, we’re not gonna win the World Series.’ It was a challenge to raise the bar for all of us, and he answered the bell.”

Dave Roberts walks in the dugout before Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Oct. 30.

Dave Roberts walks in the dugout before Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Oct. 30.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Roberts on a testy 10-2 National League Division Series Game 2 loss to the Padres, in which pitcher Jack Flaherty and San Diego slugger Manny Machado jawed at each other several times and Machado drew the ire of the Dodgers when he flung a ball toward Roberts in the third-base dugout between innings:

“They wanted a street fight — I think we needed to turn into street fighters and kind of play their game. We needed to do something to balance out the playing field, and I felt that it sort of flipped after that.”

“It certainly did,” Cranston said. “The last two games [of the NLDS], your pitching staff allowed zero runs.”

Roberts on Freeman’s World Series grand slam: “That was the biggest moment for me that I’ve ever witnessed in person in sports. We celebrated after that hit like we had just won Game 7. I felt like we had won the World Series, and when you look back, that might have been when we won the World Series.”

Cranston then steered the interview toward 2025, asking Roberts how the Dodgers can improve next season.

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“The biggest thing we’ve done so far is sign Blake Snell,” Roberts said of the veteran left-hander who signed a five-year, $182-million deal in late-November. “We have Glasnow coming back, we’ve got Yoshinobu coming back …

“Sasaki,” Cranston interjected, referring to highly coveted 23-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki, who was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in November and is expected to sign with a major league team in January. “Sasaki.”

“Right,” Roberts said, “I can’t say anything about that.”

“Sasaki,” Cranston persisted.

“Don’t get me in trouble, Bryan,” Roberts said with a laugh.

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Japan pitcher Roki Sasaki pitches during the World Baseball Classic.

The Dodgers are among the teams trying to sign Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.

(Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

Roberts thinks the Dodgers, who hope to re-sign free-agent slugger Teoscar Hernández and add another impact reliever, “should be better” in 2025 than they were in 2024,” but he acknowledged that “it’s hard to ultimately be better than winning a world championship.”

If the Dodgers are to become the first team to repeat as champions since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998-2000, they will need the proper mindset and motivation, a subject Roberts discussed this week with Dodgers partial owner Magic Johnson, the star point guard who led the Lakers to five NBA titles from 1980-88.

“I really feel that the carrot, the incentive for our club, in 2025, is now you’re getting into legacy territory,” Roberts said. “I talked to Magic about legacy and [former Lakers coach] Pat Riley and what he instilled in those guys, the mindset. That’s something I’m going to try to [instill] in our guys because now we’re trying to do something that will last forever.”

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CM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam

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CM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam

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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.

Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”

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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)

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“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.

Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.

“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)

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Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.

Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.

Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.

Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)

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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.

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World Cup fans flock to In-N-Out, Erewhon and Trader Joe’s for a taste of California

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World Cup fans flock to In-N-Out, Erewhon and Trader Joe’s for a taste of California

World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.

As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.

In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.

It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.

Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.

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While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.

Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.

Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.

Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.

Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.

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One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.

“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.

Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.

A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.

There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.

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However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.

While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.

World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.

“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.

On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.

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The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.

“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”

For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.

As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.

“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”

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Shohei Ohtani ruled out of MLB All-Star Game as Dodgers plan to manage nagging injury

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Shohei Ohtani ruled out of MLB All-Star Game as Dodgers plan to manage nagging injury

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The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he will also miss the Midsummer Classic with what the team called left knee irritation.

Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become an All-Star Game fixture. He has earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.

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Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The two-way phenom is on his way to winning his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.

The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter up until the break, but he will “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”

Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.

It is certainly a big hit for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him out since late May.

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Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)

DODGERS WILL AGAIN VISIT WHITE HOUSE TO CELEBRATE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, OFFICIAL SAYS

Ohtani hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, a figure he also put up in 2022 that led the American League.

The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have 300-plus plate appearances and 40-plus innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he has more than excelled at both.

Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

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Ohtani is not hitting like he has in the past, but certainly the best pitching performance of his career will make up for it. He “only” has 20 homers and 56 RBI this season.

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