Sports
Bus rides, watch parties and a new mindset: The edge fueling the Dodgers' playoff run
On the darkest night of their season last week, the Dodgers didn’t linger in their hushed home clubhouse.
The team had just been blown out in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. They’d lost their cool (and watched their home crowd do the same) in a 10-2 rout to the San Diego Padres. But rather than dwell on the disaster, they quickly packed team-branded duffel bags and boarded a charter bus waiting out in the parking lot.
With their season on the line, they were headed to San Diego.
And, this time, they decided as a team to all travel together.
Dodgers Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández celebrate after the team beat the Padres and won the NLDS series on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“For as long as I’ve been here, we’ve never taken a team bus to San Diego, ever,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said. “And that’s not a bad thing by any means. But us saying, ‘We’re all gonna ride a bus down there, no families, nothing else, just us on a bus,’ It was great.”
And as the Dodgers prepared to open their NL Championship Series against the New York Mets on Sunday, it served as one of the many little examples that ultimately helped them advance.
Entering the playoffs, the Dodgers tried to be different in their postseason process, with a player-driven emphasis on cliche traits like togetherness and team unity generating a more resilient, combative mindset.
During the past few seasons, the Dodgers have lacked such ingredients once they’ve reached October. In NLDS eliminations in 2022 and 2023, their inability to conjure a heightened level of intensity seemingly contributed to stunningly early exits.
“We haven’t had that edge,” Muncy said. “We haven’t had that attitude.”
So, as they embarked on a third-straight postseason that began with an awkward first-round bye week, players brainstormed ways to avoid that pitfall again.
The process started during the final week of the regular season, when Muncy, catcher Will Smith and shortstop Miguel Rojas concocted a plan to hold team watch parties at Dodger Stadium during the wild-card round; aiming to not only scout potential NLDS opponents as a group, but also spend more of their week off in one another’s presence.
“I think just talking with some of the other guys, the leaders, it was, ‘How can we stay in a rhythm?’ ” Smith said. “It’s hard to come out of a rhythm in baseball. We’re playing every day and all of a sudden we get a week off. So how can we stay in rhythm? Be at the field for a decent amount of time like we do in the season.”
It also bled into the way the Dodgers handled their team workouts during the five-day break, with players agreeing to stay at the ballpark until the end of each session.
“I think a lot of guys maybe got a little bit complacent with the bye week the last couple years,” Hudson said, using the word “informal” to describe the mood of their 2022 and 2023 preparation. “We came in this year and tried to make sure we didn’t do that again.”
Ideas for change, Muncy said, not only originated in the clubhouse, but were presented by players to front-office officials.
“What we did for the five days off, everything was constructed by the players,” Muncy said. “Instead of us saying, ‘What does the organization want us to do? What are we going to do for that?’ It was the players saying, ‘No, this is what we’re doing. This is how we’re going to do things as a team.’ That’s been 100% player-driven.”
The bus ride to San Diego became another prime example.
Typically, when the Dodgers head south for road games against the Padres, most players drive down Interstate 5 themselves with their families. While the team does offer a bus for those wary of battling traffic, “not a lot of people take it,” Kiké Hernández said.
But, in a postseason all about doing things differently, even something as small as a more unified travel schedule proved to have profound team-wide effects.
Rather than stew on the Game 2 loss individually, the Dodgers’ ride last week transformed into “a party bus for two hours,” Hernández recalled with a laugh.
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) celebrates on second base after hitting a third inning double in Game 4 of the NLDS at Petco Park.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“Especially,” he added, “when the driver is hauling ass and we make it to San Diego in an hour, 40 [minutes].”
To Muncy, it became something of a turning point in the series.
“We needed that,” he said, “to help us get over that shellacking we took in Game 2.”
The Dodgers didn’t win Game 3, but their near-comeback from an early five-run deficit showcased some fight they’d been missing in the past.
Before Game 4, their new approach was summed up in a blunt rallying cry delivered by Hernández.
“F— them all,” the 33-year-old repeatedly told his teammates.
“That’s the attitude we’ve had here,” Muncy added. “It’s just kind of who we’ve been this year.”
Two shutout wins later, the Dodgers clinched their first NLCS appearance since 2021. And as the team celebrated with a Champagne shower in the clubhouse, their internally stoked fire was evident in a string of expletive-filled answers.
“We have a lot of ‘F U’ in us,” Hernández said. “We’re all here together for one reason and one thing and one thing only. And that’s to win the World Series.”
To do that, the Dodgers will need to keep those flames burning in their series against the Mets.
Unlike the NLDS, when the Padres were the popular pick among online and television pundits, the Dodgers are now the consensus — or, at least, betting — favorites to win the league championship series and advance to the Fall Classic.
In past years, it’s the kind of situation in which they’ve failed to meet the moment. This time, however, they’re hoping their newfound edge can combat a similar collapse.
“We remember the last two early exits,” Hudson said. “And we want to put that behind us.”
“Usually, when people are in it together,” Hernández added, “good things tend to happen.”
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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Taylor Crabb is no stranger to South California beaches. The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.
It marks the first time AVP will compete in Long Beach since 2020 and allows players to compete at the 2028 Olympics beach volleyball venue.
Crabb, 34, made his AVP debut in 2013 with his brother, Trevor, and advanced from the qualifier in Manhattan Beach before finishing 25th in his first tournament.
After years of competing with various different partners, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh have delivered the top performances this AVP season.
The following interview with Crabb has been edited for clarity and length.
Are you excited to compete in this weekend’s event at Long Beach?
Crabb: Very excited. A lot of my college teammates and part of the school have reached out, saying that they’re gonna come. So I’m excited to get a chance to play in front of them again.
When was the last time you were in Long Beach?
Crabb: I always try to go down there for alumni events or any big games they have. I went to UCLA against Long Beach last year, when it was No. 1 versus No. 2, so I always try to get down there and support them.
You missed out on the chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions and chose not to pursue a spot at the 2024 Olympics. Are you fired up to try to compete in the 2028 Olympics, knowing that Long Beach will host the competition?
Crabb: Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting time having the Olympics in Long Beach, and we kind of get to break it in this weekend. As you said, Tokyo didn’t go the way I wanted, but I’m going full force now. I have a great partner in Andy Benesh, who obviously went to the Paris Olympics, and if it weren’t for the Olympics being in Long Beach, and me getting a partner like Andy, I’m not even sure I’d be going for it, but because of those two things, I want to make the most of it.
You mentioned that if it wasn’t for a partner like Andy, you wouldn’t be going for it. What do you mean by that?
Crabb: I didn’t feel motivated by playing in all the international events, but now, I think, sitting out kind of lit the fire under me, and I’m really motivated now.
You’ve had different partners throughout your time. What other motivation does Andy give you?
Crabb: He’s been, in my mind, the top blocker for the U.S. the last four or five years. Seeing the professionalism he brings every day to practice, on and off the court, while traveling and when showing up to tournaments, it rubs off on you and that’s really motivating to see. And I just want to make him proud.
Why do you love volleyball?
Crabb: A lot of reasons, but it’s just a feeling I have when I’m out there on the court. It feels natural. It feels like home. I was born into a volleyball family. I had a volleyball in my hands my entire life, so I’ve always just enjoyed it.
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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)
“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)
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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