Sports
Dodgers bullpen shows their 'pitch each other up' culture at critical Game 4 moment
Most fans from a sold-out crowd of 43,882 had filed out of Citi Field by the eighth inning Thursday night, the Dodgers pulling away in the final innings of a 10-2 National League Championship Series Game 4 victory over the New York Mets that moved them to within one win of the World Series.
But only two innings earlier, the joint was jumping, the chants of “Let’s go, Mets!” grew louder and louder, and the Mets, who had staged one dramatic comeback after another this month, were one big swing away from making it a one-run game.
Three batters later, the stadium went so quiet you could hear Grimace, the team’s unofficial mascot, crying in his purple fur, the Mets unable to put a dent in the nearly impenetrable back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen despite loading the bases with no outs.
“Oh yeah,” reliever Evan Phillips said, when asked if he noticed how quickly Citi Field went silent. “I think that was really deflating for them. For us to be able to stop that kind of momentum, even with the five-run lead, was huge.”
Phillips, who has not given up a run in 14⅓ innings over 11 playoff appearances dating to 2021, replaced starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the fifth and the Dodgers leading 5-2.
The right-hander, making his first NLCS appearance, struck out Mark Vientos, who had homered off Yamamoto in the first, with a 97-mph fastball and got Pete Alonso to ground into an inning-ending forceout.
The Dodgers pushed the lead to 7-2 in the sixth on Mookie Betts’ two-run homer, but the Mets threatened to take a huge chunk out of that cushion when Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte singled and J.D. Martinez walked to open the bottom of the sixth.
Pitching coach Mark Prior came to the mound to chat with Phillips, who probably didn’t need to be reminded of the two grand slams the Mets hit this postseason, one by Francisco Lindor in the division series-clinching win over Philadelphia, the other by Vientos in New York’s Game 2 win over the Dodgers.
Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips speaks with pitching coach Mark Prior during the sixth inning Thursday against the Mets.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“Mark coming out there gave me a second to just reset and reshift my focus back to what I need to do, which is execute pitches and get guys out,” Phillips said. “He didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, because we work really hard to have a good plan.
“The biggest thing was there were contact guys coming up, guys who it’s really hard to get swing-and-miss against, so just try to execute good pitches and hopefully come down on the right side of it.”
Phillips jumped ahead of Jose Iglesias with two strikes and the Mets second baseman whiffed at a 96-mph, up-and-away fastball.
Pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil fouled off four pitches before taking an 85-mph sweeper below the zone for a ball. Phillips then came up and in with a 95-mph sinker, and McNeil flied out to shallow center field, Nimmo holding at third.
With Phillips’ pitch count at 34, manager Dave Roberts summoned right-hander Blake Treinen to face pinch-hitter Jesse Winker, who put a charge into a 95-mph fastball and sent a line drive to the warning track in right field, where Betts made the inning-ending catch.
“It sounded pretty loud, but I think I missed the barrel just enough,” Treinen said. “I think the biggest thing in those situations is, don’t try to think about the what-ifs and just focus on who’s in the box. Try to execute your pitches.
“Certainly, I got away with one tonight against Winker. The bases were loaded, it was a 7-2 game, and if he had gotten into that one even better, it could have been a 7-6 game. But it wasn’t. I’m grateful we were able to put up a zero.”
Treinen, who missed most of the last two seasons because of shoulder injuries, threw a scoreless seventh to push his scoreless streak to 21⅓ innings dating to Aug. 24, 15⅓ innings over his last 15 regular-season games and six scoreless innings in five playoff games.
“Sounds like Blake Treinen, doesn’t it?” Phillips said. “It’s really great to see him kind of back to normal form. He’s someone that I respect a lot. He’s been through a tough couple years of injuries and trying to bounce back from that. And I think this year you’re starting to see, you know, a lot of those old feels come back for him.”
Phillips, Treinen and Michael Kopech have thrown most of the high-leverage innings, but the bullpen as a whole has given up just 12 earned runs in 45 innings of nine playoff games for a 2.40 earned-run average. Take away the five runs starter Landon Knack gave up in two relief innings in the Game 2 loss, and the bullpen ERA would be 1.47.
“The culture in the ‘pen is they just pitch each other up,” Roberts said. “Regardless of when they get the baseball, they’re ready when called upon, which is huge.”
A relief corps that also has gotten significant contributions from left-handers Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda and right-handers Daniel Hudson and Ryan Brasier has helped move the Dodgers to the brink of their 22nd World Series and fourth in eight seasons.
“What I love most about our group down there is we’re all in it together,” Phillips said. “It’s been really fun to watch each guy kind of have their piece in this postseason, handing off to one guy after another, in any situation. Our mentality is that when the phone rings, we just do our job and get outs.”
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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