Sports
Freddie Freeman grand slam powers Dodgers to victory over Red Sox
Freddie Freeman provided the thunder in Dodger Stadium on Friday night, lining a grand slam into the right-field bullpen in the eighth inning to turn what looked like a desultory loss to the Boston Red Sox into a dramatic 4-1 victory in front of a crowd of 51,562.
But it was a web gem by a novice of a left fielder whose seventh-inning defensive gaffe nearly cost his team dearly that lit the spark for a comeback that the Dodgers hope sets a better tone for the second half.
Chavez Ravine was silent for most of the first seven innings, as Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta blanked the Dodgers on two hits with eight strikeouts and one walk through six and Boston reliever Zack Kelly threw a scoreless seventh. Boston held a 1-0 lead on the strength of Jarren Duran’s solo home run in the fifth.
The mood in the stadium dampened even more in the top of the seventh when Dominic Smith led off with a deep fly ball to the gap in left-center that Dodgers left fielder Miguel Vargas dropped when he cut in front of center fielder Andy Pages, who was calling for the ball, a play that was generously ruled a double.
Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia stiffened, striking out Ceddanne Rafaela with an 85-mph changeup, pinch-hitter Connor Wong with a 93-mph fastball and Duran with a 93-mph fastball to complete a 30-pitch inning and preserve the 1-0 deficit.
Vargas, an infielder who was moved to the outfield at triple A last summer, atoned for his miscue in the eighth when he raced in to catch a Rafael Devers fly ball and fired a throw to Freeman at first base to double off O’Neill, who did not go full speed back into the bag. The crowd finally began to stir.
“Yeah, we didn’t do much for the crowd to get into it tonight up to that point,” Freeman said. “I think the crowd was waiting for something to happen, and Vargy throwing that guy out kind of helped.”
Vargas then opened the bottom of the eighth with a walk, avoiding a full-count, 91-mph cut-fastball at his head from Kelly for ball four. Chris Taylor struck out, but Shohei Ohtani, who looked overmatched while striking out in his first three at-bats against Pivetta, sliced a one-out ground-rule double to left off left-hander Brennan Bernardino.
Will Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases for the left-handed-hitting Freeman, who hooked a down-and-in, 0-and-1 curveball over the right-field wall for his seventh career grand slam and a 4-1 lead, as chants of “Freddie! Freddie!” filled Chavez Ravine and Freeman came out for a curtain call.
Daniel Hudson gave up a single in a scoreless ninth for his fifth save, as the Dodgers, who lost six of seven games heading into the All-Star break, maintained their seven-game lead over Arizona in the National League West.
“One moment in time, one at-bat, I’ll take Freddie against anyone in any big spot, regardless of handedness,” manager Dave Roberts said. “They’re setting up a potential double-play ball [with the walk], they had the right-hander behind Bernardino, so I get it. It was good to be on the good side of that.”
Freddie Freeman celebrates while rounding first base after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning against Boston on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone rebounded from two rocky starts in which he gave up eight runs and 16 hits in 7⅔ innings to Arizona and Philadelphia to allow one run and six hits in five innings, striking out three and walking none, against the Red Sox.
His only blemish was a changeup that caught too much of the plate to Duran, the All-Star Game most valuable player who crushed his 11th homer of the season over the center-field wall in the fifth.
Stone’s outing halted a brutal stretch in which Dodgers starters gave up 56 earned runs and 84 hits, including 17 homers, in 61⅓ innings of 15 games before the All-Star break for an 8.22 ERA.
Stone pitched around Duran’s leadoff double in the first. He took a 113.6-mph comebacker off the bat of Devers off his right calf for an infield single that put two on with no outs in the fourth.
But he got Masataka Yoshida to fly to center field, O’Neill advancing to third, struck out Wilyer Abreu swinging at a 95-mph fastball and got Smith to ground out to shortstop, preserving the scoreless tie.
Boston threatened in the seventh when Vargas gifted Smith with a leadoff double, the second time this season a ball dropped on a near-collision between Vargas and Pages.
“I didn’t hear him — it was too loud,” Vargas said. “I have to respect his priority, too, so I take the whole responsibility for that.”
But Vargas made amends with his double play to end the eighth, getting an assist from shortstop Miguel Rojas, who deked O’Neill just enough at second base to delay the Red Sox runner’s retreat back to first.
“That was a weird play,” Rojas said. “You don’t see a lot of assists from the outfield like that. I saw him jogging back slowly, so I said, ‘Maybe I got him.’ ”
Freeman took it from there, the 15-year veteran’s eyes lighting up when Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to walk Smith intentionally to load the bases in the bottom of the eighth.
“It’s an opportunity to drive in runs — that’s all I care about,” Freeman said. “You can walk all the people you want. That’s part of the game. It’s strategy, a sinker-baller who can throw the sinker in. I could roll it over and hit into a double play. It’s the right move. But sometimes it doesn’t work.”
This one worked out well for the Dodgers, as Freeman delivered his fifth hit in nine at-bats with the bases loaded this season. He is 19 for 47 with the bases loaded in three seasons with the Dodgers.
“From the other dugout, it’s a no-win situation, pick your poison,” Roberts said. “That’s a tough one. It started because of Vargy getting on base and Shohei’s double, which kind of put the onus on the manager, A.C., to make a decision.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Seattle Seahawks locked down the top seed in the NFC playoffs and a strong path to the Super Bowl on Saturday night with a season finale win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Seattle also finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, clinching 14 wins for the first time ever.
The Seahawks held on to a 10-point victory despite outgaining the 49ers 363 yards to 173, and running 64 plays to San Francisco’s 42.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks fails to catch the ball against Ji’Ayir Brown #27 of the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL game on Jan. 3, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)
Seattle missed a field goal in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter to waste two red zone drives, but dominated on defense to prevent those missed opportunities from coming back to haunt them.
The 49ers wasted their best drive of the night as well when quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted at Seattle’s three-yard line in the fourth quarter facing a 10-point deficit, which seemingly secured the game for the Seahawks.
NFL WEEK 17 SCORES: AFC NORTH, NFC SOUTH UP FOR GRABS AS PLAYOFF PICTURE ALMOST COMPLETE
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, in his first season on the team, completed 20 passes on 26 attempts for 198 yards and helped set up the only touchdown of the entire game in the first quarter.
Darnold redeemed a disappointing Week-18 game for the Minnesota Vikings last season when he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards in a battle for the top seed against the Detroit Lions.
Darnold said “Learning from mistakes, and staying calm from the pocket,” made the difference in his performance Saturday compared to a year ago, in a postgame interview with ESPN.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of a game at Levi’s Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had just 127 yards with the late interception, and took a big hit on his final pass of the night, then took a while to get back up. He was eventually able to walk off the field, and Seattle ran the clock out.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
When it’s Harvey Kitani versus David Rebibo in a high school basketball coaching matchup, you know it’s going to be a defensive grind. They demand defensive production, so Rolling Hills Prep and Harvard-Westlake went at it for 32 minutes on Saturday night at St. Francis.
It took four consecutive free throws by Joe Sterling in the final 21 seconds for Harvard-Westlake (17-2) to hold on for a 50-46 victory. About the only mistake Rolling Hills Prep (13-5) made was choosing to foul Sterling, well known as a clutch free-throw shooter. But the Huskies had no choice after a three by Aaron Heinze got them to within 48-46 with 2.6 seconds left.
Sterling finished with 16 points. Pierce Thompson had 14 points and Dominique Bentho added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Nick Welch Jr. had a big game for Rolling Hills Prep with 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting. Carter Fulton added 10 points.
Santa Margarita 72, Fairfax 41: The Eagles (19-2) opened a 21-2 lead after the first quarter and cruised to victory at St. Francis. Brayden Kyman scored 21 points, Kaiden Bailey had 17 and Drew Anderson had 15.
St. Pius X-St. Matthias 67, JSerra 62: Kayleb Kearse finished with 27 points in the victory. Jaden Bailes had 30 points for JSerra.
Sierra Canyon 77, Phoenix St. Mary’s 45: The Trailblazers (13-1) tuned up for the start of Mission League play with a rout in Arizona. Brandon McCoy scored 18 points and Brannon Martinsen had 17.
Chaminade 70, Palos Verdes 44: Temi Olafisoye had 17 points for the 18-1 Eagles.
Thousand Oaks 53, Oak Park 46: The Lancers won their 16th consecutive game to stay unbeaten. Gabriel Chin had 14 points.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 67, Layton Christian (Utah) 64: NaVorro Bowman led the Knights (13-4) with 24 points. Josiah Nance added 16 points.
Bishop Montgomery 71, Palisades 68: Austin Kirksey had 24 points and Tarron Williams scored 22 points to help Bishop Montgomery improve to 15-2. Freshman Phillip Reed scored 24 points for Palisades.
Crespi 60, Modesto Christian 49: The Celts improved to 13-6.
St. John Bosco 62, Chandler (Ariz.) Basha 54: Christian Collins scored 31 points and Max Ellis had 22 for the Braves in a win in Arizona.
Mayfair 69, Cypress 56: Josiah Johnson’s 27 points helped Mayfair improve to 8-5.
Inglewood 98, Pasadena 97: Jason Crowe Jr. made the game-winning shot in overtime and finished with 51 points for Inglewood.
Girls basketball
Harvard-Westlake 51, Phoenix Desert Vista 39: Freshman Lucia Khamenia finished with 24 points for Harvard-Westlake.
Brentwood 59, Cardinal Newman 53: The Eagles improved to 9-4. Kelsey Sugar scored 24 points.
Saugus 57, Birmingham 52: Kayla Tanijiri had 16 points for Birmingham (13-3).
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Only one more week of the 2025 NFL regular season remains, as Week 17 brought about some more playoff implications and even 2026 NFL Draft key positions.
The biggest takeaway from the slate of Week 17 is that two divisions in the NFL — the AFC North and NFC South — will be determined by whoever wins key matchups in Week 18.
First, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers getting upset by the Cleveland Browns at home, as Aaron Rodgers couldn’t find Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a controversial game-ending play in the end zone. That loss sets up the AFC North title game between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, which is only possibly thanks to a road victory where Derrick Henry scored four touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, despite both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers losing their respective matchups, the NFL tiebreakers make their Week 18 bout the NFC South title game.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
And while everyone was focused on the NFL playoff picture, the two-game 4 o’clock slate gave us the New York Giants against the Las Vegas Raiders, the winner of which owning the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The Giants would’ve solidified the pick with a loss, but Jaxson Dart and the Giants’ offense blew out Geno Smith and the Raiders to relinquish the pick, which now belongs in Sin City.
NFL WEEK 16 SCORES: PLAYOFF PRESSURE LEADS TO THRILLING FINISHES ACROSS LEAGUE
Here’s how every NFL game played out:
THURSDAY, DEC. 25
– DALLAS COWBOYS 30, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 23
– MINNESOTA VIKINGS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10
– DENVER BRONCOS 20, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 13
Dak Prescott (4) of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after his team’s touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second quarter of a game at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
– HOUSTON TEXANS 20, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 16
– BALTIMORE RAVENS 41, GREEN BAY PACKERS 24
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
– CINCINNATI BENGALS 37, ARIZONA CARDINALS 14
– CLEVELAND BROWNS 13, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 7
– NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 34, TENNESSEE TITANS 26
– JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 23, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 17
– MIAMI DOLPHINS 20, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 17
– NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 42, NEW YORK JETS 10
– SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 27, CAROLINA PANTHERS 10
– NEW YORK GIANTS 34, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 10
– PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 13, BUFFALO BILLS 12
– SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-CHICAGO BEARS (TBD)
Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. The offer ends on Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)
MONDAY, DEC. 29
– LOS ANGELES RAMS-ATLANTA FALCONS (TBD)
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Minnesota faces funding deadline after Trump administration freezes childcare payments
San Antonio teen who vanished Christmas Eve found dead by suicide in nearby field after days-long search
What we know about the alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror suspect
Hochul orders NY landmarks, including One World Trade Center, lit green for Muslim American Heritage Month
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears: How to watch today’s NFL game, kickoff time, TV channel and more
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Crans Montana organises solemn march for the victims • FRANCE 24 English
Kamala Harris blasts Trump administration’s capture of Venezuela’s Maduro as ‘unlawful and unwise’
US Republicans back Trump on Venezuela amid faint MAGA dissent
Who is Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s leader after Maduro’s capture? | CNN
Trump says US will ‘run Venezuela’ after seizing President Maduro in military assault | BBC News
-
Entertainment1 week agoHow the Grinch went from a Yuletide bit player to a Christmas A-lister
-
Connecticut1 week agoSnow Accumulation Estimates Increase For CT: Here Are The County-By-County Projections
-
World6 days agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
World1 week agoSnoop Dogg, Lainey Wilson, Huntr/x and Andrea Bocelli Deliver Christmas-Themed Halftime Show for Netflix’s NFL Lions-Vikings Telecast
-
World1 week agoBest of 2025: Top five defining moments in the European Parliament