Sports
Gavin Stone reprises his early-season form, striking out 10 in Dodgers' shutout win
On a day the Dodgers welcomed a host of reinforcements back to their lineup, they might have witnessed the return of Gavin Stone, as well.
In a 3-0 defeat of the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, the Dodgers fielded a (mostly) full-strength offense, getting Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Tommy Edman back from injuries in what was their most complete-looking lineup since early this season.
However, it was the once-slumping Stone whose reemergence looked brightest.
A rookie sensation in the first half of the season who had struggled to limit contact or induce swing-and-miss in his last seven outings (when he had a 6.12 ERA and only one outing of at least six innings), Stone rediscovered his early-season form Monday, pitching seven scoreless innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
“Yeah, definitely [my best start] since the All-Star break,” the 25-year-old right-hander said. “Just cleaning up some things, cleaning up the delivery.”
Facing a Mariners offense that entered the night ranked last in the majors in both batting average and strikeouts, Stone did exactly what he was supposed to against Seattle’s light-hitting lineup.
He pounded the strike zone (first-pitch strikes to 18 of 24 batters, and on 59 of 90 pitches overall). And he dared the Mariners to hit him, giving up only two singles (and two walks) en route to his best start since a shutout of the Chicago White Sox in late June.
Max Muncy, left, celebrates with Teoscar Hernández after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Mariners on Monday.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
“Getting ahead definitely was key,” said Stone, who has a 3.44 ERA in a team-high 23 starts. “They’re a team that swings a lot, so getting ahead was huge.”
The Dodgers (74-52) needed every bit of it too.
Despite fielding their healthiest lineup since opening day, in manager Dave Roberts’ estimation, the team was blanked through six innings by young Seattle starter Bryan Woo, posing few threats even with Freeman (who returned from a one-game absence with a finger fracture), Muncy (back from an oblique injury that sidelined him since May) and Edman (a key trade deadline acquisition playing his first game this year after offseason wrist surgery and a mid-summer ankle sprain).
Only in the bottom of the seventh — moments after Stone narrowly escaped his one true jam with the help of a leaping catch by Freeman at first — did the Dodgers’ bats finally come alive.
Gavin Lux opened the scoring with an opposite-field home run, continuing his second-half tear with his sixth home run since the All-Star break (he only had three prior).
Muncy then punctuated his return with a two-run shot to right, providing the kind of bottom-of-the-order punch (he was batting seventh) the Dodgers have sorely lacked for much of the season.
“It’s been a couple months since I got a hit, so, you know, it felt good,” Muncy said with a grin after the game. “But the biggest thing to me was just getting a good result … Just getting a good swing off on a pitch that’s in the zone, that’s something that you can build off.”
For one night, it all added up to a recipe the Dodgers will need to replicate in October.
A strong starting pitching performance. Timely offense from a well-rounded lineup. And, for the eighth time in their last 11 games, a win — one that kept the Dodgers’ NL West lead to three games over the San Diego Padres and four games over the Arizona Diamondbacks (both division rivals were victorious Monday), and moved them back into a virtual tie with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the National League.
“That’s kind of what we [envisioned when we] put this roster together,” Roberts said. “We finally get a chance to see it.”
And, just as importantly, they saw glimpses of Stone’s old dominance on display once again, as well.
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.
The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
She will be presented with a framed jersey.
Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.
Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”
Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game
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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games.
The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.
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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.
But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.
The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.
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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.
There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.
Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.
How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
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