Sports
These 10 ex-Dodgers are in the postseason. Who has the best shot at winning the World Series?
Trea Turner was a Dodgers star for a year and a half. Trey Sweeney was a Dodgers farmhand for a little more than an eyeblink.
Both shortstops are key cogs on teams eyeing a World Series title and perhaps spoiling the Dodgers’ dreams along the way.
Last season, J.D. Martinez and David Peralta were veteran bats and clubhouse leaders in Los Angeles. Now wearing other uniforms, they hope to advance deep into the postseason, something they were unable to do with the Dodgers.
Dodgers fans treat Manny Machado like a long lost villain, showering him with boos every time he returns to Chavez Ravine. Alex Verdugo was popular in L.A. and his trade netted the Dodgers Mookie Betts. Yet both present roadblocks in the Dodgers’ quest to win their first full-season championship since 1988. The Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 during the COVID-shortened season.
Those and other former Dodgers are sprinkled throughout rosters of teams still alive in the playoffs. Let’s take a look at each one:
Trey Sweeney, SS, Tigers: The 20th overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Yankees out of Eastern Illinois, Sweeney was stuck behind budding star Anthony Volpe and traded to the Dodgers last offseason for reliever Victor González and minor league infielder Jorbit Vivas.
Despite their clear void at shortstop last spring — Gavin Lux failed at the position, Betts took a crash course in playing there and Miguel Rojas was considered a part-time plug-in — the Dodgers never seriously considered Sweeney as an option. He was viewed as average in every phase of the game and exceptional at none.
The Detroit Tigers held him in higher regard, however, trading front-of-the-rotation starter Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers in July for Sweeney and minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo. Sweeney was promoted from triple-A on Aug. 16 to fill in for the hugely disappointing and overpaid Javier Báez, who is out for the season with a hip injury.
Sweeney has provided above-average defense and enough offense to justify his starting role. Meanwhile, Flaherty will be the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter Saturday in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
Zach McKinstry, IF/OF, Tigers: Another Dodgers castoff finding a home in Detroit is McKinstry, who has played shortstop, third base, second base and two outfield positions this season. He started at third and hit a double in the Tigers’ series-clinching wild-card win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
McKinstry, a 33rd-round pick out of Central Michigan in 2016, made a splash with the Dodgers early in 2021, filling in for the injured Cody Bellinger and Betts and impressing manager Dave Roberts, who said: “He’s kind of cut from that Chris Taylor cloth, where it doesn’t matter where he plays, he just wants to play, and he’ll figure it out and make the plays.”
After batting .303 with four homers and 14 runs batted in in his first 16 games that year, McKinstry bounced up and down between the Dodgers and triple-A until being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the 2022 July 30, deadline for reliever Chris Martin, who blossomed during his two months in L.A.
The Tigers acquired McKinstry before the 2023 season and he has proved to be a valuable utility man, playing every position except catcher — yes, he’s even mopped up on the mound on four occasions.
Kenta Maeda, RHP, Tigers: Maeda was a reliable starter from 2016 to 2019 with the Dodgers after coming over from Japan on an eight-year, $25-million contract. He finished second in Cy Young voting in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins and signed a two-year, $24-million contract with the Tigers despite coming off Tommy John surgery.
After a horrendous first half of this season as a starter, Maeda moved to the bullpen and was reasonably effective. However, he was left off the wild-card roster and it remains to be seen whether he will be activated for the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians. Maeda is under contract for $10 million in 2025.
Alex Verdugo, OF, Yankees: Picked by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Verdugo established himself as a proficient major league hitter as a rookie in 2019, batting .294 with 12 home runs in 343 at-bats.
Animated and exuberant, Verdugo was a fan favorite but was traded to the Boston Red Sox in the deal that brought Betts to L.A. He was solid, if not spectacular, in four years in Boston, batting .281 with a .762 OPS in about 2,000 plate appearances, before being traded to the Yankees last offseason.
After a strong start in the Bronx, Verdugo cooled, batting .227 since May 1 and losing his starting job in left field to top prospect Jasson Domínguez in September. Domínguez, however, had defensive lapses and batted only .179 in 18 games, and Verdugo could be in the lineup when the Yankees open the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
Tommy Kahnle, RHP, Yankees: Kahnle spent far more time in the training room and sitting at his locker playing video games than he did on the mound during his two seasons with the Dodgers. They signed him to a two-year, $4.75-million contract before the 2021 season knowing he’d miss that entire campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Injuries persisted, however, and in 2022, he pitched only 12 2/3 innings, albeit effectively. That short window prompted the Yankees to sign him to a two-year, $11.5-million deal, and he responded by posting a 2.40 earned-run average over 92 appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres: Machado was an inarguable superstar when the Dodgers acquired him from the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2018, only 25 years old and in the midst of his fourth consecutive 30-plus-home run season. He underperformed, however, especially in the postseason when the Dodgers lost to the Red Sox in the World Series.
Worse, he didn’t run out a ground ball, played with a smirk and explained himself thusly: “I’m not a player that’s going to be ‘Johnny Hustle.’ … That’s just not my personality. That’s not my cup of tea. That’s not who I am.”
Here he is, six years later, having performed in San Diego at a level that could eventually land him in Cooperstown. Still only 31, Machado has 1,900 hits, 342 home runs and 1,042 RBIs. What he doesn’t have is a World Series championship ring, and he and his Padres teammates must go through L.A. in the NLDS to take the next step.
David Peralta, OF, Padres: Peralta, 37, has long been admired as a professional hitter, a dangerous left-handed bat in the lineup or off the bench. With the Dodgers in 2023, he batted .259 with a career-low .294 on-base percentage and .675 OPS. With the Padres in 2024, he rebounded, batting .267 with a .335 OBP and .715 OPS.
He batted .288 with an OPS of .804 against right-handed starters this season, and all of the Dodgers’ starters are right-handed, so he might see some action.
Yu Darvish, SP, Padres: The enduring memory of Darvish as a Dodger is him getting shelled for four runs in the second inning of a Game 3 World Series loss to the Astros in 2017. Later it was revealed that the Astros were cheating, using technology at Minute Maid Park to steal the Dodgers’ signs.
Fast forward seven years and Darvish, 38, is still effective, winning his only three decisions in September after missing three months with a groin injury and a family emergency. The right-hander was 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts this season.
Trea Turner, SS, Phillies: Another brilliant trade deadline acquisition put Turner in a Dodgers uniform in the second half of the 2021 season and throughout 2022. Fans appreciated his uncommon blend of speed and power and his otherworldly slides, landing on red dirt as if it was a billowy cloud.
The Dodgers declined to offer Turner a monster free-agent contract, and he landed one with the Phillies to the tune of 11 years and $300 million. His first two years have gone pretty much as expected, and Turner is one of several exceptional players on a Phillies roster expected to make a serious push for a World Series title.
J.D. Martinez, DH, Mets: A productive designated hitter and stabilizing clubhouse force for the Dodgers in 2023, Martinez was unneeded the moment Shohei Ohtani chose to wear blue for the next 10 years. Martinez languished on the market until the Mets signed him to a one-year, $12-million deal less than a week before the season began.
His production took a steep dip from the 33 homers and 106 RBIs he posted with the Dodgers, and he was mired in an 0-for-36 slump only a few days ago. But Martinez had key hits in the waning days of the regular season and his RBI single helped the Mets win the first game of the wild-card series against the host Milwaukee Brewers.
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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Sports
Q&A: Partner, chance to play in Long Beach reignited AVP star Taylor Crabb’s Olympic fire
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.
Sports
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)
“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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