Half-filled duffle bags littered the floor of the Dodgers’ clubhouse Sunday afternoon while a jumble of suitcases stood inside the locker room door.

Sunday’s 3-1 matinee loss to the San Francisco Giants, a game which featured another late-inning bullpen meltdown, was the last chance to see the Dodgers at home during the regular season and 46,601 people brought tickets to mark the occasion, pushing the team’s attendance above 4 million for the first time.

But the vibe wasn’t so much “goodbye” and it was “we’ll be right back,” since the team and its fans are expecting to return to Dodger Stadium to open the National League playoffs next week. Even the retiring Clayton Kershaw made that point when he briefly addressed the crowd before the game.

“Remember, we’ve got another month left,” he said. “So we’ll see you at the end of October.”

Read more:Dodgers to reach 4-million fan milestone for the first time in team history

That may be a bit ambitious. But barring disaster — never count out the Dodgers’ bullpen — the team is guaranteed at least two more games at home this season. The Dodgers will hit the road Monday for their final six games of the regular season with a magic number at three, meaning any combination of Dodger wins and Padres losses totaling three will give the team its 12th West Division title in 13 years — and the Dodger Stadium playoff dates that go with it.

“Our head right now, to be honest, is on winning this division and going forward,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I just want to win the division and get to the postseason.”

The team missed a chance to move a big step closer to that goal Sunday when it wasted another brilliant performance from right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who held the Giants to a hit over seven innings, retiring 15 in a row at one point.

Sheehan, who didn’t allow a runner after hitting Andrew Knizner to open the third, matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts. But for the third time in four appearances that wasn’t good enough to get the win after reliever Blake Treinen gave up three eighth-inning runs to turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-1 loss.

And that left Roberts to once again profess his faith in a pitcher who has taken the loss in four of his last five appearances and given up 11 earned runs in his last 5 1/3 innings.

Read more:Clayton Kershaw delivers another ‘perfect’ L.A. moment as Dodgers clinch playoff berth

“I’ve got to trust what I’m seeing, and not solely bet on the person or track record,” Roberts said of Treinen, who is 0-5 with a 11.57 ERA in seven innings this month. “We all need to see a couple good outings but most importantly, I want to see his confidence up. And to be quite honest, I think that right now he’s just not as confident in himself as I am in him.

“The main thing is that we got to get that confidence back.”

That didn’t happen Sunday when his brief appearance turned a pitchers’ duel into batting practice.

Giants’ starter Trevor McDonald, who was making his first big-league start, nearly matched Sheehan through six innings before tiring in the seventh. Max Muncy opened the inning with a walk — the only one McDonald issued — and moved to second on a two-strike single to right by Andy Pages. Michael Conforto then looped the first pitch he saw into left field to score Muncy and end McDonald’s day after 89 pitches.

The Dodgers could get no more, however, with pinch-hitter Tommy Edman lining into a double play to end the inning. And that proved costly when Treinen (1-7) came out of the bullpen to give up three consecutive hits, the last a run-scoring double from pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey.

Three batters later, Willy Adames drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Giants the lead, an advantage they extended to 3-1 on Matt Chapman’s soft grounder to short.

The Dodgers went quietly after that, with a pair of Giant relievers holding them to just a hit over the two innings, spoiling the day for a sun-splashed crowd that made history by pushing the Dodgers’ home attendance to a franchise-record 4,012,470.

The Dodgers, who averaged 49,537 fans a game in 2025, have led the majors in attendance the last 12 years — excluding 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced teams to play behind closed doors. But the most they had drawn in a season previously was 3,974,309 in 2019.

The Dodgers are the fifth team to top 4 million, joining the Blue Jays, Rockies, Mets and Yankees, but the first to do so since 2008, when both New York teams did it. Colorado holds the major league record having sold 4,483,350 tickets during it inaugural season in 1993, when it played at an 80,000-seat football stadium.

“Like every season it’s been up and down, an emotional year. And for these fans to show up every day, it’s incredible,” Roberts said. “There’s a reason why I feel that we have the best fans in sports, and the numbers speak to it.”

The Dodgers rewarded that loyalty, with their 52 wins at home this season ranking second in the majors. What they weren’t able to do was clinch the division title in front of their fans.

Read more:Dodgers defeat Giants, but Will Smith’s playoff availability remains a concern

But if they can do that on the road this week, they’ll be right back home for at least two more games at Dodger Stadium in the playoffs.

Notes

Right-handers Brock Stewart and Roki Sasaki both pitched scoreless innings in relief for triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday in their final rehab appearances before the postseason roster is set. Stewart struck out one and gave up a hit, throwing nine of his 15 pitches for strikes. Sasaki did not allow a runner, striking out one of the three batters he faced and getting strikes on five of his eight pitches.

Both pitchers will join the team at the start of the road trip in Arizona, as will right-hander Brusdar Graterol, who threw a bullpen Sunday. It’s a sign of just how uncertain the Dodger reliever corps is that Graterol, who hasn’t pitched all season, is still a possibility for the postseason roster spot. Graterol made just seven regular-season appearances last year but pitched three times in the World Series.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ben Rice’s tiebreaking grand slam in the top of the 10th inning lifted the New York Yankees to a 7-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, keeping the pressure on first-place Toronto in the AL East.

New York remained two games behind the Blue Jays — who won at Kansas City — thanks to Rice, who had four hits and drove in five runs. His shot to right-center in the 10th off Keegan Akin broke a 1-all tie. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a solo homer and Anthony Volpe an RBI single before the inning was over.

Kade Strowd (0-1) took the loss after striking out the side in the ninth and walking Aaron Judge to start the 10th.

David Bednar (6-5), one of six relievers used by New York, got the win.

Samuel Basallo homered in the fifth for the Orioles, and Rice answered with an RBI single the following inning.

Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish allowed a run and two hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.

New York rookie Cam Schlittler permitted a run and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Key moment

Immediately before the grand slam, Rice hit a dribbler toward third base that rolled just foul. That would have scored one run had it stayed fair, but it would have also been an easy force play at third for the Orioles. Given another chance, Rice cleared the bases.

Key stat

It was the ninth grand slam of the year for the Yankees, tying Arizona for the major league lead.

Up next

Both teams are off Monday. The Yankees send Luis Gil (4-1) to the mound Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox. Baltimore begins a home series against Tampa Bay.

By losing again Sunday and dropping their crucial three-game series to the lowly Washington Nationals, the Mets now find themselves in a tough spot with six games left to play in the regular season.

They are currently tied with the Cincinnati Reds, who completed a four-game sweep of Chicago Cubs on Sunday, for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. But the Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets by winning the regular season series and would make the playoffs if the two teams finished with the same record.

Knowing what’s at stake in the coming week, Carlos Mendoza said the club needs to do everything it can during this final stretch.

“We got to keep going,” Mendoza said. “We got six more and a lot can happen. That’s where we’re at.”

The manager is still confident in his players, believing they are often “one hit away” and adding that anything “could happen.”

“You look at the talent there, we’re one hit away, making one play, making one pitch. We’re close,” Mendoza said. “We just haven’t be able to get that last hit like I said, to make that play when we need to, or to execute a pitch. It could happen.”

Sean Manaea added: “Just looking around at everyone in the room, I feel like the veteran guys have been in this situation before. Maybe not the exact situation, but we’ve been in some precarious situations before. The young guys have been stepping up. I think combination of that is good. I think if anyone can do it, it’s us.”

Acknowledging that where the team is in the standings is on them, Francisco Lindor said it’s their responsibility to figure out a way to win.

“It comes down to winning,” Lindor said. “We’ve put ourselves in this position, so we’ve got to find a way to get out of it. And that comes down to winning. We just got to win ballgames.”

Brandon Nimmo shared a similar message about the position the team is in, saying they need to “pick ourselves back up” and “put it all together.”

“It’s been happening right in front of our eyes, so yeah, I can definitely believe it,” Nimmo said. “We’re down to the last week of the season and our playoff hopes are in front of us. We’ve got to play winning baseball and put it all together.

“It’s come and gone during the season, so we just need to pick ourselves back up and win some games down the stretch here.”

The Mets are off Monday and then begin a three-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday and then finish the regular season in Miami against the Marlins over the weekend. Their odds to make the postseason are currently at 63.2 percent, with the Reds at 31.5 percent, per ESPN.

The Toronto Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth with an 8-5 win versus the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Blue Jays and made them the first American League team to earn a playoff bid this season. 

An AL East title, which would be the franchise’s first since 2015, is also within reach. Toronto (90-66) holds a two-game lead over the New York Yankees (87-68) with six games remaining in the regular season. The Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-1, on Sunday to stay alive in the division race. 

Toronto opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI single by Andrés Giménez. That was followed by a safety squeeze bunt from Tyler Heineman that brought in another run and a run-scoring double by George Springer. 

[Get more Blue Jays news: Toronto team feed]

The Royals cut their deficit to 3-2 in the fourth inning on a 2-run single from Carter Jensen. The Blue Jays responded in the fifth with singles by Heineman and Daulton Varsho, who were both driven in on a double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero came around to score on a follow-up double from Addison Barger. All six Toronto runs were charged to Royals starter Michael Wacha. 

Kansas City scored two runs in the bottom of the frame on consecutive RBI singles by Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez. The Royals then cut Toronto’s lead to 6-5 in the sixth on a triple from Jac Caglianone and pinch-hit single by Randal Grichuk. But the Blue Jays put the game away with two runs in the eighth on an Ernie Clement RBI single and Giménez triple. 

Giménez and Guerrero each drove in two runs, hitting a combined 3-for-9. That was enough to overcome a rough start by Trey Yesavage, who struggled after an impressive MLB debut last Monday. The rookie allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings. He struck out two after notching nine strikeouts in his previous start. 

The Blue Jays finish the season with a six-game homestand against the Boston Red Sox (also in line for a wild-card spot at 85-70) and Tampa Bay Rays (75-80). The Yankees’ final six games are against the last-place Orioles (73-82) and Chicago White Sox (58-98). 

The Toronto Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth with an 8-5 win versus the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Blue Jays and made them the first American League team to earn a playoff bid this season. 

An AL East title, which would be the franchise’s first since 2015, is also within reach. Toronto (90-66) holds a two-game lead over the New York Yankees (87-68) with six games remaining in the regular season. The Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles, 7-1, on Sunday to stay alive in the division race. 

Toronto opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI single by Andrés Giménez. That was followed by a safety squeeze bunt from Tyler Heineman that brought in another run and a run-scoring double by George Springer. 

[Get more Blue Jays news: Toronto team feed]

The Royals cut their deficit to 3-2 in the fourth inning on a 2-run single from Carter Jensen. The Blue Jays responded in the fifth with singles by Heineman and Daulton Varsho, who were both driven in on a double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero came around to score on a follow-up double from Addison Barger. All six Toronto runs were charged to Royals starter Michael Wacha. 

Kansas City scored two runs in the bottom of the frame on consecutive RBI singles by Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez. The Royals then cut Toronto’s lead to 6-5 in the sixth on a triple from Jac Caglianone and pinch-hit single by Randal Grichuk. But the Blue Jays put the game away with two runs in the eighth on an Ernie Clement RBI single and Giménez triple. 

Giménez and Guerrero each drove in two runs, hitting a combined 3-for-9. That was enough to overcome a rough start by Trey Yesavage, who struggled after an impressive MLB debut last Monday. The rookie allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings. He struck out two after notching nine strikeouts in his previous start. 

The Blue Jays finish the season with a six-game homestand against the Boston Red Sox (also in line for a wild-card spot at 85-70) and Tampa Bay Rays (75-80). The Yankees’ final six games are against the last-place Orioles (73-82) and Chicago White Sox (58-98). 

Many people have a fond memory of playing catch with someone special — a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a lifelong friend.

A fan who sat 485 feet from home plate at Coors Field on Saturday probably never dreamed he’d be doing so with a future Hall of Famer.

But thanks to his quick thinking, the fan, whose first name reportedly is Alberto, boldly asked Mike Trout for the favor after the Angels defeated the Colorado Rockies 3-0.

What a cool request! Trout had already agreed to give Alberto — who attended the game with his wife and two children — three signed bats and two signed baseballs in exchange for the ball he crushed.

While Trout signed the balls and bats in the dugout long after the game had ended, Alberto politely asked him while making a throwing motion with his right arm, “You mind if we play catch with a ball on the field?” the three-time American League Most Valuable Player didn’t hesitate, saying, “Yeah, you want to do it?” Alberto grabbed his glove.

The fan who caught and returned Mike Trout’s 400th home run ball had one small request from the 3-time MVP.

He wanted to play catch with him 🥹 pic.twitter.com/V37cWuawXr

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2025

A post on the MLB.com X account shows Alberto tossing the ball back and forth to Trout, who catches it with his bare hands while wearing his cap backward. At one point, Trout says something to Alberto’s young son, who is watching in awe.

And no wonder. Shortly before Trout hit No. 400, Alberto told Trout he’d turned to his son and said, “He’s got a lot of power.” No kidding, enough to drive the ball deep into the left-center field stands. Alberto caught the blast with his bare hands.

It was Trout’s third home run of at least 485 feet since Statcast began tracking long balls in 2015, the most of any player. The 34-year old outfielder in his 15th season became the 59th MLB player to reach 400 homers and the 20th to hit them all with one franchise.

The No. 400 ball clearly had more monetary value than the signed balls and bats, but nowhere near the value of a career 500 home run ball or, say, the home run the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit to win Game 1 of the 2024 World Series — which was sold at auction for $1.56 million.

Read more:Shaikin: Mike Trout hit his 400th career home run. Here’s an appreciation, not a lament

The home run was meaningful to Trout, who admitted to feeling pressure as he approached the milestone. It was only his second long ball since Aug. 7.

He also recognized that catching the ball and returning it to the player who belted it was meaningful to Alberto, who likely has already done what dads do — play catch with his children.

“Once they get older and realize, that’ll be an awesome memory for the dad to tell the kids, to experience that,” Trout told reporters. “I know how I felt when I went to a ballgame with my dad.”

Read more:Kid makes family more than $1 million after Freddie Freeman grand slam ball he caught sells

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets lost 3-2 to the Washington Nationals on Sunday at Citi Field, and in doing so, also lost the series 2-1 against a team with a record of 64-92, the second-worst in the National League.

On Sunday the Mets fell behind 3-0 in the second inning and couldn’t put together a comeback against the pitching staff with a 5.33 ERA, the second-worst in the majors.

Here are the takeaways…

— The blame for the loss has to fall mainly on the offense, but maybe the Mets should have stayed with what worked last time regarding their piggybacking plan.

They flip-flopped Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes, opting to start Manaea because of the Nationals’ lefty hitters at the top of the lineup, and it backfired. The left-hander gave up three runs in the second inning, two on light-hitting Nasim Nuñez’s home run to left field.

Overall Manaea didn’t look sharp, and Carlos Mendoza was quick to pull him with no outs in the fourth when Robert Hassell reached on Pete Alonso’s error at 1B. For the day, Manaea threw only 50 pitches, allowing four hits and no walks, while striking out three.

It had to be disappointing for the Mets because Manaea had given reason to believe he’d turned a corner of sorts, pitching well after his talk in the tunnel two starts ago with Mendoza.

Holmes did pitch well as the back half of the piggyback plan, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings.

— There was plenty of reason to think the Mets’ offense would have a big day. Starter Jake Irvin has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball in recent weeks, at least statistically. In his seven previous starts before Sunday he had a 9.36 ERA, having given up 34 earned runs. He also had a road ERA for the season of 6.15.

And though Irvin had pitched well against the Mets in D.C., he was 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA at Citi Field. Yet the Mets managed only two runs against the right-hander in 5 1/3 innings.

Even so, the Nationals needed 11 outs from their bullpen, which started the day with worst bullpen ERA in the majors, at 5.60.

— The Mets made all sorts of mistakes early that contributed to falling behind.

In the first inning, Juan Soto was picked off first as he tried to get an early running start on a steal attempt. In the second, Francisco Lindor made a bad throw that contributed to the Nationals’ three-run rally.

In the third, lack of awareness on the bases by Cedric Mullins proved costly. With Luis Torrens on second, Mullins’ fly ball down the line at first appeared to be caught by left fielder Daylen Lile going into the wall, but the ball fell out of his glove as he hit the ground. The ball was in plain sight on the ground, as Lile writhed in pain from a knee injury, and Torrens came around to score.

However, Mullins stood near first base, seemingly thinking the ball had been caught, even while watching Torrens score. He only ran to second when teammates yelled at him from the dugout, and by then umpires he called timeout due to Lile’s injury. Had he kept running he would have been allowed to stay at second, and that proved costly when he was doubled off first base on Lindor’s line drive to Josh Bell. It looked worse when Soto followed with a double to the right field corner.

In addition, Alonso made an error on a routine ground ball in the fourth inning, and though it didn’t cost the Mets a run, it continued their trend in recent days of playing sloppy baseball.

Game MVP: Nasim Nuñez

The Nationals’ backup shortstop came into the game hitting .185 with two career home runs in 151 plate appearances, but he hammered a fastball from Manaea over the left field wall for an early 3-0 lead that stood up.

Highlights

Sean Manaea ends the first inning with a strikeout! pic.twitter.com/SOOTw7p9mF

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Pete Alonso got a nice hand before his first at-bat of the game in the Mets’ last regular-season home game of the year at Citi Field pic.twitter.com/pVoDwy8WPQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

The Mets are on the board as Luis Torrens scored after Daylen Lile collided with the side wall on Cedric Mullins’ fly ball.

Mullins was tagged out at second but time was called on the field and the umpires returned Mullins to first. pic.twitter.com/KTaarr81Rv

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Luis Torrens throws out Brady House trying to steal second pic.twitter.com/iSdCG2Op9U

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Two strikeouts for Clay Holmes in the inning pic.twitter.com/K5TTY2nzZ7

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Francisco Lindor’s 28th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/3K5X1GsF2m

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Mark Vientos has been ejected from the game pic.twitter.com/4CCEahw9jG

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Two strikeouts for Gregory Soto in a scoreless 8th inning! pic.twitter.com/kiPyfvs67J

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

Pete Alonso gets a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd as he’s replaced for a pinch-runner in the 8th pic.twitter.com/ecBiCdhJzF

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025

What’s next

The Mets head to Chicago for a crucial three-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. on SNY.

David Peterson (9-6, 3.98 ERA) is scheduled to start against Cade Horton (11-4, 2.66 ERA).

Ending the season on a high note, Mets prospects Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, and Carson Benge all homered for Triple-A Syracuse (77-73) on Sunday in a 9-0 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Williams blasted his seventh home run at the Triple-A level in the top of the third inning, giving Syracuse a 2-0 lead. 

Joining in on the fun, Clifford and Benge went back-to-back in the top of the sixth inning to go up 5-0. Luke Ritter and Kevin Parada also homered in the win. 

Williams, the No. 1 prospect in SNY’s midseason rankings, finished his 2025 with a total of 17 homers, 10 coming in Double-A.

He slashed .281/.390/.477 with 29 doubles, five triples, and 37 RBI over 94 games in Double-A, earning a promotion in the middle of August. In addition to the seven homers in 34 games with Syracuse, Williams also recorded five doubles and two triples with 15 RBI. He hit .209 with a .718 OPS in Triple-A.

Clifford, SNY’s No. 6 prospect, ends his 2025 season with 29 total home runs, 24 of them coming in Double-A, and 93 total RBI. He made the jump from Double-A to Triple-A at the same time as Williams and Benge after posting an .848 OPS with Binghamton. 

Benge, viewed as the No. 3 prospect, racked up 15 home runs in his first full professional season across all three levels of the minor leagues. He dominated Single-A with a .302 average over 60 games and was quickly promoted to Double-A at the end of June. The 22-year-old kept it going with a .317 average over 32 games with Binghamton before his August promotion to Triple-A.

Tyrone Taylor, playing in his second rehab game with Syracuse while recovering from a hamstring strain, went 1-for-5 with an RBI-single in the seventh inning. Carlos Mendoza said prior to Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals that the team would make a decision on the next steps for Taylor after he played.

Highlights

Jett Williams hits a solo home run for Triple-A Syracuse! pic.twitter.com/i3Zu45JUqb

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 21, 2025

Ryan Clifford closes out the season with another home run! pic.twitter.com/3x8f4OW30c

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) September 21, 2025

A towering home run for Carson Benge 💣 pic.twitter.com/yBKHpsamov

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 21, 2025

Tyrone Taylor hits an RBI single for Triple-A Syracuse! pic.twitter.com/OnhdFyj5MV

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 21, 2025