Good morning. The Dodgers’ season ended Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer put them up 4-0, and then Milwaukee scored the next six runs, finished the sweep and sent the Dodgers home without a third straight title. Miguel Rojas told the clubhouse it was his last game. In Las Vegas, Mark Stone scored a natural hat trick in a 6-2 win over Calgary. Tonight the Lakers close the preseason against Denver and the Ducks host Boston. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾ Swept. The Brewers erased a 4-0 deficit and beat the Dodgers 6-4 to reach the World Series — Fredo Cervantes at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ The end of an era. Arash Markazi on why this loss hurts more than the end of a three-peat chase — Arash Markazi at Dodger Stadium.
⚾ “This is it as a player.” Miguel Rojas announces his retirement — Arash Markazi at Dodger Stadium.
🏒 Hat trick. Mark Stone scored three in the third, and Vegas beat Calgary 6-2 — Steve Carp at T-Mobile Arena.
🏈 “A good kick in the gut.” Inside how McVay and Stafford keep the 2-3 Rams together — Eric Lambkins II at Rams Village.
🏀 Five straight. A’ja Wilson makes the WNBA All-Defensive First Team again — Derek Hegna in Las Vegas.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — THURSDAY
⚾ NLCS Game 4: Brewers 6, Dodgers 4 (Brewers win series 4-0)
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights 6, Flames 2
⚾ DODGERS SWEPT
For three innings, it looked like the Dodgers might at least push the series to Milwaukee. Dave Roberts moved Shohei Ohtani to leadoff, Ohtani hit a three-run homer to right, and the Dodgers led 4-0. Tyler Glasnow retired the first 10 hitters he faced.
Then it went the way the whole series went. Fredo Cervantes writes that Brice Turang walked in the fourth and William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back ground-rule doubles. Sal Frelick walked, stole second and scored on David Hamilton’s single in the fifth. Garrett Mitchell homered in the sixth, and Milwaukee led 5-4. Glasnow’s line: 4⅓ innings, three hits, four runs, two walks, six strikeouts. Hamilton added a homer off Edwin Díaz in the ninth.
The Dodgers had a runner on third in the sixth, seventh and eighth and didn’t score. In the eighth, Will Smith tripled, and Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández couldn’t bring him in.
“The train finally ran out of steam I guess,” Max Muncy said. “They were hitting on everything,” Glasnow said. The Brewers are in the World Series for the first time since 1982.
The end of something bigger. Arash Markazi writes that the Dodgers’ championship window is still open, but this group, which won three titles in five seasons and back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, has run its course. They had the oldest roster in baseball. Freddie Freeman turns 38 next season, Muncy 37, and Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández 35, and there’s a good chance Kiké Hernández doesn’t return. “Every single time you’re not the last team standing, it’s heartbreak and it’s failure,” Muncy said. Freeman on what comes next: “It’s not my job. I play first base.”
Rojas is done. Rojas began his career with the Dodgers in 2014, spent eight seasons in Miami and came back in 2023. He won two titles, including the 2025 championship that his ninth-inning homer in Game 7 against Toronto helped make possible. Roberts let him address the team one more time. “This is it as a player,” Rojas said. “The last four years here for me have changed my life.” He wants to stay with the organization on the coaching side.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Dodgers eliminated as Brewers complete NLCS sweep (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Dodgers’ historic three-peat dream is over, ending the team’s golden era (The Sporting Tribune)
› Arash Markazi: Miguel Rojas announces retirement after Brewers sweep Dodgers in NLCS (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏒 STONE’S THIRD PERIOD
Brett Howden scored 26 seconds in, off a Mitch Marner pass, and the Golden Knights never trailed. Steve Carp writes that Jack Eichel scored shorthanded for his fifth goal of the season and Braeden Bowman scored on the power play. Then Mark Stone scored three straight in the third period for a natural hat trick. Carter Hart was in net, and Calgary’s goals included a shorthanded one from Jacob Middleton.
“It’s just a matter of sticking with the program through its entirety,” Stone said. Vegas is 7-2 and leads the Pacific Division. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins come to T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
GO DEEPER
› Steve Carp: As expected, Knights take care of business in handling Flames, 6-2 (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Knights defeat Flames, 6-2, at T-Mobile Arena (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location.
🥞 Norms — two free buttermilk hotcakes from the Galaxy’s win over Portland. Redeem through NORMS Rewards in the app, online or in store. lahomewin.com lists the deadline as today at 7:47 p.m.
🥤 Mountain Dew — free 20-ounce Baja Blast from Ohtani’s 428-foot home run. Claim the wallet pass at bajablasthomeruns.com (up to five per season).
🍔 Jack in the Box — free Jumbo Jack with a large Coke, code GODODGERS26, after Dodgers pitchers struck out 10.
🏟️ TWO GAMES, ONE FRIDAY
Nuggets at Lakers at 7 on Spectrum SportsNet, the preseason finale. The Lakers blew a 20-point lead to Golden State in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The regular season starts next week.
Bruins at Ducks at 7 on Prime Video. The Ducks are 4-2-0 after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to Calgary, and they’re without Ryan Poehling, who is out 6-8 weeks with an MCL sprain.
Saturday: Penguins at Golden Knights, Bruins at Kings, San Diego FC at the Galaxy, and LAFC at NYCFC. Sunday: Cardinals at Rams, and Raiders vs. Bills.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
“Motion is lotion.” Eric Lambkins II goes inside how Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford keep the 2-3 Rams from cracking after a 178-play overtime loss to Buffalo that came down to one kick. “There’s no moral victories,” McVay said, but he called the block “a good kick in the gut” the team has to learn from. “He’s the coolest and most collected guy that I’ve been around,” Davante Adams said of Stafford. Arizona is next on Sunday.
The Raiders’ young corners. Derek Hegna writes that rookies Treydan Stukes and Hezekiah Masses have all four of the team’s interceptions, but both were beaten for touchdowns as New England piled up 536 yards. “We got to get better,” defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said. Josh Allen and the Bills are next.
A’ja Wilson, again. Wilson made the WNBA All-Defensive First Team for the fifth straight year after leading the league in blocks for a fifth straight season (1.9 a game). She passed Lauren Jackson for sixth all time in career blocks in August.
From 1-9 to CIF contender. Austin Montgomery profiles Agoura coach Dustin Croick, a former Agoura quarterback who took over a program coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons. It has won 27 games over the past three years and has a “Be Like Carter” game every season for Carter Jones, the freshman lineman who died in 2023. “It wasn’t about wins and losses anymore,” Croick said.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Lambkins II: Inside the Rams’ dark psychology of survival (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: The Raiders need their young defensive backs to keep their confidence (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: A’ja Wilson adds one more accolade to wrap up 2026 (The Sporting Tribune)
› Austin Montgomery: Dustin Croick built Agoura Football into a CIF title contender (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: USC Women’s Basketball Media Day at Galen Center (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
🏀 NBA (preseason): Nuggets at Lakers — Crypto.com Arena — 7:00 p.m. — Spectrum SportsNet
🏒 NHL: Bruins at Ducks — Honda Center — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
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🏀 Nuggets at Lakers — Crypto.com Arena — $30
🏒 Bruins at Ducks — Honda Center — $50
🌴 TST TRIVIA
The Dodgers were trying to become the first team in more than 25 years to win three straight World Series. Who was the last team to do it, and in which years?
Answer at the bottom.
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Trivia answer: The New York Yankees, who won three straight from 1998 to 2000.
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