Longtime Dodgers broadcaster and outfielder Rick Monday turned 80 on Thursday. One day earlier, he was presented with The Bob Feller Act of Valor Patriot Award in Washington D.C., an honor given by Feller’s foundation annually to “a former MLB player who demonstrates the Foundation’s 4 Pillars of Service, Sacrifice, Citizenship and Legacy.” Mark Langill at Dodger Insider has more.
Dodgers starting pitchers were the driving force to their championship run, including the entire rotation quartet of Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all pitching in Game 7 of the World Series. The team also used starters Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw, and Justin Wrobleski in relief roles in October. Wrote Joshua Rodrigues at Baseball Prospectus: “Starters are back, and nowhere is their impact more obvious than in October, when their flexibility and sheer quality swing entire series.”
Former Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp is among the 12 newcomers on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot. Here is Tyler Kepner’s annual look at the new names on the ballot, at The Athletic.