Don Mattingly hired as Miami Marlins manager: Report

The Miami Marlins have hired Don Mattingly to be their next manager, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not yet authorized to speak publicly.

Mattingly's  deal is for four years, according to the source. He will become the club's eighth manager since 2010. The Marlins are reportedly waiting until after the World Series to make a formal announcement, reported ViceSports.com.

Mattingly will move to Miami from Los Angeles, where the former Yankees star managed the Dodgers for the past five seasons. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria grew up in New York as a Yankees fan.

During his time in Los Angeles,  Mattingly guided the team through a bankruptcy filing and an ownership change, and led the club to a 446-363 record. Mattingly managed to keep his job when general manager Ned Colletti was replaced by Andrew Friedman last October, and he went on to lead the Dodgers to their third straight NL West title. 

But after a disappointing first round playoff exit, the Dodgers and Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways last week. Mattingly is still under contract with L.A. for another year, and the Dodgers said they would pay him the remaining money he is owed. It is not yet clear if the Dodgers will be paying part of his salary next season now that he has landed a new job. Los Angeles has not yet hired a manager to replace him.

It is also unclear if Mattingly will be taking his coaching staff from Los Angeles with him to Miami.

But Donnie Baseball will always have this little incident with Andre Ethier in the NLDS to carry with him:

@gbaumgaertner Here is a Vine of Andre Ethier respecting Don Mattingly: https://t.co/sGYambIo35

— Sebastian Shepard (@seb_shepard) October 22, 2015

Don Mattingly's testy answer to question about Dodgers future

Don Mattingly's team hadn't even hit the showers after the Dodgers were ousted by the Mets in the NLDS Thursday night when the manager was asked about his future in Los Angeles — a question which has been the subject of intense speculation on and off this season.

“Seriously, you’re asking me that now?” said Mattingly who declined any additional comment on his status under first-year president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

Mattingly, who is the first Dodgers manager to win three straight division titles and handled a lot of team issues and injuries all season, still has to wonder if the success of 162 games was enough to save his job.

“When you’re playing, we all expect to be back. … Donnie he expects to be back and every one here thinks he’ll be back managing this club,” said outfielder Andre Ethier who was involved in a dugout confrontation with the manager in the middle of the game.

Still, some wondered if the question was maybe just a little too soon.

Whoever asked Don Mattingly about his job security for next year in the post game presser should have his credentials permanently revoked.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) October 16, 2015

Mattingly has proven to be an excellent manager of players and a decent in-game manager. But the Dodgers' expectations once again ended short of a World Series and it has been that way since 1988.

And although Mattingly and Ethier both downplayed Thursday night's dugout clash, with the manager calling it "nothing between us," one has to wonder if that scene is just a prelude to Donnie Baseball's departure.

Trouble in the @Dodgers dugout? See Andre Eithier flip out on his own team. http://t.co/YG7aiDi5lV https://t.co/g5e7jsAtmw

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) October 16, 2015

While no Dodgers official has publicly spoken about the situation, the word around LA has been World Series or nothing.

And nothing it is.

Mother and son brutally beat Mets fan outside Dodger Stadium: Report

A mother and son brutally beat a Mets fan after Friday night’s playoff game at Dodger Stadium — a bashing so savage, a friend of the victim says it caused the man to lose part of his skull.

Los Angeles police are still looking for the suspects and were planning to interview the unidentified victim who was in critical but stable condition, according to abc7.com.

The fight broke out around 10:30 p.m. in a parking lot after the Dodgers lost the opening game of the National League Division Series to the New York Mets when an argument between fans quickly escalated into violence, said police.

It wasn't clear whether those involved were Dodgers fans.

Detectives with the robbery-homicide division were interviewing witnesses and reviewing stadium surveillance footage, said authorities.

“We believe that it is a son and a mother who are responsible for this assault,” LAPD chief Charlie Beck said. “We believe that the weapon used were hands and feet.”

Witnesses said the victim was set upon and fell on his head.

“Embarrassed to be a Dodger fan as my Mets fan friend is in the hospital missing a piece of his skull after being hit by a lowlife,” a friend of the Mets fan posted on Twitter.

"I walked closer and there was a gentleman on the floor and was bleeding profusely from the head," witness Maria Cerecer told KABC-TV. "We got free rally towels that night, so they were holding the rally towels to his head."

This isn't the first time security at Dodger Stadium has come under national scrutiny. In 2011 an attack in the parking lot on opening day left San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow with brain damage. 

Two men were later caught and imprisoned after pleading guilty to the assault.

Stow sued the Dodgers and their former owner Frank McCourt, saying they were to blame for the attack because of insufficient security and lighting. 

He was awarded nearly $18 million for the incident.

For the deciding Game 5 of the NDLS on Thursday back in LA, Beck promised that cops would be out in force at Dodger Stadium.

“Particularly with the tensions between the teams right now and the fans obviously there has been a significant amount of rivalry here,” he said. “We will be a presence [at Game 5], there will be a sea of [LAPD] blue.”

Dodgers ballboy tumbles over wall for foul ball, hangs head in shame (VIDEO)

Being a ballboy may look like a fun, simple job. Sitting near the baseline, watching the players close-up and wearing official team uniforms.

And this Los Angeles Dodgers BB apparently takes the job seriously and went tumbling over the third base wall after a wayward foul ball Sunday to prove it.

But, after failing to come up with the catch, he seems to be looking for a place to hide.



There's no shame in putting in the maximum effort my man. Just look at the Dodgers fan giving you props with a fist-pump salute.

Kershaw freezes out Trout in historic MVP matchup (VIDEO)

Never before had reigning league MVPs ever faced each other during the regular season. And this matchup had to have a winner. So score it Clayton Kershaw 1, Mike Trout 0.

VIDEO: Clayton Kershaw FREEZES Mike Trout in round 1 of MVP vs. MVP. http://t.co/zWD3bQi94y pic.twitter.com/mCrWEvOwtI

— theScore (@theScore) August 1, 2015

At Dodger Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Dodgers and Angels played a big game between the two playoff contenders, but the real subplot, not surprisingly, was the face-to-face between Kershaw and Trout.

And Kershaw retired Trout three times, striking him out once, like this, in the first inning:

Round 1 goes to the Southpaw. https://t.co/aKFld39Vdh #MVPvsMVP

— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2015

But not so fast claimed Angels fans after they saw this strange looking graphic. According to this Twitter post, Kershaw was about 1.1 inches out of the strike zone.

Call helps #Dodgers Strike 3 should be ball 2 Top 1 Kershaw vs Trout 28% call same 1.1in from edge pic.twitter.com/sfuVnfmACJ

— Dodgers Strike Zone (@DodgersUmp) August 1, 2015

Kershaw won the battle and the war, throwing eight two-hit innings, as the Dodgers beat the Angels 3-1. But maybe Trout will get a shot at redemption in a Freeway World Series?

Dodgers 'aggressively' trying to trade any outfielder ... except Puig: Report

The Dodgers are reportedly looking to create space on their roster and are "aggressively" trying to trade any of their outfielders ... any of them not named Yasiel Puig.

According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are looking to trade either Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, or Andre Ethier from their crowded outfield.  The team is also willing to include money in the deal to help teams supplement some of their significant contracts.

Kemp's availability is the most intriguing because his place on the trade market creates a excellent possibility for teams looking for a right-handed hitter with power. And this news comes as general managers made their way to Phoenix Sunday night and today for the beginning of the general manager meetings.

Sources: #Dodgers aggressively trying to move Kemp, Crawford or Ethier. Puig not in play.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014

#Dodgers' Kemp obviously drawing attention, but some teams prefer a left-handed hitter such as Ethier or Crawford.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014

Still, all three outfielders are under contract and owed a lot of money:

• Kemp: $21 million in 2015; $21.5 million every season between 2016-19
• Crawford: $20.5 million in 2015; $20.75 million in ’16 and $21 million in ’17
• Ethier: $18 million in 2015; $18 million in ’16, $17.5 million in ’17, and a $17.5 million club option in ’18 with a $2.5 million buyout

Additionally, all three outfielders are in their 30’s, and in the case of Kemp and Crawford, are injury-prone. Despite their obvious talent, acquiring one of the three will be a risk for any team.

J.P. Howell's incredible between-the-legs catch starts inning-ending 1-2-3 double (VIDEO)

The Dodgers were down two runs and the bases full of Cardinals when J.P. Howell made this incredible play in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS Monday night.

After giving up a Jon Jay single to load the bases, Kolten Wong lasered one back to the mound. The left-handed pitcher somehow managed to field the ball between his legs to start the inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.

Howell's spectacular play was for naught as the Cards held on to win, 3-1.

Cardinals induct Shelby Miller into bullpen with 'trust fall' (VIDEO)

The Cardinals moved Shelby Miller to the bullpen this weekend, and before Sunday's game against the Dodgers, the St. Louis relievers officially inducted the right-hander into their group by putting him through the "Fall of Trust."

Trust falls don't always go so well, and Miller's fall got started with a four-foot drop to boot. Luckily, this one seemed to end up all right.

No doubt the new member of the bullpen would have preferred the old tried-and-true hot-foot for his indoctrination.

Cardinals fan drops full beer from balcony onto women below (VIDEO)

A Cardinals fan unintentionally drops his full beer from a balcony and gives a couple of unsuspecting women below a frothy King of Beers shower during Saturday's game.

The good news. He's at Busch Stadium so there's plenty more brew where that came from.

Carl Crawford fakes out Phillies fans after catching final out (GIF)

You've seen it a zillion times. A player makes a catch to end the inning, then flips the ball into the stands and give some lucky fan a souvenir. 

Not this time.

Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford had another idea on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. He caught the final out of his team's 2-0 win over the Phillies and faked out the hometown fans as a visiting player.

Those are Phillies fans, Carl. Tread lightly.

Yasiel Puig comes out of nowhere to rob Mets on incredible diving catch (VIDEO)

Yasiel Puig comes out of nowhere and extends his body to make this outstanding catch on a fly ball to right-center robbing Wilmer Flores of a hit Thursday night. 

The Dodgers rightfielder even got a standing ovation from highlight-starved Mets fans at Citi Field for the amazing, diving, backhanded stab.

And the Mets also chimed in.

Wilmer just got Puig-ed.
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 22, 2014

Little Mets fan tries desperately to start last-out rally (VIDEO)

It was the bottom of the ninth in Tuesday night's Dodgers-Mets four-hour marathon. The Mets were down 9-4, with one out left before the few Mets fans remaining in Citi Field would do their sad shuffle for the No. 7 train.

But this little girl would not give up on her team, no matter how futile it seemed:

The young lady's range of expressions run from innocent passion to wild-eyed desperation and finally flapping her arms like she wanted to fly away.

Adorable but, at the same time, frightening.

Get used to it little Mets fan, it usually ends this way.

Dodger teammates turn Puig into human bobblehead (VIDEO)

Adrian Gonzalez and Juan Uribe had a little fun with Yasiel Puig in the Dodgers dugout during their five-run 6th inning Tuesday night.

While the Dodgers were handing out ceramic versions of Puig, his teammate's turned the real right fielder into a human bobblehead.

On second thought, it looks pretty painful.

Jeff Baker's walk-off double bounces off Yasiel Puig's face (VIDEO)

Yasiel Puig is used to putting his body on the line during a game (and real life) but on Sunday, his face came into play as well.

Puig crashed into the fence and took one to the puss during Jeff Baker’s walk-off double to cap the Marlins’ 5-4 win over the Dodgers.

It was a thrilling game before the bottom of the ninth. The Marlins took the lead three times, twice on Giancarlo Stanton home runs. The Dodgers tied it up all three times.

In the bottom of the ninth with the game knotted at four, Baker took the first pitch for a ball, then crushed a cutter out over the plate the opposite way. Puig raced to the right-field wall and attempted a leaping catch, but the ball missed his glove and caromed off the wall and into his left temple, allowing Adeiny Hechavarria to scamper home with the winning run as Puig and the ball dropped to the ground.

Game over.

Puig, who also appeared to hurt his left ankle on the way down, was attended to by Dodgers trainer Stan Conte in left field and walked off the field with his arm around Conte at least in part for support. However, a post-game concussion test was negative. The Dodgers say he is day-to-day.