LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ceddanne Rafaela homered for the third straight game and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Sunday night to sweep the three-game series.
Masataka Yoshida homered and drove in two runs, and Jake Bennett (7-4) allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings to help the Red Sox win their fifth straight game. Boston is 23-3 since July 3.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jake Bennett (64) throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu (52) runs home to score on a single hit by Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin, right, reacts after hitting an RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela is greeted by teammates after scoring on a single hit by Sox's designated hitter Masataka Yoshida during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Emmet Sheehan (4-8) was pulled after allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings, with the Red Sox pushing across two runs in a 30-pitch first inning.
Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu then clocked Sheehan for back-to-back homers to start the third inning, followed by Yoshida’s solo shot for a 5-3 lead two batters later.
Rafaela went 7 for 14 with four homers and five RBIs in the series. He has an eight-game hitting streak with four straight multi-hit outings.
Jarren Duran picked up Boston’s fourth solo homer in the sixth inning off reliever Kyle Hurt.
The Red Sox added two more runs in the eighth inning on a wild pitch and passed ball.
Andy Pages had three RBIs, but the Dodgers couldn’t follow up any momentum created by their blockbuster trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on Saturday night.
Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing was pulled out of the lineup shortly before the game started because of right arm irritation, with Eliezer Alfonzo taking over behind the plate.
Red Sox: LHP Patrick Sandoval (0-0, 3.32 ERA) was set to start the opener of a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.
Dodgers: LHP Justin Wrobleski (11-2, 2.88 ERA) could get the call in the first of three games at the Chicago Cubs on Monday night.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jake Bennett (64) throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Wilyer Abreu (52) runs home to score on a single hit by Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Caleb Durbin, right, reacts after hitting an RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Boston Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela is greeted by teammates after scoring on a single hit by Sox's designated hitter Masataka Yoshida during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
NEW DELHI (AP) — A thick blanket of smog shrouded India’s capital early Monday after firecrackers lit up the skies over New Delhi during Diwali celebrations, compounding dangerously high pollution levels and intensifying the seasonal air pollution crisis that grips the city every year.
Despite restrictions on fireworks, residents in New Delhi celebrated the Hindu festival of lights with firecrackers on Sunday evening, releasing smoke and fine particulate matter into the atmosphere. The Air Quality Index exceeded 350 in several parts of the capital on Monday morning, reaching the severe category and posing significant health risks.
Monitoring stations across the city recorded similarly alarming levels, while visibility deteriorated as a gray haze blanketed streets and high-rise buildings.
India’s Supreme Court in October had sought to limit Diwali pollution by restricting conventional firecrackers and allowing only approved “green firecrackers” under specified conditions for three-hour windows on Saturday and Sunday. The crackers produce fewer emissions but are not pollution-free. They still release particulate matter and other pollutants, adding to the city’s already hazardous air.
Isyad, a New Delhi resident who uses one name, said the worsening smog was taking a toll on his health.
“Because of the pollution there is irritation in the throat and itching in the eyes,” he said.
New Delhi and its metropolitan region, home to more than 30 million people, regularly rank among the world’s most polluted areas during winter. Pollution worsens as Diwali fireworks coincide with cooler weather and smoke from crop-residue fires in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.
After harvesting rice, farmers often burn leftover stalks to clear their fields for the next planting season. The smoke drifts toward New Delhi, adding to pollution from vehicles, industries, construction dust and other local sources.
The problem becomes particularly acute in late October and November, when cooler temperatures, low wind speeds and stagnant atmospheric conditions prevent pollutants from dispersing. The result is a thick haze that can linger over the capital and surrounding areas for days.
Authorities in New Delhi have implemented a set of measures to curb pollution, which include limits on construction activity and restrictions on diesel generators, while courts have sough restrictions on firecrackers. But the measures have not prevented the return of severe pollution each year.
Environmentalists say long-term solutions, such as cleaner energy and stricter controls on vehicle emissions, are needed to prevent the annual crisis.
Shweta Narayan, a public health expert at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, described the government’s response so far as “knee-jerk” and “temporary.”
“A lot of interventions happen only because the government is pressured or pushed in a corner to do something,” she said.
Associated Press journalist Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India, contributed to this report.
Security personnel walk through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People walk in front of India Gate, shrouded in thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations, in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A motor cyclist drives through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People walk through thick smog after firecrackers lit up the sky overnight during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
People light firecrackers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A man holds a sparkler while celebrating Diwali in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, as air pollution levels rise across the region. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Motorists navigate through heavy air pollution following Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Children play with sparklers and firecrackers to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in New Delhi, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) Photo made with smartphone.
A child celebrates after lighting firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
