Dodgers eying a 3rd straight World Series title as NLDS opener nears

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman and Emmet Sheehan yawned. Manager Dave Roberts wore shorts to batting practice. The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing it cool as they head into the postseason with history at stake.

They're trying to become the first team since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 to win three consecutive World Series championships, and the first National League club to ever do it.

They'll leave the sky-high expectations to everyone else.

“It's not something we're really focused on,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “When you talk about three-peating, you're putting that extra pressure on it that doesn't need to be there. Winning a World Series is already hard enough as it is.”

The Dodgers played a simulated game Thursday with the deciding game of the NL Wild Card Series between Philadelphia and Atlanta shown on the stadium video boards. The Braves beat the Phillies 6-2 and will play at Los Angeles in Game 1 of the best-of-five NL Division Series on Saturday, when the temperature is forecast to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) for the day game.

“You’re facing a team that’s already been through the fire and they’ve faced the emotion,” Muncy said.

The Dodgers have spent the bye week getting healthy while mixing in live batting practice, hitting in the cage and simulated games in a mostly silent stadium. Other than walk-up songs, the only sounds were the crack of the bat, guys hooting from the dugouts and outfielders yelling to signal they'd handle a fly ball.

Freeman used the down time to focus on getting his swing mechanics right while managing a right knee issue. The 37-year-old first baseman's plan included taking 400 swings “hopefully to kick out the bad habits,” he said.

Freeman doubled against Tyler Glasnow leading off Thursday's simulated game.

“I truly feel good right now physically and it's on me right now to figure out the mechanics of the swing,” he said. “I have no pain in my knee right now.”

Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani has struggled with nagging right biceps and left knee issues for weeks. His knee shut him down from pitching and his arm recently landed him on the injured list for the first time with the Dodgers. He returned in time to play in five games at the end of the season.

Which version of Ohtani the Dodgers get in the NLDS remains to be seen; however, Roberts said he's “feeling great physically. His swings are overall in a great place.”

The Dodgers' lineup of position players is the oldest in the majors, led by 37-year-old infielder Miguel Rojas, Freeman and 35-year-old Muncy. Ohtani is 32. Reliever Blake Treinen is 38, but will miss the postseason after getting hurt last weekend.

“I think experience is going to be huge,” Freeman said. “We know what it takes.”

At the same time, the Dodgers can't afford to get ahead of themselves.

“If you think big picture in this moment, you’re going to lose sight of things,” Freeman said.

https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman yawns during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts, right, and Josue de Paula chat during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan yawns during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, left, talks with manager Dave Roberts during practice ahead of a baseball NL Division Series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Hedman is back playing hockey, and the Tampa Bay Lightning captain hopes the trying times he went through over the past 10 months will benefit him down the road.

Hedman on Thursday night played his first NHL game that counts since stepping away in March to address his mental health. The well-respected Swedish defenseman also missed time last season with an elbow injury and subsequent surgery.

“Last year was hopefully a blip on the radar,” Hedman said ahead of playing 17 minutes, 45 seconds at the New York Rangers in Tampa Bay's season opener. “When you play 33 games, it was a tough year in that regard. At the same time, maybe a blessing, too. Feeling excited and energized.”

Hedman, who is less than three months away from turning 36, shed significant weight since the spring. He starts his 18th season in the league at 228 pounds, 18 lighter than he played his 17th at 244 — a conscious effort to get lighter as he ages.

“As you get older, the less mass you have to move around, the faster you feel,” Hedman said. “I don’t think I lost any power or strength in that regard. I’m still quite heavy for this league, so boxing out and winning battles is not going to be any different. But hopefully I feel as light as I am today and just get moving on my skates.”

Jon Cooper immediately noticed Hedman looking different — “He was ripped,” more than usual. Hedman, who debuted in 2009 after getting drafted with the No. 2 pick, is the only Lightning player who predates Cooper, the longest tenured coach in the NHL.

“He’s been playing this entire time. I just get to stand there,” Cooper said. "It’s impressive when you look at the type of athletes that are coming through our game in the last decade, and he’s been able to still excel with them. But I think when you get older, you really have to start looking after yourself and he did that this offseason.”

Cooper won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, winger Nikita Kucherov the Hart Trophy as MVP and Andrei Vasilevskiy the Vezina as the top goaltender. But Hedman is such an important piece on the blue line that Tampa Bay in his absence went 8-6-2 down the stretch and lost a hard-luck first-round series to Montreal in seven games despite outshooting the Canadiens by 196-156.

Hedman taking his usual place makes the rest of the defensive puzzle fit together correctly, and his presence itself is a morale boost in the locker room.

“Just to see him being himself, his outgoing self, his energetic self, it means a lot to this group,” teammate Ryan McDonagh said. “Certainly looking forward to him having a great year again.”

Hedman in his prime won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in 2017-18 and led the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2020 and '21, including earning playoff MVP honors the first time. Back then, he was averaging upwards of 24 minutes a game.

The workload is smaller now, with J.J. Moser and Charle-Edouard D’Astous getting bigger roles. Signing fellow Cup champion John Carlson in free agency also takes pressure off Hedman, especially on the power play.

“When Heddy used to play all situations all the time, first over the boards, he’s not as much anymore,” Cooper said. “It doesn’t make him any less effective. But it does manage his minutes a little.”

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

New York Rangers' Gabe Perreault (94) skates with the puck against Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman (77) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman (77) skates with the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

FILE - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) skates with the puck during the second period against the Florida Panther in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman (77) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)