The Miami Marlins are hiring former Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough as their new manager, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN on Sunday.

McCullough, 44, spent the last four seasons on Dave Roberts’ coaching staff in L.A., the last of which ended in a championship. He succeeds Skip Schumaker, who was not brought back at the end of his contract and has since joined the Texas Rangers‘ front office as a senior advisor to president of baseball operations Chris Young.

A career minor league catcher, McCullough managed in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ minor league system from 2007 to 2014, with six of those seasons finishing with winning records. He was then was hired by the Dodgers as their minor league field coordinator, at which point he worked under current Marlins assistant general manager Gabe Kapler.

The Dodgers promoted McCullough to their major league coaching staff in 2021, inserting him as their first-base coach while having him work with outfielders and placing him in charge of their baserunning program. In 2024, McCullough played a big part in helping Shohei Ohtani evolve as a basestealer, paving the way for the first 50/50 season in baseball history.

McCullough was one of three primary candidates for the Marlins’ managing job, along with Will Venable and Craig Albernaz. Venable was named manager of the Chicago White Sox and Albernaz pulled out of the race, opting to remain the Cleveland Guardians‘ bench coach.

The Marlins interviewed McCullough over videoconference while the Dodgers navigated a World Series run in October. He met with staff members at the team’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, last week and then again at loanDepot Park in Miami on Friday.

McCullough is the first managerial hire by president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who took over baseball operations last offseason. He will inherit a franchise once again in transition.

The Marlins surprisingly made the playoffs in 2023, getting swept in the wild-card round, then lost 100 games in 2024, a season that saw Bendix trade away established veterans such as Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk and Trevor Rogers, among others.

Bendix’s goal is to build an infrastructure that will lead to sustained winning despite not possessing the revenue streams of some of the bigger-market teams in the National League East, similar to what he helped produce with the Tampa Bay Rays. That process, Bendix has acknowledged, will take time.

McCullough, who has experience developing young players but has also been around a championship culture, will help lead it.

CINCINNATI — Thousands of fans streamed into Great American Ball Park despite steady rain Sunday to pay respects to Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader who died Sept. 30 at the age of 83.

The 14-hour visitation, in honor of Rose’s jersey number, was arranged by the Cincinnati Reds with cooperation from Rose’s daughters, Fawn and Kara, who exchanged hugs, stories and even some tears with fans.

“We wanted to do something like this,” said Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame. “You could see from the turnout, it means a lot to the people here. It’s a moving experience.”

Rose, known as “Charlie Hustle” for his unbridled passion for the game, was the engine behind Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” clubs that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.

A 17-time All-Star, the switch-hitting Rose played on three World Series winners. He was the National League MVP in 1973 and World Series MVP two years later. He holds the major league record for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890). But no milestone approached his 4,256 hits, surpassing his hero Ty Cobb’s 4,191.

Rose was banished by Major League Baseball in 1989 for gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, undermining his achievements and Hall of Fame chances.

Despite his indiscretions away from the diamond, fans arrived as early as 4 a.m. Sunday to honor Rose, slowly passing by an urn containing his ashes and a table displaying his bright red Reds Hall of Fame induction suit jacket and other memorabilia while a highlight video of his illustrious career played on the concourse video boards.

Fans left flowers and other mementos at the Rose statue located just outside the main entrance to the ballpark.

“He was a guy you thought was going to live forever,” longtime Reds fan Bob Augspurger said. “When I heard the news, obviously it was sad. Baseball lost its greatest ambassador.”

Fawn Rose said in a statement, “We are deeply moved by the overwhelming love and support from the people of Cincinnati, the entire baseball community, and fans across the world as we mourn the loss of our beloved Dad, Grandpa, and Brother, Pete Rose.”

The Reds plan to honor Rose on “Pete Rose Day” when they play the Chicago White Sox on May 14 with first pitch planned for 7:14 p.m., also in homage to his No. 14.

SALT LAKE CITY — Much of the BYU football team was still on the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium celebrating a miraculous 22-21 win against rival Utah late Saturday night when Utes athletic director Mark Harlan made a surprise appearance at the postgame news conference.

In a fiery address, Harlan disparaged the officiating crew and challenged the validity of his school’s loss.

“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.

“I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”

Harlan, who does not regularly address the media after games, did not take questions following his rebuke, nor did he elaborate further with any specifics.

It’s a safe assumption, however, that Harlan’s disdain was directed toward a holding call on cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn that negated Utah’s fourth-down sack of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff at the Cougars’ 1-yard line with 1:29 left, which appeared to have ended the game.

“Whatever decision the refs make, I don’t think they’re trying to get it wrong, so that’s just part of the game,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The refs are part of the game. We were able to capitalize on that.”

Utah’s would-be sack of Retzlaff was the second time the largest crowd in Rice-Eccles history (54,383) thought the game was effectively over. Prior to the fourth-down play, BYU snapped the ball and Retzlaff was flushed out of the end zone, but Sitake had called a timeout before the snap, likely saving the game in the process.

After the Cougars were given new life with the holding call, Retzlaff hit Chase Roberts for 30 yards and Darius Lassiter for 12 yards before Hinckley Ropati ran for 14 yards to get BYU in position for Will Ferrin‘s game-winning 44-yard field goal.

Ferrin, who transferred to BYU from Boise State after the 2022 season, calmly split the uprights to add another legendary finish to a rivalry game that has had several of them.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was visibly upset with the officials on the field following the game but was measured in his postgame comments.

“Couldn’t get that last stop when we needed it, unfortunately,” he said. “That’s kind of been the story for several games.”

The win keeps No. 9 BYU (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) undefeated and in prime position to qualify for the College Football Playoff. With three conference games left (against Kansas, Arizona State and Houston), the Cougars lead Colorado by one game in the Big 12 standings. Four other teams — Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona State and West Virginia — have two conference losses.

Retzlaff finished 15-of-33 for 219 yards without a touchdown pass or interception. It is BYU’s second consecutive win in the series — following a 26-17 win in 2021 — but the Cougars’ first victory in Salt Lake City since 2006.

This was the first time the rivals have played as conference opponents since 2010, after which Utah left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and BYU went independent.