‘It ain’t over yet’: Why Mookie Betts was dead set on returning to shortstop
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Alden Gonzalez
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Sometime around mid-August last year, Mookie Betts convened with the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ coaches. He had taken stock of what transpired while he rehabbed a broken wrist, surveyed his team’s roster and accepted what had become plainly obvious: He needed to return to right field.
For the better part of five months, Betts had immersed himself in the painstaking task of learning shortstop in the midst of a major league season. It was a process that humbled him but also invigorated him, one he had desperately wanted to see through. On the day he gave it up, Chris Woodward, at that point an advisor who had intermittently helped guide Betts through the transition, sought him out. He shook Betts’ hand, told him how much he respected his efforts and thanked him for the work.
“Oh, it ain’t over yet,” Betts responded. “For now it’s over, but we’re going to win the World Series, and then I’m coming back.”
Woodward, now the Dodgers’ full-time first-base coach and infield instructor, recalled that conversation from the team’s spring training complex at Camelback Ranch last week and smiled while thinking about how those words had come to fruition. The Dodgers captured a championship last fall, then promptly determined that Betts, the perennial Gold Glove outfielder heading into his age-32 season, would be the everyday shortstop on one of the most talented baseball teams ever assembled.
From November to February, Betts visited high school and collegiate infields throughout the L.A. area on an almost daily basis in an effort to solidify the details of a transition he did not have time to truly prepare for last season.
Pedro Montero, one of the Dodgers’ video coordinators, placed an iPad onto a tripod and aimed its camera in Betts’ direction while he repeatedly pelted baseballs into the ground with a fungo bat, then sent Woodward the clips to review from his home in Arizona. The three spoke almost daily.
By the time Betts arrived in spring training, Woodward noticed a “night and day” difference from one year to the next. But he still acknowledges the difficulty of what Betts is undertaking, and he noted that meaningful games will ultimately serve as the truest arbiter.
The Dodgers have praised Betts for an act they described as unselfish, one that paved the way for both Teoscar Hernandez and Michael Conforto to join their corner outfield and thus strengthen their lineup. Betts himself has said his move to shortstop is a function of doing “what I feel like is best for the team.” But it’s also clear that shouldering that burden — and all the second-guessing and scrutiny that will naturally accompany it — is something he wants.
He wants to be challenged. He wants to prove everybody wrong. He wants to bolster his legacy.
“Mookie wants to be the best player in baseball, and I don’t see why he wouldn’t want that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think if you play shortstop, with his bat, that gives him a better chance.”
ONLY 21 PLAYERS since 1900 have registered 100 career games in right field and 100 career games at shortstop, according to ESPN Research. It’s a list compiled mostly of lifelong utility men. The only one among them who came close to following Betts’ path might have been Tony Womack, an everyday right fielder in his age-29 season and an everyday shortstop in the three years that followed. But Womack had logged plenty of professional shortstop experience before then.
Through his first 12 years in professional baseball, Betts accumulated just 13 starts at shortstop, all of them in rookie ball and Low-A from 2011 to 2012. His path — as a no-doubt Hall of Famer and nine-time Gold Glove right fielder who will switch to possibly the sport’s most demanding position in his 30s — is largely without precedent. And yet the overwhelming sense around the Dodgers is that if anyone can pull it off, it’s him.
“Mookie’s different,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “I think this kind of challenge is really fun for him. I think he just really enjoys it. He’s had to put in a lot of hard work — a lot of work that people haven’t seen — but I just think he’s such a different guy when it comes to the challenge of it that he’s really enjoying it. When you look at how he approaches it, he’s having so much fun trying to get as good as he can be. There’s not really any question in anyone’s mind here that he’s going to be a very good defensive shortstop.”
Betts entered the 2024 season as the primary second baseman, a position to which he had long sought a return, but transitioned to shortstop on March 8, 12 days before the Dodgers would open their season from South Korea, after throwing issues began to plague Gavin Lux. Almost every day for the next three months, Betts put himself through a rigorous pregame routine alongside teammate Miguel Rojas and third-base coach Dino Ebel in an effort to survive at the position.
The metrics were unfavorable, scouts were generally unimpressed and traditional statistics painted an unflattering picture — all of which was to be expected. Simply put, Betts did not have the reps. He hadn’t spent significant time at shortstop since he was a teenager at Overton High School in Nashville, Tennessee. He was attempting to cram years of experience through every level of professional baseball into the space allotted to him before each game, a task that proved impossible.
Betts committed nine errors during his time at shortstop, eight of them the result of errant throws. He often lacked the proper footwork to put himself in the best position to throw accurately across the diamond, but the Dodgers were impressed by how quickly he seemed to grasp other aspects of the position that seemed more difficult for others — pre-pitch timing, range, completion of difficult plays.
Shortly after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win their first full-season championship since 1988, Betts sat down with Dodgers coaches and executives and expressed his belief that, if given the proper time, he would figure it out. And so it was.
“If Mook really wants to do something, he’s going to do everything he can to be an elite, elite shortstop,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “I’m not going to bet against that guy.”
THE FIRST TASK was determining what type of shortstop Betts would be. Woodward consulted with Ryan Goins, the current Los Angeles Angels infield coach who is one of Betts’ best friends. The two agreed that he should play “downhill,” attacking the baseball, making more one-handed plays and throwing largely on the run, a style that fit better for a transitioning outfielder.
During a prior stint on the Dodgers’ coaching staff, Woodward — the former Texas Rangers manager who rejoined the Dodgers staff after Los Angeles’ previous first-base coach, Clayton McCullough, became the Miami Marlins‘ manager in the offseason — implemented the same style with Corey Seager, who was widely deemed too tall to remain a shortstop.
“He doesn’t love the old-school, right-left, two-hands, make-sure-you-get-in-front-of-the-ball type of thing,” Woodward said of Betts. “It doesn’t make sense to him. And I don’t coach that way. I want them to be athletic, like the best athlete they can possibly be, so that way they can use their lower half, get into their legs, get proper direction through the baseball to line to first. And that’s what Mookie’s really good at.”
Dodger Stadium underwent a major renovation of its clubhouse space over the offseason, making the field unusable and turning Montero and Betts into nomads. From the second week of November through the first week of February, the two trained at Crespi Carmelite High School near Betts’ home in Encino, California, then Sierra Canyon, Los Angeles Valley College and, finally, Loyola High.
For a handful of days around New Year’s, Betts flew to Austin, Texas, to get tutelage from Troy Tulowitzki, the five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner whose mechanics Betts was drawn to. In early January, when widespread wildfires haunted the L.A. area, Betts flew to Glendale, Arizona, to train with Woodward in person.
Mostly, though, it was Montero as the eyes and ears on the ground and Woodward as the advisor from afar. Their sessions normally lasted about two hours in the morning, evolving from three days a week to five and continually ramping up in intensity. The goal for the first two months was to hone in on the footwork required to make a variety of different throws, but also to give Betts plenty of reps on every ground ball imaginable.
When January came, Betts began to carve out a detailed, efficient routine that would keep him from overworking when the games began. It accounted for every situation, included backup scenarios for uncontrollable events — when it rained, when there wasn’t enough time, when pregame batting practice stretched too long — and was designed to help Betts hold up. What was once hundreds of ground balls was pared down to somewhere in the neighborhood of 35, but everything was accounted for.
LAST YEAR, BETTS’ throws were especially difficult for Freddie Freeman to catch at first base, often cutting or sailing or darting. But when Freeman joined Betts in spring training, he noticed crisp throws that consistently arrived with backspin and almost always hit the designated target. Betts was doing a better job of getting his legs under him on batted balls hit in a multitude of directions. Also, Rojas said, he “found his slot.”
“Technically, talking about playing shortstop, finding your slot is very important because you’re throwing the ball from a different position than when you throw it from right field,” Rojas explained. “You’re not throwing the ball from way over the top or on the bottom. So he’s finding a slot that is going to work for him. He’s understanding now that you need a slot to throw the ball to first base, you need a slot to throw the ball to second base, you need a slot to throw the ball home and from the side.”
Dodgers super-utility player Enrique Hernandez has noticed a “more loose” Betts at shortstop this spring. Roberts said Betts is “two grades better” than he was last year, before a sprained left wrist placed him on the injured list on June 17 and prematurely ended his first attempt. Before reporting to spring training, Betts described himself as “a completely new person over there.”
“But we’ll see,” he added.
The games will be the real test. At that point, Woodward said, it’ll largely come down to trusting the work he has put in over the past four months. Betts is famously hard on himself, and so Woodward has made it a point to remind him that, as long as his process is sound, imperfection is acceptable.
“This is dirt,” Woodward will often tell him. “This isn’t perfect.”
The Dodgers certainly don’t need Betts to be their shortstop. If it doesn’t work out, he can easily slide back to second base. Rojas, the superior defender whose offensive production prompted Betts’ return to right field last season, can fill in on at least a part-time basis. So can Tommy Edman, who at this point will probably split his time between center field and second base, and so might Hyeseong Kim, the 26-year-old middle infielder who was signed out of South Korea this offseason.
But it’s clear Betts wants to give it another shot.
As Roberts acknowledged, “He certainly felt he had unfinished business.”
For the first time, MLB is putting some of the sport’s top geographical battles together in a rivalry weekend that begins Thursday night.
Because the matchups are built around natural location rivalries, some of this week’s series will bring the heat (Juan Soto‘s return to the Bronx for a Mets-Yankees showdown, for starters) while others have significantly less juice (Rockies-Diamondbacks, we’re looking at you).
With that in mind, we took the liberty of putting the rivalry weekend matchups in tiers, from the spiciest showdowns to the biggest stretches — then we identified the true current rivals for every MLB team.
The most heated rivalries
What makes it a rivalry: This is one of those old, intrastate civic rivalries that bubbled in the minors (the Texas League in this case) for decades and grew slowly at the big league level once interleague play began. This one really took off a little more than a decade ago with the Astros joined the Rangers in the AL West. It has a name — the “Silver Boot Series” — and plenty of on-field enmity emerging in recent years. They represent Texas’ two biggest metro areas, both of which stake claim to being the hub of the Lone Star-verse, and compete for the same things: the AL West, the AL pennant and the right to claim Nolan Ryan as their own.
One thing to watch: There have been a lot of high-powered offenses in these rivalry matchups, but this year the pendulum has swung towards run prevention for both teams. The Astros have featured an offense that’s been a little below league average, a level to which the Texas batsmen would love to reach. But both pitching staffs rank in the top 10 by ERA+. Expect tight, low-scoring tussles. — Bradford Doolittle
Each team’s true rivals
Rangers: Astros. To a lesser degree, AL West rivals such as the Angels, Mariners and Athletics
Astros: Rangers — plus the added weight of basically being everyone’s hated rival since the franchise was rocked by scandal a few years back
What makes it a rivalry: The Subway Series, like most matchups on this list, derives from geography. New York City has a rich baseball history, and these are its two baseball franchises. About 10 miles and a 50-minute subway trek with a transfer at Grand Central separate the two ballparks. They’re so close that, in 2003, they played the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium and the second at Shea Stadium. But there’s more than geography here. The two clubs have battled for the city’s attention since the Mets debuted in 1962 — with the Yankees almost always boxing out their Queens counterparts. They met in the 2000 World Series when Roger Clemens threw a piece of lumber at Mike Piazza. And, a quarter century later, little brother (the Mets) seem poised to challenge big brother’s standing for years to come after convincing Soto to leave the Bronx behind.
One thing to watch: Soto’s return to the Bronx will be cinema. The right fielder’s relationship with Yankees fans in his one season in the Bronx, particularly with the Bleacher Creatures beyond the right-field wall, became a storyline of its own. They showered Soto with love and he gave it right back. They chanted “Re-sign Soto!” and he played along. Then he didn’t re-sign and all that love went off the RFK Bridge. Soto will undoubtedly receive raucous boos from offended crowds who still can’t believe he chose the Mets over their team. If Soto’s history is any indication, the scorn will fuel him. — Jorge Castillo
Each team’s true rivals
Yankees: Red Sox, Mets
Mets: Braves, Phillies, Yankees
What makes it a rivalry: Mizzou. Not entirely, but the University of Missouri sits right smack between Busch Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. When innumerable high school grads from the state head to Columbia, there they encounter a whole population of baseball fans rooting for the wrong team. Having experienced this directly, I can recall stories of lines being drawn inside of fraternity houses during the 1985 World Series, keeping fans of the combatants separated. And of course there’s that World Series, now 40 years ago, the outcome of which Cardinals fans of a certain age still whine about.
One thing to watch: Both teams are rolling, having rebounded from sub-.500 starts to leap into the playoff chase. In a reversal of the recent fortunes of the franchises, the Royals’ snap-back was expected and it’s the Cardinals’ sudden rise that is the shocker. However you frame it, the Royals and Cardinals will clash with both teams riding sizable waves of momentum. — Doolittle
Each team’s true rivals
Cardinals: Cubs
Royals: Cardinals — and the Yankees for a time in the 1970s
What makes it a rivalry: Separated by 5.5 miles on the L (subway), the Cubs and Sox are natural rivals, divided by the North and South sides of the city. Growing up a fan of one undoubtedly means not being a fan of the other. The rivalry ebbs and flows as both teams are rarely good at the same time though that hasn’t stopped the two fan bases from duking it out — oftentimes in the stands. A home plate collision — and brawl — between catchers A.J Pierzynski and Michael Barret in 2006 only heightened tensions between the clubs.
One thing to watch: Before assuming the Cubs will sweep the lowly White Sox, consider the teams give up nearly the same amount of runs per game. In fact, the South Siders have a better bullpen by the numbers. And perhaps this is the game where Luis Robert Jr rights his season. He has a career .992 OPS against the Cubs including a 1.063 mark at Wrigley Field. Keep an eye on those fights in the stands. There’s usually a couple that go viral. — Jesse Rogers
Each team’s true rivals
Cubs: Cardinals, with the Brewers a close second, then the White Sox
White Sox: Twins, Cubs
These matchups should be fun
What makes it a rivalry: About 250 miles via Interstate 71 separate these in-state rivals, as there’s no love lost between Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cleveland has mostly owned this matchup, winning 76 of the 135 times (.563) they’ve played. In fact, the Reds haven’t won the season series against Cleveland in a decade, last beating them 3 out of 4 in 2014. Terry Francona facing his old team should add some spice to the match-up.
One thing to watch: Francona’s reception from the Guardians faithful will have to wait until next month when the teams square off in Cleveland so this weekend is about the Reds trying to break that decade-long slump against their rivals. They’ll have to contend with Jose Ramirez, who has a career .935 OPS against Cincinnati including 12 of his 45 interleague home runs. — Rogers
Each team’s true rivals
Guardians: Twins
Reds: Cardinals
What makes it a rivalry: “Bay Bridge Series” no longer works now that the A’s have moved out of Oakland and into Sacramento, about 90 miles away. That’s a shame — there used to be some real juice here, highlighted by an encounter in the 1989 World Series, an A’s sweep in a series best remembered for a terrifying earthquake. But the real rivalry here was among the fans. And given how betrayed the people of Oakland feel after watching their baseball team relocate, that element is long gone.
One thing to watch: Matt Chapman represented a better time in A’s history. The organization drafted him in the first round in 2014, then watched him come up and star on teams that made three consecutive playoff appearances from 2018 to 2020. Chapman was traded shortly thereafter, yet another symbol of the frugality that has plagued this franchise for decades. The A’s haven’t done much right since then, but they’ve held Chapman to four hits and zero home runs in 25 at-bats over these last two years. — Alden Gonzalez
Each team’s true rivals
Giants: Dodgers, Athletics
Athletics: Giants, Angels
What makes it a rivalry: Nothing spices up a rivalry quite like a shared interstate highway and media rights drama. The Beltway Series is just two decades old — the Expos crossed the border to become the Nationals in 2005 — and it has lacked much on-field intrigue. Off the field, particularly inside courtrooms, is another matter. A synopsis: Baltimore was the incumbent team in the region before the Nationals existed. To appease the Orioles, who opposed a franchise entering their market, MLB ordered Nationals games to be broadcasted by MASN — the Orioles-owned television network in perpetuity. Soon enough, the franchises disagreed on the rights fees MASN should pay the Nationals. The Orioles took the matter to court in 2014, igniting a legal battle that finally ended in March when MLB dissolved the agreement, allowing for the Nationals to pursue selling its local TV rights on the open market. This is their first meeting since. Drama.
One thing to watch: These two teams feature exciting young cores on slightly different championship contention timelines. Or so that was the expectation. While the Nationals are, as projected, in fourth place in the NL East and en route to not reaching the postseason for the sixth straight season, the Orioles have face-planted out of the gate with World Series aspirations after consecutive postseason appearances. The Orioles can’t stand to sit in last place much longer. All eyes are on whether they can dig themselves out of this hole. — Castillo
Each team’s true rivals
Nationals: Phillies
Orioles: Yankees and Red Sox
What makes it a rivalry: They share a spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona, neither franchise has won a World Series, and they used to make a lot of trades with each other — indeed, the Mariners’ top two relievers, Andres Munoz and Matt Brash, were acquired from the Padres in two separate trades made on the same day in 2020. The Mariners’ largest comeback in franchise history came against the Padres, a 16-13 victory in 2016 after trailing 12-2. But this is hardly a heated rivalry — it really came about only because neither team had a logical opponent back when interleague play began in 1997.
One thing to watch: With both teams battling for first place, it’s been forever since either team won a division title: 2006 for the Padres and 2001 for the Mariners. Both teams also have early MVP candidates to focus on: Fernando Tatis Jr. leads the NL in WAR and Cal Raleigh is among the leaders in the non-Aaron Judge mix in the AL — and has played every game, starting at either catcher or DH. — David Schoenfield
Each team’s true rivals
Padres: Dodgers (arguably the best rivalry in the game right now!)
Mariners: None, really. The Astros would be the most hated among Mariners fans right now, but you can say that about every team in the AL West.
Well, the geography does line up …
What makes it a rivalry: Back in 2011, the Dodgers were navigating Frank McCourt’s financial mess and Angels owner Arte Moreno saw an opportunity. He signed Albert Pujols and inked a lucrative cable deal that came with the hopes of supplanting the Dodgers as the “it” team in Southern California. The opposite occurred. Guggenheim purchased the Dodgers in spring 2012, then signed an even bigger cable deal, hired Andrew Friedman to lead baseball operations, and the franchise eventually became the industry’s standard-bearer. The Angels, meanwhile, are trending toward a 10th consecutive losing season and saw Shohei Ohtani spurn them for the Dodgers two offseasons ago. Moreno and his lieutenants despise the Dodgers, but the gap between the two teams has become so wide — in track record, financials, resources and reputation — that it doesn’t matter.
One thing to watch: Clayton Kershaw makes his return from offseason toe and knee surgeries Saturday, and the Dodgers need him far more than they ever anticipated. Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki are all on the injured list with shoulder injuries. Ohtani, meanwhile, is still methodically going through his pitching rehab and isn’t expected back until some time after the All-Star break. Kershaw is in his age-37 season, but he has looked sharp through five rehab starts, posting a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings. — Gonzalez
Each team’s true rivals
Dodgers: Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, Braves, Astros, Yankees
Angels: Rangers, Mariners, Astros
What makes it a rivalry: Let’s be honest here, this isn’t even the best rivalry between Tampa and Miami. The NHL version between the Lightning and Panthers is much more intense and competitive, with both franchises having won Stanley Cups this decade (the Lightning in 2020 and 2021 and the Panthers in 2024). The Rays have dominated the head-to-head play of late, going 24-4 since 2019.
One thing to watch: The Rays have to view this as a chance to jump-start their season given their recent dominance over the Marlins. Chandler Simpson is fun to watch with his blazing speed but hasn’t really been all that valuable for the Rays. For the Marlins, they need Sandy Alcantara to get going, but the former Cy Young winner has struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery. He should start on Sunday. — Schoenfield
Each team’s true rivals
Rays: Yankees (although obviously the Rays aren’t the Yankees’ biggest rival)
Marlins: Braves. As Marlins fans can point out, they do have more World Series titles than the Braves since 1997
What makes it a rivalry: If playing in the same state isn’t enough to define a rivalry, then how about playing in more than 2,300 games against each other to do it? From 1969 to 1994, the Phillies and Pirates were both in the NL East, giving each city ample time to dislike the other side, each and every year. Though the Phillies have been the better team recently, it’s the Pirates who own a decided edge in the all-time series, winning 1230 games to 1085 for Philadelphia. Pirate favorite Andrew McCutchen went to the other side for three seasons before returning to earn boos from the Philly faithful who used to cheer him.
One thing to watch: When it comes to the Pirates these days, there’s literally one thing to watch: Paul Skenes. This will be his first time facing Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and a Phillies offense that ranks in the top 10 in OPS. Skenes is coming off one of his better outings in a loss to the Mets on Monday — though he only struck out six in six innings. In fact, Skenes hasn’t hit double digits in strikeouts in a single outing this season. That trend might continue this weekend, as the Phillies are one of the tougher teams to whiff this season. — Rogers
Each team’s true rivals:
Phillies: Mets (with the Braves gaining ground)
Pirates: The Phillies — but the Cubs aren’t far behind
What makes it a rivalry: “The Border Battle” — the uninspired moniker for this rivalry — is almost entirely a product of geographic overlap. As best I can tell, insofar as there is bad blood between Milwaukee/Wisconsin and Minneapolis/Minnesota, it’s as much a carryover from the Packers-Vikings rivalry in the NFL as anything. And of course the Wisconsin-Minnesota college football rivalry is the most played of all the traditional rivalries. In baseball, the Twins and Brewers were briefly in the same division and were both in the AL for a long time. But other than claiming rights to Larry Hisle and Paul Molitor, it’s always struck me as too friendly. Midwest nice.
One thing to watch: The Brewers have yet to get hot this season for any prolonged stretch, though they did recover from their wretched season-opening series at Yankee Stadium; Milwaukee has hovered around .500 all season. That’s where Minnesota is as well but they got there in different ways. The Twins started slow and have gotten red hot lately. Their problem is that all the non-White Sox teams in the Central have been hot, so Minnesota has hardly gained any ground in the standings. When this series begins, both rivals are still establishing whatever their 2025 identities turn out to be. — Doolittle
Each team’s true rivals
Brewers: Cubs, Cardinals
Twins: Royals, White Sox, Twins
What are we doing here?!
What makes it a rivalry: Once upon a time, this was a heated AL East affair. That changed when the Tigers moved to the AL Central in 1998. Still, just a four-hour, 230-mile/370-kilometer drive separates the two cities and, with the Expos long gone, the Blue Jays don’t have a Canadian sibling franchise to loathe. Maybe the recent tense U.S.-Canada relations will make for a zestier-than-usual weekend in Toronto.
One thing to watch: The Tigers are proving their stunning finish to the 2024 season was no fluke. They own the best record in the American League behind a starting rotation headed by reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. The good news for Toronto is they won’t face Skubal this weekend as they seek to remain within striking distance in the AL East. The bad news is Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman, two of their three best starters, won’t toe the rubber either. — Castillo
Each team’s true rivals
Blue Jays: Expos
Tigers: White Sox
What makes it a rivalry: This is always a fun series for history buffs since the Braves and Red Sox are both “Original 16” franchises, but they’ve never met in a World Series and this rivalry is really just based on the fact that the Braves played in Boston from 1876 to 1952. That doesn’t have much relevance for 2025. Seven Hall of Famers have played for both franchises: Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Jimmy Collins, Al Simmons, Orlando Cepeda, John Smoltz and Billy Wagner.
One thing to watch: We get a stellar pitching matchup on Friday between 2024 Cy Young winner Chris Sale for the Braves and 2025 Cy Young contender Garrett Crochet for the Red Sox. Sale is 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA, but has fanned 64 in 47⅔ innings. Crochet is 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA and 65 Ks in 56 innings. — Schoenfield
Each team’s true rivals
Braves: Probably still the Mets, but Braves-Phillies has escalated since 2022
Red Sox: Yankees
What makes it a rivalry: They’re … both kinda new? (The Rockies were born in 1993, the Diamondbacks in ’98.) They’re … kinda close? (It’s a two-hour flight or a 13-hour drive between their respective cities.) They … like the color purple? (The D-backs recently brought theirs back.) OK, we’re getting a little too cute. It’s not like there’s nothing here. They play in the same division, and they really got after it twice: 2007, when the D-backs won the NL West and the Rockies swept them in the NLCS; and 2017, when they met in the wild-card game. But there hasn’t been much since.
One thing to watch: Corbin Carroll slashed .299/.426/.529 in 25 games against the Rockies from 2023 to 2024, a two-year stretch in which they lost a combined 204 games. Carroll is off to a blazing start, and now he’ll get to feast on a Rockies pitching staff that holds the worst ERA in the majors. The D-backs have won 19 of 26 games against the Rockies over these past two years. That should come as no surprise. — Gonzalez
Each team’s true rivals
Diamondbacks: Dodgers, Padres
Rockies: Dodgers
WASHINGTON — Andrei Svechnikov scored the go-ahead goal with just under two minutes left and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 5 on Thursday night, winning the second-round series and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for a second time in three years.
Captain Jordan Staal scored his first goal of the playoffs, and Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, including several on Alex Ovechkin.
After a give-and-go with defenseman Sean Walker, Svechnikov’s shot got through Logan Thompson from a bad angle with 1:59 remaining, and that was the difference in a back-and-forth game.
Seth Jarvis sealed it with an empty-net goal with 26.1 seconds left.
The Hurricanes improved to 10-5 in potential closeout games in seven trips to the postseason with coach Rod Brind’Amour. They will face either the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2023 East finals or the Toronto Maple Leafs in a reminder of 2002. The Panthers are up 3-2 in their series with the chance to eliminate the Maple Leafs as soon as Friday night.
Carolina is 35-7-2 through 82 games and then two rounds when scoring first.
Despite an unassisted goal by Anthony Beauvillier and some important saves among the 18 from Thompson, the Capitals saw their season end after finishing atop the conference and the Metropolitan Division, and beating the Montreal Canadiens in the first round to win a playoff series for the first time since their Stanley Cup run in 2018. Washington started strong, got a few quality scoring chances but could not get through tight-checking defense to prolong the series.
After giving up the backbreaker to Svechnikov, Thompson was pulled for an extra attacker and the Capitals were unable to equalize and let Jarvis get to the loose puck for his empty-netter.
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