Michael J. Duarte is a sports writer and reporter with NBCLA. He is known for his sharp wit in sports news storytelling and his detailed sports features, Duarte is the 2019 Southern California Sports Journalist of the Year and currently covers the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, and more.
The Latest
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The 2025 Dodger Stadium experience: new attractions, food, and more fun for fans
The wait is over. As the Los Angeles Dodgers open their 2025 season, fans heading to Dodger Stadium will be greeted with an experience that is bigger, bolder, and better than ever. From revamped stadium features to mouthwatering new concessions, Opening Day marks the start of a season that promises excitement both on and off the field. Centerfield Plaza Gets…
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Now that Opening Day is over, here's everything else going on during the Dodgers Opening Week homestand
The bright lights of Dodger Stadium are back, and this time, they shine with the luster of championship gold. After a triumphant start in Tokyo, the Los Angeles Dodgers return home to Chavez Ravine for their domestic opener, kicking off a six-game homestand packed with celebrations, giveaways, and the pageantry that only baseball in Hollywood can provide. Now that the…
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MLB Opening Day 2025: Dodgers fans pay a premium as LA Opening Day is most expensive in all of baseball
There’s nothing quite like Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. The new crisp uniforms with gold accents, the flyover, the roar of the crowd, the unmistakable energy that signals the start of another chase for October. But after winning the World Series in 2024, the Dodgers had more to celebrate at Chavez Ravine on Opening Day in Los Angeles on Thursday….
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MLB Opening Day 2025: Dodgers celebrate 2024 championship with Hollywood style and a Shohei Ohtani home run
LOS ANGELES — The echoes of last October’s triumph still reverberated through Chavez Ravine as the Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off their 2025 home slate in the most Hollywood way possible. The pregame festivities began with a blue carpet that stretched all the way from center field to the infield, a royal procession for the reigning champions. Fireworks cracked, smoke…
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LeBron James' tip-in at buzzer wins it for Lakers 120-119 over Pacers to snap three-game losing streak
LeBron James called game. The final few minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers game had all the makings of a disaster. The Lakers, having once led by 17 points, trailed 119-118 with 10 seconds left on the clock. They had already lost three consecutive games and their struggles had them spiraling in the western conference standings….
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Mookie Betts' mysterious illness has his status for opening day at Dodger Stadium in doubt
Mookie Betts is dealing with an illness that has left doctors searching for answers and the Dodgers anxiously awaiting his return to full strength.
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Lakers stumble again, lose third straight to Magic as playoff picture gets murky
The Los Angeles Lakers are running out of time to get their once stout defense back to where it was in February. Los Angeles went 10-2 in the month of February as their raced up the Western Conference standings, now, they’re running in the wrong direction. Monday night, inside the Kia Center, the Orlando Magic delivered a sobering reminder...
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MLB Tokyo Series recap: Dodgers unforgettable opening week shatters viewership, sales, and attendance records
TOKYO — The 2025 Tokyo Series wasn’t just about the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs kicking off the Major League Baseball season at the world-famous Tokyo Dome. It was the grand finale of a weeklong celebration of Japan’s deep-rooted passion for baseball, a reminder that the sport is at its best when it’s global. From Shohei Ohtani’s homecoming...
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Shohei Ohtani homers, Roki Sasaki shines as Dodgers sweep two-game Tokyo Series 6-3 over Cubs
TOKYO — The moment the ball left Shohei Ohtani’s bat, the Tokyo Dome ceased being a baseball stadium and became something else entirely—a temple of noise, a cathedral of pure joy, a place where history was no longer a concept but something tangible, roaring, it was alive. Ohtani had done it–because of course he did–in front of his home...
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MLB Tokyo Series: Ohtani scores two runs, Yamamoto dazzles as Dodgers beat Cubs 4-1 to open 2025 season
Shohei Ohtani, playing in Japan for the first time as a major leaguer, led the Dodgers’ thrilling 4-1 comeback over the Cubs in the opening game of the 2025 MLB season.