Dodgers' Evan Phillips gets ‘full circle' moment with emotional return to children's hospital
LOS ANGELES — The scene was enough to inspire flashbacks for Evan Phillips. The winding, maze-like hallways. The same color of paint on the walls. The memories flooded back as Phillips and his wife, Liz, walked back into the Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's Hospital. The last time they were here, the Los Angeles Dodgers reliever was coming to take his son, Beau, home after a 15-day stay when he was born seven weeks premature.
Advertisement
Now, with Beau healthy, the parents returned to visit and bring books, baseball cards and raise funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It was just past two years to the day that they were able to take Beau home on May 5, 2023. As they walked through the halls, Liz squeezed her husband's hand.
'Heart's beating fast,' she said.
Nerves turned into tears, and then smiles. As the couple toured the facilities Monday morning, they reminisced while talking to parents whose kids were in the unit. Because they knew this place so well, they knew exactly what to bring. Liz recalled picking up a book at check-in to read to Beau when he was first admitted into the unit. The book, 'I Am So Brave,' remains in their collection to this day.
'It kind of normalized him as a kid, right?' Liz said of the ritual that came out of the book. 'He was a baby. You can still read him books. And he is so brave.'
'That kind of routine,' Evan said, 'I think we really built a strong connection that was kind of formed here.'
So the couple brought books of their own to gift to the families they met. For Evan, it was the first book he read aloud each night to Beau, 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?' From Liz, it was her preferred book to read to her son, 'You're My Little Sunshine.'
Memories awaited them at every turn. First, in walking the halls. Then they passed by the exact bed where Beau spent his two weeks. As the two posed for a photo by bed No. 6, Liz took a deep breath.
'That made the butterflies flutter,' she said.
The parents reunited with hospital personnel, from security guards to the nurses who helped take care of their son.
'Being in the NICU, it's not talked about a lot – parents are going through all the traumatic experience they're having here, too,' said Su Ntwe, an NICU nurse who was part of the staff taking care of Beau. 'So I think it's good to let them know that, if Evan went through this, then anyone can go through this too, and it's really common. Their babies will turn out OK and be cared for here.'
Advertisement
When they hugged, their eyes were red with emotion.
'They're happy tears,' Ntwe said.
This was a chance for the Phillips family to pay things forward and hear stories like theirs. Daniel Salazar first entered the unit weighing 1 pound, 11 ounces and is in his fifth month in the NICU after being born at 23 weeks. His father, Daniel, recalled Phillips' story and has thought of it when showing Dodgers games on his phone with his now nearly 14-pound son. The baby sported a Dodgers onesie and cap, along with Dodgers-branded sneakers that Phillips made sure to sign.
'It's a lot,' Salazar said of Phillips. 'To see him do that and to see his son grow and watch ours be here and hopefully one day ours will be growing just as much as his and doing stuff like him. It's great.'
As part of their visit to the adjoining children's hospital, Evan and Liz met with 10-year-old Pablo Escobar, a diehard Dodgers fan who has undergone two kidney transplants after a diagnosis with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Escobar's room was littered with Dodgers cups, shoes and hats as the Dodgers right-hander sat down and opened baseball cards with him. When Beau was discharged from the hospital, Phillips started collecting baseball cards and memorabilia to share with him one day. Now, he wanted to do it with a kid in a similar position. They shared amazement when they managed to open Topps cards for both Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. and his brother, Mets infielder Luisangel Acuña.
'Books and baseball cards,' Evan said. 'It's really simple, but to just have that kind of access and shed some light on our experience was important to us.'
The visit also represented a chance at closure.
Beau Phillips watched his first baseball game from this very same NICU, with Ntwe by Liz's side as they streamed the game. It was Phillips' first outing since becoming a father, pitching on the road in Pittsburgh as he tried to remain in touch with Liz on their newborn son's progress. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts intentionally pitched Phillips in the sixth inning to keep him out of a high-leverage spot – Phillips delivered a scoreless, 10-pitch inning. That night, Evan and Liz wept on the phone.
Advertisement
'It was just a lot,' Liz said.
The two settled into a routine at home for two weeks once Phillips returned from the road trip. They'd get up and spend hours at Cedars-Sinai by Beau's side before Phillips made the 9-mile drive directly to Dodger Stadium to continue a breakout season where he'd lead the team with 24 saves. Whenever the doctors would check in on Beau's progress, Phillips joined via FaceTime.
'You're so focused on your child and what's going on that you lose track of time,' Evan said of those days. 'You lose track of your sleep.'
When Beau was set to go home, Phillips hung back. The Dodgers were set to begin a three-game set at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres, but Phillips stayed in Los Angeles to help bring his son home. The moment was memorable, if fleeting, as Phillips took a car service an hour later to join the team in San Diego.
'It was the longest drive to San Diego I've ever had,' Evan said.
The Phillips family chose to make their story public and speak openly about Beau's journey. They were surprised by the reception. A Dodgers season-ticket holder gifted them a blanket that remains in Beau's room. A fan gave Phillips a book to read to his son. Another fan greeted Liz with a Mother's Day card in the weeks after Beau came home for the first time. Other parents reached out over social media and flooded them with messages of support and encouragement.
'Baseball does this thing where you feel connected to a community in a way that you can't really put into words,' Liz said. 'That was one of those times. … I'd never met these people and they didn't owe me anything, but it felt special because baseball's a job and it's a sport and you didn't have to think about it like that. In that moment, it was some kind of family that I didn't know was out there, but it is out there.'
So they've decided to pay it forward. That started Monday, and will continue through the couple's fundraising efforts to help support the hospital and the NICU unit, in particular. It's a 'full-circle' moment, Evan said, particularly with a happy and healthy Beau at home.
A post shared by Evan Phillips (@evan_phillips33)
Beau is 2 years old and has hit every checkpoint put in front of him. Glimpses of his personality are coming through. He has a toy trash truck that never leaves his side, even when he's sleeping. He went from cautiously walking to running overnight. The Phillips family is watching their son grow.
He's taken to baseball, too. He often has a toy baseball bat on his shoulder. Watching a game on TV this weekend, he was quick to yell out, 'Safe!' when a runner slid into a base.
Advertisement
'Apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' Liz said. 'He's a carbon copy of Evan.'
This is a chapter of their story they're fully embracing.
'(You) see the end of the story almost,' Phillips said. 'To know that you made it through that phase. That was subtly the message we tried to share with parents, that there is some light at the end of the tunnel and you just keep making progress. Getting the gauge of the parents and how they're feeling, and you can see the weight of it on everybody. But to know that ultimately this is the best place for them to be gave us a lot of peace. Just reminding parents of that fact, it's really the best you can do.'
(Top photo of Evan and Liz with Daniel Salazar, who entered the unit weighing 1 pound, 11 ounces: All photos by Fabian Ardaya / The Athletic)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
Dodger Details: An unexpected hero, pitching churn and more
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers are more than halfway through a challenging stretch: They are 16 games through a 29-game run against teams with real postseason stakes. It would be a lot even if these Dodgers were the talent-rich club they projected to be on paper. With 15 different pitchers on the injured list, it's been a matter of treading water. Advertisement They're limping through. James Outman and Esteury Ruíz hopped on flights to Los Angeles this week in case a banged-up Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim couldn't go. The Dodgers' pitching depth simply hasn't performed as expected and has been overextended. So, sneaking every game they can matters that much more. And it will require some surprise contributions. Or in Michael Conforto's case, delayed contributions. The veteran outfielder got booed as he came up to bat Thursday and had been hitless over his last 15 at-bats. His batting average sat at .165 entering the day, worst in baseball. The Dodgers' $17 million investment simply hasn't paid off, exacerbated by an ugly 2 for 35 mark with runners in scoring position. His last hit in such a spot was March 31. When New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza intentionally walked a pinch hitting Freddie Freeman in front of him in a tie game in the eighth inning, there wasn't much consternation. There shouldn't have been. But Conforto laced a first-pitch cutter from Reed Garrett into left field for a single to bring home a run, capping a three-run rally in the eighth inning in the Dodgers' 6-5 win. 'All I want to do is go up there and help us win, and in a lot of those situations, I've come up short,' Conforto said, 'so to come through today was everything.' Michael for the lead! — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 5, 2025 It marked their 21st come-from-behind win this season, most in baseball. They are 9-7 in this stretch. Postseason rematches at Dodger Stadium against the New York Yankees and Mets resulted in a 4-3 homestand. It probably shouldn't have played out that way. They had to rally to get back into Monday's game against the Mets, tying up the game against closer Edwin Díaz before falling in extra innings. It took Max Muncy's second massive swing of the night to force extra innings again Tuesday, when the Dodgers walked off the Mets on Freeman's double. Advertisement Things were 'bleak' early Thursday, Dave Roberts said. Landon Knack surrendered three homers and recorded just 10 outs the day before a potential bullpen day. Again, the Dodgers were flummoxed by a Mets starter, with David Peterson managing to get through seven innings. The rally came ugly. A leadoff walk for Mookie Betts. A double down the line from Will Smith, who advanced to third on Teoscar Hernández's flyout. Andy Pages swung and connected with a ball at his shoes to dribble it toward Brett Baty at third base. When Smith broke for home and slowed down, Baty hesitated and bounced the throw to home plate. Garrett had Francisco Alvarez practically in his lap as he fielded the throw and Smith got in safely to tie it. Just how you'd draw it up. Right? 'The bobble at home plate, not really,' Roberts chuckled. 'We found a way today.' That's what it took to set up Conforto's moment. He's been searching for consistency with his swing all year, addressing issues with his bat path that simply haven't given him a chance to make the consistent quality contact he needs. It was a good sign to see Conforto's single land into left field, for a couple of reasons. He hadn't gotten a two-out hit with a runner in scoring position all year. It had also been ages since Conforto had lined a base hit the other way. 'I hope that we've unlocked something,' Roberts said. 'But I think most importantly there should be a little bit more confidence when we take the field tomorrow.' As Knack labored, a familiar pattern emerged. The Dodgers of old thrived on keeping the ball in the ballpark. After Knack allowed three home runs Thursday, their 1.32 home runs per ninth inning ranked fifth-worst in the sport. Only three teams – the Athletics, Orioles and Blue Jays have allowed more than the Dodgers' 83 total dingers. This pitching staff is getting slugged, rendering whatever advantage it's created on swing-and-miss much less impactful. If it hasn't looked like the pitching staffs the team has rolled out in recent seasons, Roberts laid it out simply. Advertisement 'I think bad location, No. 1,' Roberts said. 'And I think predictability, No. 2. We need to sequence better at times.' And then there's No. 3. This simply isn't the personnel the Dodgers envisioned using. It goes beyond the injury-plagued rotation to a tired bullpen that has cycled through the likes of Chris Stratton and J.P. Feyereisen and Ryan Loutos and Yoendrys Gómez and Lou Trivino and Will Klein and José Ureña to fill needs. And that's just since the start of May. The Dodgers also quietly signed Kyle Funkhouser to a minor-league deal, stashing another arm with big-league time just in case. Given the Dodgers' comeback Thursday, Ureña's 2 1/3 innings were invaluable. It might also come at the cost of roster churn. Justin Wrobleski is expected to come up and pitch Friday in the Dodgers' series opener in St. Louis; his arrival appeared to always be the plan, but he may be asked to soak up more innings than expected after the Dodgers' bullpen had to cover the final 5 2/3 innings Thursday. That bullpen will get reinforcements soon. Both Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are expected to be activated at some point during the series against the Cardinals after each faced hitters in a live batting practice session Wednesday afternoon. Tyler Glasnow changed his delivery this winter, hoping to find health. He still thinks that a revamped delivery could help him stay healthier in the long term. Call it a cruel twist of fate, or a workplace hazard: Glasnow went on the injured list just five regular-season starts into his first year employing those mechanics. 'You make big changes and do new things and you get out of whack. It's harder to fix it if you don't have like (a) real foundation,' Glasnow said. Those changes this winter focused on what Glasnow called his 'spine angle,' or the way he was twisting the upper half of his body to generate force. His arm slot technically dropped from 58 degrees to 54 degrees. As a result, he's releasing the baseball at 5.99 feet off the ground as opposed to 6.05 feet off the ground like he did a year ago. These are changes that Glasnow hoped would lessen the strain on his elbow. Then, his shoulder started to bark. Advertisement 'My stride is really straight,' Glasnow explained this week. 'I never land closed, I was opening up, so I was just putting a lot of stress on my shoulder. My velo was down, stuff wasn't good, command was really bad, and when it clicked, like anything, it was fine. But I just wasn't on track and didn't know how to fix it because it was just so new. But I was just late on everything. That's every pitcher's issue in their delivery, landing late or not being on time. I think it was more late than I'm generally used to. Like it would be a great long-term fix, but I just don't think I was doing it correctly.' Glasnow's time on the injured list, he said, has given him time to find a proper balance in his delivery and discover solutions to correcting whatever issues may pop up. That doesn't mean more red flags won't emerge. Glasnow threw one bullpen last week before being shut down for a couple of days of throwing because of unrelated back tightness. It can feel like there's always something around the corner. But Glasnow downplayed the issue and plans to throw a bullpen session this weekend. His shoulder feels good, he said. Injuries have limited him to 27 starts since the Dodgers acquired him two winters ago. 'I'm trying to get out there,' Glasnow said. 'I want to be healthy, I want to be in the playoffs, I'm listening to them and just trying to figure out as best as I can. Coming back as soon as I can in a healthy way to help the team in the playoffs is my goal.' (Photo of Michael Conforto: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
Mets takeaways: Bad defense leads to split with Dodgers, Francisco Lindor's toe
LOS ANGELES — For most of their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets played well — well enough to win at least three games, if not all four. That changed dramatically in the eighth inning Thursday when third baseman Brett Baty made a costly error. But there were other rough spots during the game, which they lost 6-5 despite holding a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Advertisement That is why the Mets left Dodger Stadium feeling unsatisfied about a series split on the road against the defending World Series champion. 'We ended up splitting the series, but it felt like we gave that one away,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'We were sloppy today. We didn't play well.' Here are three takeaways from the final game of the series. Just one run decided the outcome in three of the four games. The Mets have proved this season that they can hang with the Dodgers. But they need to clean up their defense to take things to the next level. Their defense, particularly in the infield, is dicey when there's traffic on the bases against a tough team with the score tight. It cost them a couple of weeks ago at Yankee Stadium. It hurt them again in L.A. With one out in the eighth inning and catcher Will Smith the runner on third base, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages hit a dribbler to Baty. Baty said Smith did not get a great jump. Still, Smith broke for home plate. Upon fielding the ball, Baty did not immediately throw home. Instead, Baty double-clutched as if trying to fake out Smith. Then Baty made a bad, low throw home that catcher Francisco Alvarez couldn't reel in. The ball got by Alvarez. Pitcher Reed Garrett backed the play up and recovered the ball, but Alvarez was too close in front of him trying to locate the ball himself. Pages scored to tie the score at 5. It's a new ballgame for the Mets here in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers tie things on, uh… this: — Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 5, 2025 'Just didn't make a routine play there,' Mendoza said. Baty said he thought Smith may have tried to return to third base on the play and get in a rundown. Either way, though, Smith was already far enough down the line. Mendoza said the play calls for Baty to give the ball up and throw home. Baty called it a 'terrible play.' Advertisement 'It's just a very, very dumb mistake,' Baty said. 'It can't happen in that situation.' A few weeks ago, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns pointed to the club's inconsistent defense as a surprise so far this season. On Tuesday, left fielder Brandon Nimmo failed to make a catch on a tough ball with some funky spin off Freddie Freeman's bat on the last play of the game. It was a tough play. Thursday's blunder was not as excusable. Despite suffering a broken pinkie toe after Tony Gonsolin struck him with an 89 mph slider Wednesday night, Francisco Lindor lobbied to start Thursday's game. Mendoza told him no. So by the first pitch, Lindor, with a pack of sunflower seeds in hand, pulled up next to Mendoza in the dugout and just watched. Still, Mendoza referred to Lindor's diagnosis as relatively good news. A trip to the injured list was not on the table, Mendoza said before Thursday's game. It's just a matter of tolerating the pain, Lindor said. He described it as painful and something he will have to deal with, even when he becomes available to play. He labeled himself as merely day to day. 'I think it's going to be a nagging thing,' Lindor said. 'It's a bone; it's a broken bone. I think it takes six weeks for a bone to be fully healed. Three years ago, I did my finger here, and it still hurts at times. It's part of relying on your body. As professional athletes, that's stuff we go through. This is what God wanted this week, and we'll deal with that. It could have been worse.' For as long as Lindor is out, Luisangel Acuña figures to start at shortstop in his place. Acuña batted ninth and went 1-for-5 with a single in the fifth inning. It was just one game, but the Mets missed Lindor's on-field presence. He was unavailable Thursday to pinch hit, Mendoza said. Advertisement The Mets left 13 runners on base. In the sixth inning, Smith picked off Starling Marte at third base, though Mendoza accepted the blame for the mistake, saying he wanted to be aggressive with Marte set to run on contact. The Mets had plenty of other chances and failed to cash in, especially against Dodgers starter Landon Knack, who was not good (3 1/3 innings, four hits, four runs, five walks, one strikeout). The Mets went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, with Jeff McNeil failing to come through three times in the situation and Alvarez going 0-for-2 in the spot. New York wasted another strong outing from David Peterson, who pitched seven innings and allowed three runs. Mendoza pointed out the Mets' at-bats with runners on base as another reason why he referred to the game as 'sloppy.' 'I just felt like it was a game that got away from us,' Mendoza said. Pete Alonso provided a bright spot Thursday: He went 3-for-4 with a home run and provided the Mets' lone RBI with runners in scoring position. After the Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto to put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth inning, Alonso hit a single. Alonso's OPS is back up to a sizzling .973 with 15 home runs. Through five games in June, Alonso has four home runs. The key takeaway here is Alonso's ability to keep a slump at a minimum. After starting the season looking like the league's best hitter with improved discipline, Alonso recently stumbled. Over a 15-game stretch from May 6 to May 23, he went 9-for-59 (.153 batting average) with 25 strikeouts and just four walks. He is going to slump, just as all hitters do. But if Alonso is really in store for the big season that his March/April promised, it's going to come down to him being able to stop a slide from becoming a prolonged cold stretch — something of a bugaboo for him in previous seasons. (Photo of Reed Garrett after giving up the tying run during the eighth inning: Jason Parkhurst / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has fractured pinky toe, but not expected to go on IL
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor did not play in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers due to a fractured pinky toe suffered in Wednesday's game. However, Lindor is not expected to go on the injured list. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Lindor wanted to play on Thursday, but was kept out of the lineup. It's a day-to-day situation that comes down to how much pain Lindor can tolerate, according to Mendoza. Advertisement Lindor sustained the injury when he was hit in the right foot by an 89 mph slider from Tony Gonsolin slider in the first inning. The shortstop went to the ground in pain but stayed in the game and eventually scored on a Juan Soto groundout. After going 0-for-4 in the game, Lindor told reporters that he was feeling "a lot" of pain but could still play. Only after taking off his sock did he see how badly his foot was bruised, according to X-rays taken confirmed the broken toe. The Mets lost Thursday's game, 6-5, after giving up three runs in the eighth. An error at third base by Brett Baty allowed the Dodgers to score the tying run before Michael Conforto drove in the go-ahead run. Advertisement Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts also didn't go on the injured list after he fractured the fourth toe on his left foot, albeit in a home mishap. However, he did miss four games before returning to the lineup. Betts said playing was mostly a pain management issue, seemingly confirming what Mendoza and Lindor said. Lindor, 31, is batting .279/.353/.490 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 283 plate appearances. Last season, he finished as the runner-up in National League MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani with a .273/.344/.500 average, 39 doubles, 33 homers, 91 RBI and 39 steals. In Lindor's absence, Luisangel Acuña started at shortstop on Thursday and is expected to fill in at the position until the veteran returns. He's hitting .246/.298/.292 and has mostly played second base this season, but is credited with 1 Defensive Run Saved and 2 Outs Above Average at shortstop. Ronny Mauricio is also being prepared to help out, though he hasn't played shortstop since 2023.
