Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Dodgers Announce Partnership With Toei Animation For ONE PIECE Night
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers and legendary anime studio Toei Animation announced an official partnership agreement that establishes a one-day stadium promotion for the global hit series ONE PIECE. The planned ONE PIECE Night will take place on Thursday, July 3 for the Dodgers’ 7:10 p.m. game against the Chicago White Sox.

“This exciting partnership between the Dodgers and Toei Animation will bring a fun-filled event to Dodger Stadium,” Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said. “It’s great to showcase ONE PIECE, one of the most popular franchises in the world, to the best fan base in the world.”

During the special night at Dodger Stadium, which will include a variety of ONE PIECE activations in and around the stadium, the Dodgers will give away ONE PIECE co-branded straw hats to the first 40,000 ticketed fans in attendance, while supplies last, at the guest’s point of entry. After the game, there will be a special drone show featuring fan-favorite characters from the series.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring the global hit series ONE PIECE to Dodger Stadium on July 3 for a very special one-day promotion,” Toei Animation head of marketing and senior director Lisa Yamatoya said.

“We invite fans to join us for ONE PIECE Night, which will offer a truly memorable, one-of-a-kind entertainment experience, complete with a not-to-be-missed ONE PIECE drone show after the game!”

The Dodgers have announced numerous partnerships this year, including with JTB, Tokyo Electron, SeatGeek, All Nippon Airways, Hakkaisan Brewery Co., Nikaido Shuzou Company, and ITD EN Ltd.

What is ONE PIECE?

ONE PIECE is produced by Toei Animation and based on the best-selling manga of all time created by Eiichiro Oda. Now over 25 years since its Japanese TV premiere in 1999, this iconic episodic series has taken its place in mainstream pop culture, attracting millions of fans of all ages around the world.

Today, the franchise has grown to encompass 15 feature films, numerous video games, a trading card game and an ever-expanding catalog of licensed merchandise and location-based entertainment.

This article first appeared on Dodger Blue and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

D-backs Pitcher Enters Free Agency
MLB

D-backs Pitcher Enters Free Agency

As the World Series comes to a conclusion, the MLB offseason officially commences. That means three of the Arizona Diamondbacks pending free agents have officially entered free agency, One such free agent is left-hander Jalen Beeks. Beeks, alongside former ace Zac Gallen and veteran backup catcher James McCann, were listed among the 137 players hitting free agency, in a statement released by the MLB Players' Association. For more on Gallen's free agency, check out the below article: Related Content: Zac Gallen Takes First Free Agency Step The D-backs are among the teams with the lower free agent departure totals. With the five-day "quiet period" following the World Series, teams will have the option to re-sign their own players without competition. Unlike Gallen, Beeks is an arm that seems like a much more reasonable re-sign for Arizona. Arizona Diamondbacks' Jalen Beeks Enters Free Agency The 32-year-old veteran left-hander was a last-second pickup for GM Mike Hazen and the D-backs, joining the team just prior to Opening Day. He quickly became one of the few arms trusted to take on a workhorse load out of the bullpen, as Arizona's relief corps suffered injury after injury. And he certainly did take a large share of the innings. Beeks tossed 57.1 innings, and likely would have been used even more if not for an IL stint (followed by careful usage) in the latter third of the regular season. Still, the lefty posted a solid 3.77 ERA, inflated somewhat by a few blowup outings. He's also had generally solid, if not eye-popping peripheral metrics, even during some of his uglier ERA seasons. Finding quality left-handed relief pitching is no easy feat. Considering Beeks made only $1.25 million with Arizona in 2025, even a slight increase in that amount would likely be money well spent. Related Content: Diamondbacks Have to Address This Bullpen Need Again The Diamondbacks already face an uphill battle with regard to bolstering their bullpen and starting rotation. An in-house option with a history of stability would be a beneficial return, even if regression is a distinct possibility. Regardless, the Diamondbacks absolutely must make an attempt at acquiring a closer (as well as another legitimate leverage arm) if they want to weather the storm before Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return. Beeks does not necessarily fill that type of role, but he does have leverage experience, and would likely perform well in a middle-relief role without the pressure of having to serve as the setup man or closer in 2026. Related Content: Should the Diamondbacks Bring Back this Veteran Reliever? Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News

The 'NFL franchise TD-catch leaders' quiz
NFL Quiz

The 'NFL franchise TD-catch leaders' quiz

Happy 37th birthday to three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and 2012 PFWA Most Improved Player award winner, Dez Bryant! The Oklahoma State product played in nine NFL seasons, eight of which were with the Dallas Cowboys. In his time with Big D he caught 531 passes for 7,506 yards and a franchise-record 73 touchdowns. He also served as an important bridge for Dallas in the Tony Romo-Dak Prescott transition, catching 50 passes for 796 yards and eight scores in Prescott’s 2016 rookie campaign. His time in Dallas ended with an achilles injury in 2017, but he did catch on for six games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 before hanging up his cleats. Which brings us to today’s quiz. How many of the players with the most receiving touchdowns for each NFL franchise can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!

Mike Vrabel responds to accusation that Patriots simulated Falcons' snap on key fourth-quarter play
NFL

Mike Vrabel responds to accusation that Patriots simulated Falcons' snap on key fourth-quarter play

With under two minutes remaining in regulation of Sunday's game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. committed a costly and curious intentional grounding penalty after he seemed not ready to receive the snap of the football. Following the 24-23 loss that dropped Atlanta to 3-5 on the season, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris accused Patriots players of "clapping" to simulate Penix asking for the ball to be snapped. During a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel responded to Morris' comments. Mike Vrabel "didn't see" Patriots players simulating the snap "I mean, I didn't see anything," Vrabel said, per Tom Carroll of Audacy. "Like, is that fake? I don’t know. Quarterbacks, when they want the ball, it’s like [clap] [clap] [clap] [clap]. I mean, I didn’t see anybody doing that. And then, like, we don’t do the clap…I can see, like, when the quarterback, like it’s the silent count, it’s like [softer claps], but I didn’t see anybody do that." The CBS broadcast of Sunday's contest didn't show a single New England player clapping before the ball was snapped for what became the intentional grounding play. As Marc Raimondi of ESPN noted, a team guilty of simulating an offense's snap count or snap is supposed to receive a 15-yard penalty. No flag was thrown before the ball left Penix's hand, and the Falcons eventually had to punt on fourth down of that late drive. From there, New England was able to run the clock out. Mike Vrabel names latest Patriots-related controversy The Patriots were previously part of "Spygate" and "Deflategate" scandals. On Monday, Vrabel named the latest alleged New England controversy. "'Clapgate,'" Vrabel added during the segment. "That was new. I didn't see that. I just know - and maybe that's a testament to our fans. You know what I mean? It got loud, and I could hear the energy, and so thank them for that. But that's a good point. I did not - I didn't see anything, and I’ll let you guys go investigate." The 7-2 Patriots next play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) on Nov. 9. Perhaps it's fair to wonder what New England players will and/or won't try to get away with at Raymond James Stadium during that Sunday afternoon matchup.

Five candidates to replace Hugh Freeze as Auburn's head coach
College Football

Five candidates to replace Hugh Freeze as Auburn's head coach

Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze on Sunday, who posted a 15–19 overall mark in his three seasons with the Southeastern Conference school. A little later on Sunday, Tigers athletics director John Cohen officially announced the news of Freeze being let go. Freeze's buyout is $15.44 million, according to USA Today, and Auburn's decision to part ways with him is another step toward 2025 potentially being a record year for buyouts amid a frenetic coaching carousel. Five possible candidates to replace Hugh Freeze at Auburn Jimbo Fisher, former Texas A M head coach Fisher won a national championship as the head coach at Florida State. He also has deep ties to the SEC. He served as Auburn's quarterbacks coach in the 1990s, and Fisher was also the head coach at Texas A M from 2018-23. James Franklin, former Penn State head coach The Nittany Lions fired Franklin in October, although he did lead Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinal round a season ago. Franklin has been rumored as a potential front-runner for the opening at Virginia Tech, but Auburn leaders will gauge his interest in the Tigers' job. Franklin, before guiding Penn State, was also in the SEC as the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2011-13. Alex Golesh, South Florida head coach Golesh is a hot prospect as a candidate for big power-conference openings. A few years ago, he was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at SEC school Tennessee. In his three campaigns with South Florida, Golesh is 20-14 overall. This season, the Bulls are 6-2 and in the hunt for a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Brent Key, Georgia Tech head coach Key grew up in the state of Alabama and also served as the offensive line coach for the Crimson Tide from 2016-18. In his four seasons at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets have gone 26-17 overall. Although Georgia Tech suffered its first defeat this season over the weekend, the Yellow Jackets are 8-1 and in the hunt for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a berth in the CFP. Jon Sumrall, Tulane head coach Sumrall has a ton of SEC ties. He played linebacker at Kentucky and also served as co-defensive coordinator of the Wildcats. He was also the linebackers coach at Ole Miss. As the head coach at Troy, Sumrall went 23–4, and he is 15–7 so far in two seasons with Tulane. The Green Wave, in 2025, are a CFP contender.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!