MLB: Shohei Ohtani Homers as the Dodgers beat the Mets 8-0 for a 2-1 lead in the NLCS

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani launched a three-run homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers that punctuated their 8-0 victory over the New York Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night.

Kiké Hernández hit a two-run shot to make it 4-0 in the sixth inning and waved to the Citi Field crowd that he quieted. Los Angeles recovered from a loss at home to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by posting its fourth shutout in the past five playoff games.

Ohtani connected in the eighth, a 400-foot drive that reached the second deck in right field and barely stayed above the foul pole.

Max Muncy went deep in the ninth for his 13th career postseason homer, tying Corey Seager and Justin Turner for the franchise record. Muncy also connected in Game 2.

An excited Walker Buehler struck out Francisco Lindor to leave the bases loaded in the second, and the Dodgers got five stingy innings out of their hard-throwing bullpen. Buehler combined with four relievers on a four-hitter.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Queens, with $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to face Los Angeles against veteran left-hander Jose Quintana.

Michael Kopech scored a hitless fifth for the win, and Dodgers pitchers finished with 13 strikeouts.

Mets starter Luis Severino fell behind 2-0 in the second inning, partly due to sloppy fielding. He didn’t allow an earned run, but threw 95 pitches and walked four in 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.

Slumping catcher Will Smith drove in a run with an infield single, and Tommy Edman had a sacrifice fly that could have been more had it not been for a sensational catch on Tyrone Taylor’s right-center warning track.

Los Angeles pitched back-to-back shutouts against San Diego to win their heated Division Series after falling two games to one. Jack Flaherty and the Dodgers then shut out the Mets 9-0 in the NLCS opener Sunday, extending the team’s scoreless streak to 33 innings — matching a postseason record.

The only recent setback for the pitching staff came Monday, when Lindor hit a leadoff home run and the Mets won 7-3 at Chavez Ravine.

Ohtani hit .222 with a home run and five RBIs during his first postseason. The $700 million superstar led the charge in Game 1 against the Mets but had not gone deep since hitting a three-run homer early in the Division Series opener.

When he made an 0-1 cutter by Tylor Megill in the eighth, Ohtani pointed to the Dodgers dugout. The ball was initially called fair, a ruling that stood after a replay review.

Dating back to the regular season, Ohtani had 17 hits and 27 RBIs in his past 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position, including seven home runs. The leadoff hitter is 0 for 22 this postseason with the bases empty. With runners on, he is 7 for 9 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: 2B Gavin Lux was back in the lineup, batting sixth. Lux missed Game 2 due to a right hip flexor injury that forced him out of the series opener in the seventh inning.

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Yamamoto (7-2, 3.00 ERA) struggled in the Division Series opener against San Diego, but then threw five scoreless innings with two hits to win the decisive Game 5 last Friday, throwing 39 of 63 pitches for strikes.

Quintana (10-10, 3.75 ERA) has not allowed an earned run over 11 innings in two playoff starts, both without decisions. Looking back to August 25, the 35-year-old Quintana has given up just three earned runs in eight starts spanning 47 1/3 innings.