Shohei Ohtani of Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after scoring on Mookie Bett’s two-run home run against the New York Mets during the sixth inning in Game 4 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in New York.
14:54 JST, October 18, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off another blowout in October, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are one win into the World Series.
Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and scored four times, Mookie Betts also went deep and drove in four runs, and the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 10-2 on Thursday night for a 3-1 lead in their lopsided National League Championship Series.
“I think it’s great that our guys haven’t taken their foot off the gas,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We don’t want to give these guys any momentum.”
Betts had a two-run homer and a two-run double among his four hits. Max Muncy extended his streak of reaching base safely to 12 at-bats, a postseason record, and the Dodgers neared their 25th pennant – the most in NL history.
“You just ride on those emotions,” Betts said. “I’ve been trying to stay balanced and all that stuff. That doesn’t really work at times like this, so you just have to jump on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride.”
Game 5 is Friday at Citi Field, with Jack Flaherty scheduled to face Los Angeles in search of a World Series berth for his hometown team.
David Peterson will make his first playoff start for New York after pitching well out of the bullpen this postseason.
“Peterson is fully equipped. The last time he threw was four days ago. So I expect him to make a regular start,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, adding that starter Kodai Senga will be available out of the bullpen.
Surprise cleanup hitter Tommy Edman had three RBIs, including a tiebreaking double off starter Jose Quintana with two outs in the third inning. Kiké Hernández followed with an RBI single that made it 3-1.
Betts broke the game open, greeting reliever Jose Buttó with a two-run double in the fourth and then right-hander Phil Maton with a two-run homer in the sixth.
Both big hits followed walks to Ohtani, and he issued three consecutive free passes after homering on consecutive swings dating back to Game 3.
“I just know there was a period of two or three at-bats. I don’t think he even saw a throw up close, which I understand. But it’s going to be hard to let him out all the time,” Betts said. ‘We’ll see. If they want to continue doing that, that’s fine. I just have to make sure I take care of my job and the guys behind us.”
Ohtani pointed to the Dodgers dugout as he connected. The $700 million superstar said All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was out with an ankle injury, spoke to him before the game.
“Freddie spoke with me to ensure that I would join the party sooner rather than later,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “So I was able to do that in my first at-bat this time.”
Betts, who started the night hitting .200 this postseason, gave a huge fist pump between second and third as he rounded the bases after his third homer of the playoffs.
Mark Vientos provided a rare highlight for New York, hitting his fourth postseason homer in the first inning off $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
But the Mets, who were 14-2 in their last 16 games at Citi Field when they returned home Wednesday, were blown out at home for the second straight night.
New York was outscored 30-9 in the series, including 9-0 in the opener and 8-0 in Game 3.
“You’ve got to give those guys credit. That is a deep lineup,” Mendoza said. “And whether (our starters) feel it or not, we didn’t execute and we didn’t get any length from them.”
The latest flop, after a thrilling comeback well into October, silenced a sold-out crowd of 43,882 and left Citi Field eerily quiet in the late innings – and about as empty as it was in April.
“When we come back from this, it’s going to be a great story,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said.
Evan Phillips earned the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Yamamoto.
Trailing 7-2, the reeling Mets had a chance to get back into the game when they loaded the bases with no one out in the sixth. But then Phillips retired the side and Blake Treinen retired pinch-hitter Jesse Winker on a fly to the warning track in right field.
“I like the us-against-the-world attitude that our guys have taken. I think that’s kind of ironic with the Dodgers, but I like that,” Roberts said.
“If we win five more games I will be much happier. But yeah, I’m very excited to be in this position. And I just want to keep our guys hungry and focused and not let these guys get back in the series.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Freeman missed his second game of the playoffs. He played the entire postseason with a severely sprained and swollen right ankle.
Mets: Slumping catcher Francisco Alvarez limped to first base in pain after being drilled by Yamamoto’s 91 mph sinker to start the fifth. He was pulled to pinch hitter with the bases loaded in the sixth.
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Acquired from Detroit at the July 30 trade deadline, Flaherty went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for the Dodgers and finished 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA overall. He allowed two hits in seven innings and won the NLCS opener 9-0.
