Mets Ride Historic Game Five To Send NLCS Back To LA
After the first two batters of game five of the National League Championship Series, it seemed like the Los Angeles Dodgers would once again dominate the New York Mets. Shohei Ohtani laced a leadoff single, and Starling Marte misplayed a Mookie Betts liner into a double. Second and third nobody out for the Dodgers again. Those few minutes were just about the last time the Dodgers felt good about their chances to clinch a World Series berth on Friday.
Teoscar Hernandez ripped a hard grounder to short for the first out, with Ohtani confusingly not scoring on the play. A Freddie Freeman line drive and Tommy Edman strikeout ended the threat. And the Mets immediately pounced in the bottom of the first.
With first and second and one out, Pete Alonso somehow launched a massive home run to center field on a pitch well below the strike zone.
The Citi Field fans went nuts, and they had plenty more opportunities to do so moving forward.
NEW YORK - New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) high-fives right fielder Starling Marte (6) after scoring during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field on Oct. 18, 2024. Photo: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Mets Offense Explodes Against Dodgers Pitching
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty clearly didn't have his best stuff, with his average fastball velocity sitting around two miles per hour below his season average. The Mets took the opportunity to tee off on him in the third inning.
Pete Alonso worked a leadoff walk, Jesse Winker walked, then Starling Marte hit a perfectly placed ground ball down the left field line to score both runners. Still, the game was relatively close at 5-1. The Mets offense ensured it would not remain close. With two outs and Marte at third, Francisco Alvarez singled, Francisco Lindor tripled, and Brandon Nimmo singled. Suddenly, a 3-1 game entering the third was an 8-1 blowout.
The Mets didn't stop there.
A Jesse Winker triple and a Starling Marte sacrifice fly added two more runs in the fourth, pushing the lead to 10-2. The Dodgers clawed a bit close with an Andy Pages three-run homer, and another from Mookie Betts in the sixth inning. But with Brett Honeywell in "wear it" mode, New York added more, getting to 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth to mark the highest run total of any team in the postseason.
The Mets added yet another run later, and Edwin Diaz closed out a 12-6 win to send the series back to Los Angeles for game six on Sunday.
The 12-run output was the second most in Mets postseason history, and New York's six-plus run lead made the NLCS the first series in playoff history where either team had at least a six-run lead in five consecutive games. Getting to double digits also represented the most runs scored when facing elimination of any Mets playoff team in the organization's history.
Game six at Dodger Stadium will be on Sunday evening, with the Mets starting Sean Manaea and the Dodgers likely going with a bullpen game. The one upside for Los Angeles is that the lopsided scoreline meant they'll have a fully rested bullpen for Sunday. They'll have another opportunity to clinch a trip to the World Series, while the Mets will look for some more magic to force a game seven.