Dodgers Take NL Pennant, Leave Mets Grimacing

 

Tommy Edman celebrates his home run with Mookie Betts. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League pennant on Sunday night, as the routed the Mets, 10-5, in Game 6 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers are heading to their fourth World Series in eight years, and will be facing the Yankees for the first time since 1981. Game 1 will be Friday night in Los Angeles, as they have home field.

Los Angeles had to deploy a "bullpen game" for the second time in this series, even after the deleterious effect it had in Game 2, when the Mets rolled to a 7-3 win last Monday.

Michael Kopech, who sometimes serves as Dodgers closer, got the start, and he was all over the place, issuing a quick walk to Francisco Lindor, who then took second on a wild pitch. Kopech settled down when he got Brandon Nimmo to ground out, sending Lindor to third base, and struck out Mark Vientos.

Then, Pete Alonso hit a ground ball up the middle that second baseman Chris Taylor had to run in for, and he threw it wide of first, allowing Lindor to score and make it 1-0 Mets.

Sean Manaea, the Mets best starting pitcher in the playoffs, was on the mound, but he was not nearly as good as he was in Game 2, when he went into the sixth inning. 

Shohei Ohtani led off with a single, but after Manaea struck out Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez singled before Tommy Edman crushed one into the left field corner for a two-run double, and LA was up 2-1.

The Mets had a golden opportunity in the third inning when they loaded the bases against Ben Casparius, who let Alonso reach on another seeing-eye single, and Anthony Banda, who walked Jesse Winker and Tyrone Taylor was hit by a pitch. Jeff McNeil was up in the big spot, but struck out against fellow lefty Banda.

The Dodgers responded by adding to their lead in the third inning when Hernandez led off with a single, and Edman crushed one to left-center field for a two-run shot to open up a 4-1 lead.

Max Muncy then walked, and that was all for Manaea, who lasted only two innings plus three batters in this one.

First out of the Mets bullpen was Phil Maton, and he got two quick outs before Will Smith crushed one to center field for a two-run shot, and suddenly, it was 6-1 Dodgers.

That would be short-lived, as Mark Vientos greeted Ryan Brasier - who entered with a runner on base and two outs in the fourth - with a blast of his own to center field and the Mets were back within three.

The Mets then rolled the dice by going to their closer Edwin Diaz in the fourth, and he threw two shutout innings, allowing no hits and just one walk and striking out one.

In the sixth inning, with the game still 6-3 LA, the Mets loaded the bases against Ryan Brasier, as Francisco Alvarez singled and Vientos and Alonso drew two-out walks, but Winker flew out to left field.

The Mets kept it going in the seventh, when they got two runners on against Daniel Hudson, but Lindor struck out to end their last real threat.

Blake Treinen entered in the eighth, and he struck out the side.4

Kodai Senga, who entered in the seventh, remained on for the Mets, and Los Angeles tacked on three runs, as Mookie Betts got an RBI double, T. Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly, and Enrique Hernandez singled to make it 10-4.

In the ninth, Treinen got the first two outs quickly, but Tyrone Taylor singled to prevent him from going 6 up, 6 down. Taylor then took second base on defensive indifference, and McNeil then just lined one over Taylor at second base to bring him home and make it 10-5.

Alvarez was up next, and he grounded one to second base, and he had the indignity of making the final out of a season that felt like it would never end for the Mets.

After the proper time to reflect on a season marked by digging out of an 11 games under .500 hole, making a surprise run to the playoffs, beating the Milwaukee Brewers in dramatic fashion, then dominating the Philadelphia Phillies before succumbing to the Dodgers, the Mets can turn to how to finish the job.

The biggest question of their current players is whether they will bring back first baseman Pete Alonso, and along with that will be if they bring Juan Soto from The Bronx over to Queens. If the Yankees don't win the World Series, it will be easier for the Mets to lure across town by selling him on the season they just had and that he can put them over the top. Of course, Soto has already taken the Yankees to a place they haven't been in 15 years.