Friday, October 18, 2024

Mets, Powered By Pete, Send Series Back To LA

 

Pete Alonso connecting on his first-inning home run. @Mets.


The Mets entered Friday's Game 5 of the National League Championship Series needing a win to avoid seeing the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch at Citi Field, and one of their leaders made sure early that was not going to happen.

Mets starting pitcher David Peterson worked his way out of a two-runners on, nobody-out jam in the top of the first inning by retiring Teoscar Hernandez on a groundout, Freddie Freeman on a lineout, and Tommy Edman on a strikeout.

That would prove to be a momentum boost instantly, as Francisco Lindor singled and Brandon Nimmo walked to start Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty's day. 

After Mark Vientos flew out to left field, Pete Alonso came to the plate in what could be his last game as a Met at home, as he is a pending free agent.

Alonso met the moment, gave the Mets just what they needed as he crushed one to center field for a three-run home run. It was his fourth homer of the playoffs.

After the Dodgers got one back into he top of the second when Enrique Hernandez reached on a walk and scored on a wild pitch, the Mets rallied in the third.

Alonso and Jesse Winker opened the frame with walks, and then Starling Marte laced a double to left field to bring them in and make it 5-1. 

Then, with two outs, Francisco Alvarez got an RBI single, and he came in on a Francisco Lindor triple. Brandon Nimmo then singled to left field to make it a five-run inning and a commanding 8-1 lead.

Andy Pages then hit a solo home run in the fourth off Peterson before he exited, and the Mets responded in the bottom of the fourth against Dodgers reliever Brett Honeywell. 

Alonso was hit by a pitch before he came in to score on a triple from Winker, and then he came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Jeff McNeil that made it 10-2.

With Reed Garrett on for the Mets in the fifth, Pages struck again, this time with a three-run shot to cut the Mets lead to 10-5. 

Ryne Stanek came on to finish off the fifth with a strikeout of Shohei Ohtani, and he then was greeted in the sixth by Mookie Betts hitting a solo shot that pulled Los Angeles withing 10-6. He then struck out T. Hernandez and Freeman before Tommy Edman flew out to center field.

The Mets got that run back in the bottom half of the sixth when Marte reached on a HBP and came in to score on a another sacrifice fly from McNeil that made it 11-6.

With a bit more of a cushion, Stanek stayed on for the Mets in the seventh, and retired them in order before yielding to closer Edwin Diaz, who went 1-2-3 in the eighth, striking out Pages and Ohtani before getting Betts to ground out to second base.

With Honeywell still on for the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth, the Mets tacked on another run when Alonso singled and came in to score on a Marte single that made it 12-6. That gave Marte three RBI and Alonso four runs scored.

Diaz worked around a Tommy Edman single in the ninth to keep the Dodgers off the board and send the series back to Los Angeles. 

Game 6 will be Sunday night, with the Dodgers ahead 3-2 in the series.

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