The Los Angeles Dodgers are showing why they have been World Series favorites all year.
They did another impressive job past the New York Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday, winning 10-2 and taking a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani started things off with a bang, hitting his third homer of the postseason in the top of the first inning. New York answered right back, however, with Mark Vientos’ solo shot in the bottom half of the first.
The Dodgers got back-to-back, two-out hits in each third inning that drove in a run, but the Mets quickly cut that deficit back to within one.
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Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a two-run home run by Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers as Francisco Alvarez #4 of the New York Mets reacts during the sixth inning against New York Mets during Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field on October 17, 2024, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
In the fourth, Mookie Betts drove in two runs and doubled, putting LA up 5-2. Two innings later, Betts hit a two-run homer, giving the Dodgers a five-run lead. New York loaded the bases with none out in the sixth, but couldn’t score a run, deflating the Citi Field crowd. To add insult to injury, the Dodgers added three runs in the eighth to ice it.
The win came despite the Dodgers resting Freddie Freeman, who has been struggling with an ankle injury. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not commit to playing Freeman in all three games in New York, but said after Game 3 that he expected Freeman to be in Thursday’s lineup. He didn’t seem to miss it.
Ohtani scored four runs on the night, walking three times to go along with his homer. The bet, on the other hand, is 4-for-6.
Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting an RBI double in the fourth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS presented by The Loan Depot between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, October 17, 2024, New York, New York. (Photos by Daniel Shirey/MLB via Getty Images)
GUARDS USE THE LONG BALL TO PULL OUT A WONDERFUL WAY TO WIN AFTER BREAKING THE LEAD
Now, the Dodgers are one win away from returning to the World Series. They last won it all in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but other than that, they haven’t won since 1988. It will also be their first full-season Fall Classic appearance since 2018, when they lost to Boston. Red Sox.
As for the Mets, they will need to win at home on Friday, then in Los Angeles on Sunday and Monday, to get back to the World Series. Overall, Los Angeles has outscored the Mets, 30-5, this series.
It’s not the first time the Mets have had their backs against the wall this October, but it’s the first time they’ve been alive and well for a long time.
Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a two-run home run by Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers as Francisco Alvarez #4 of the New York Mets reacts during the sixth inning during Game Four of the National League Championship Series. at Citi Field on October 17, 2024, in New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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It is not clear who the Mets will run against when they face the bullpen, as they may go with Kodai Senga or David Peterson. Los Angeles, on the other hand, will go with Jack Flaherty.
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