2024 National League Championship Series

2024 National League Championship Series

Los Angeles Dodgers 98 - 64 in the NL	0 - 0 Series Summary	New York Mets 89 - 73 in the NL

Overview[edit]

The Teams[edit]

Managers: Dodgers: Dave Roberts | Mets: Carlos Mendoza

Dodgers

Mets

Umpires[edit]

Jeremie Rehak, Marvin Hudson, Nic Lentz, Bill Miller (crew chief), David Rackley, Jordan Baker

Mike Muchlinski was the reserve umpire for Game 1, then moved into the umpire rotation

Series results[edit]

Game	Score	Date	Starters	Time (ET)
1	New York Mets 0 Los Angeles Dodgers 9	October 13	Kodai Senga (0-1) Jack Flaherty (1-0)	8:15 pm
2	New York Mets 7 Los Angeles Dodgers 3	October 14	Sean Manaea (1-0) Ryan Brasier (0-1)	4:08 pm
3	Los Angeles Dodgers 8 New York Mets 0	October 16	Walker Buehler (0-0) Luis Severino (0-1)	8:08 pm
4	Los Angeles Dodgers 0 New York Mets 0	October 17	Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0-0) José Quintana (0-0)	8:08 pm
5	Los Angeles Dodgers 0 New York Mets 0	October 18		5:08 pm

Results[edit]

Game 1 @ Dodger Stadium[edit]

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	2
Dodgers	2	1	0	3	0	0	0	3	x	9	9	0
WP: Jack Flaherty (1-0); LP: Kodai Senga (0-1)
Home Runs: none

Attendance: 53,503

The Dodgers ran away with Game 1 as they extended their streak of innings without allowing a run to 33, matching the postseason record set by the 1966 Baltimore Orioles, in recording their third straight consecutive shutout going back to the Division Series. The previous record had been set entirely in the World Series, with the 1966 edition of the Dodgers being the victims, but while the current streak involved two separate postseason series, against two opponents, and with many more pitchers (the Orioles had only used four), it was still quite an impressive feat. Things started poorly from the outset for the Mets, as their starting pitcher, Kodai Senga, had serious control problems, leading to two runs in the 1st inning and another one in the 2nd before he was replaced by Reed Garrett.

For the Dodgers, Jack Flaherty had a great outing after a mediocre performance in his previous postseason start which had resulted in a loss. This time, he did not allow a run in seven innings of work, and only had to worry about four baserunners all evening - only two of them reaching via a base hit. He retired the first nine batters he faced before Francisco Lindor led off the 4th with a walk, and did not give up his first hit until a single by Jesse Winker in the 5th, by which time the Dodgers held a 5-0 lead. In other words, the Mets were never in the game. In contrast to Flaherty, who had pitched a full season between the Detroit Tigers and the Dodgers, Senga was making just his third start of the season. He had been injured in spring training, then suffered an unrelated leg injury in his first and only start of the regular season before being named to start Game 1 of the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. In that start he had given up a lead-off homer to Kyle Schwarber, but had done alright after that, although he had lasted only two innings. Even in the best of circumstances, his start in this game would also be a short one. As it turned out, it was anything but the best of circumstances. Things started off well enough as Senga got countryman Shohei Ohtani to ground out to second, but the nightmare started immediately after that. Mookie Betts walked on four pitches, and while Senga managed to get a couple of strikes against Freddie Freeman, he walked him as well. He couldn't throw a strike to Teoscar Hernández either, and the bases were loaded. Will Smith hit a fly ball to center field and third base coach Dino Ebel first sent Betts home, then gave him a stop sign, so the runners stayed put. But Senga wouldn't escape the jam of his own making. Max Muncy singled to center and not only did Betts score easily but Freeman, running on a bad ankle, did so as well for a 2-0 lead. Senga then threw a wild pitch, but Kiké Hernandez grounded back to him to end the inning.

In the 2nd, Senga walked lead-off man Gavin Lux and Tommy Edman laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving him to second base. Ohtani followed with a single, and it was 3-0. That was the end for Senga, who had managed just ten strikes in his 30 pitches. Reed Garrett came in to pitch and got Betts on a line-out before Ohtani was caught stealing at second, ending a personal streak of being successful on 36 consecutive stolen base attempts. In the 3rd, David Peterson replaced Garrett with two outs and one on. The Mets got their first baserunners in the 4th, on walks to Lindor and Pete Alonso, the latter with two outs, but Starling Marte flied out to RF Betts to end the inning. The Dodgers then got to Peterson in the bottom of that inning as Kiké Hernandez led off with a single, Lux laid down the Dodgers' second sacrifice bunt of the evening, Edman singled to drive in Hernandez, and Ohtani singled as well, driving in Lux and taking second on an error by RF Marte. With two outs, Freeman singled as well, and Ohtani scored to make it 6-0. The Mets had been known for their numerous comebacks all season, extending into the postseason, but there was no getting back from this deficit.

The Mets had their best chance to score in the 5th when Winker led off with their first hit and José Iglesias followed with a single to center. However, Winker hesitated rounding second, and ended up caught between second and third base and was eventually tagged out by Muncy. Iglesias stayed stuck on first base as the next two batters made outs, and Flaherty would not allow another baserunneruntil he left. The Mets replaced Peterson with Danny Young, making his postseason debut, in the bottom of the 6th, then José Butto replaced him with one out in the 7th. In the 8th Flaherty and Freeman both came out of the game, with Daniel Hudson taking the mound and Muncy moving from third base to first. Iglesias drew a lead-off walk. Jeff McNeil, just activated from the injured list, was sent in to pinch-hit for Tyrone Taylor but he lined out before Francisco Alvarez hit a single, only New York's third hit of the game. Iglesias stopped at second however, and the next two batters made outs, so nothing came of that. Then the Dodgers put the game completely out of reach with three more runs off Butto in the bottom of the 8th, on a single by Kiké Hernandez, a throwing error by Alonso, a walk to Ohtani and a bases-clearing double by Betts. With a 9-0 lead, Dave Roberts could afford to send one of his youngsters with little experience to finish up the game, in this case Ben Casparius, who retired the final three batters in order.

Game 2 @ Dodger Stadium[edit]

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mets	1	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	10	1
Dodgers	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	5	1
WP: Sean Manaea (1-0); LP: Ryan Brasier (0-1); SV: Edwin Diaz (1)
Home Runs: NY - Francisco Lindor (1); Mark Vientos (1); LA - Max Muncy (1)

Attendance: 52,926

The Mets tied up the series by pulling on the Dodgers the same trick they had pulled on them the night before. They built a big lead early, being ahead 6-0 after just two innings. But the script diverged from Game 1 in the middle innings as the Dodgers managed to shrink the lead to just three runs, although they could never get any closer. The Mets ended up 7-3 winners and managed to tie the series. On the mound, the Mets sent Sean Manaea, coming off a very good start in the Division Series, against "tbd", as it was clear it would be a bullpen game for Los Angeles. Ryan Brasier was given the ball as the opener, his second such assignment in this postseason, but whereas he had been perfect against the San Diego Padres, the Mets lost no time in putting an end to the Dodgers' 33-inning scoreless streak as Francisco Lindor led off the game with a homer. Brasier also walked Brandon Nimmo, but got Pete Alonso to ground into a double play. Manaea then pitched a scoreless inning.

The 2nd inning was the important one for the Mets. Young Landon Knack succeeded Brasier on the mound, and he immediately got himself in trouble by allowing a single to Starling Marte and walking Jesse Winker. José Iglesias hit a pop-up for the first out but Tyrone Taylor followed with a double to make it 2-0. Knack got Francisco Alvarez to pop up for the second out, then the Dodgers issued an intentional walk to Lindor, loading the bases. Mark Vientos was up next, and he made the Dodgers pay by hitting a ball just beyond the centerfield fence for a grand slam. The score was now 6-0, and the Dodgers had their work cut out for them. They couldn't do much against Manaea over the next few innings, and in spite of being battered around, Knack was given a second inning of work, as the Dodgers did not want to use nine pitchers in the game as they had done in San Diego in a must-win game. It was another tough inning, as the Mets loaded the bases again, but Alvarez made an out to center to end the inning without any runs scoring. Anthony Banda then took over in the 4th, and the Mets' bats quieted down. In fact, there wasn't much action until the 5th, when Max Muncy led off the inning with a homer to right field for the Dodgers' first run.

The key inning for the Dodgers was the 6th, as Manaea began to tire and they had a chance to have a big inning, thanks to some sloppy defensive play by the Mets. Mookie Betts led off with a walk and Teoscar Hernandez received a free pass as well. Freddie Freeman was up next and hit a grounder towards 2B Iglesias that looked like a potential double play ball, but Iglesias bobbled it and everyone was safe. That was it for Manaea, who was replaced by Phil Maton. He got Will Smith to pop up for the first out, then Tommy Edman hit a grounder to first which went under Alonso's glove and into right field, bringing two runners home. Maton then walked Muncy, loading the bases again, but Kiké Hernandez hit a grounder to 3B Vientos, who bobbled it but still managed to start a double play. It took all of Alonso's ballet skills to keep his foot on the bag while gloving Iglesias' errant relay, and in fact the Dodgers asked for a video review, but the two outs were confirmed and the inning was over. It was now 6-3, but the Dodgers could have easily erased New York's lead. The Mets managed to get through the 7th without damage, with Ryne Stanek taking over on the mound after one out and a walk to Shohei Ohtani. In the 8th, Edman singled with two outs and Muncy walked, which was the situation Carlos Mendoza needed to bring in his closer, Edwin Diaz. The two runners pulled off a double steal, but Kiké Hernandez hit a fly ball to right to end the threat. In the 9th, the Mets scored an insurance run against rookie Edgardo Henriquez, who was pitching his second inning, with a stolen base by Alonso which took everyone by surprise featuring prominently. Diaz thus had some maneuvering room for the bottom of the 9th, which came in handy when the first two batters, Andy Pages and Ohtani, both reached, on a single and a walk. Diaz then decided to ditch his secondary pitches and throw only fastballs, and he struck out Betts and Teoscar Hernandez in short order. He then got two strikes on Freeman while still throwing only fastballs, before finishing off with a slider which Freeman swung at and missed. The series was now tied.

Game 3 @ Citi Field[edit]

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Dodgers	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	3	1	8	10	0
Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
WP: Michael Kopech (1-0); LP: Luis Severino (0-0)
Home Runs: LA - Kiké Hernandez (1), Shohei Ohtani (1); Max Muncy (2)

Attendance: 43,883

Game 3 looked a lot like Game 1, ending with a lopsided score in favor of the Dodgers, with the Mets failing to score even once. The main differences were that there was no dominant performance by a starter - Walker Buehler left after four innings - and the setting was Citi Field and not Dodger Stadium. For the Mets, Luis Severino was on the mound and his pitching wasn't the main issue: he lasted until two were out in the 5th and allowed just two runs, both unearned. However, the Dodgers teed off against two Mets relievers to run away with the score.

The outcome of the game turned around the 2nd inning, which was key for both teams. For the Dodgers, it started with a walk to Max Muncy followed by a tapper in front of home plate by Teoscar Hernández. Catcher Francisco Alvarez fielded the ball, but instead of getting the sure out at first base, he tried to play the hero by throwing to second base, but his throw was off target and everyone was safe on the error. That made Severino's job a lot more complicated and while he got Gavin Lux to hit a ball back to him, both runners advanced 90 feet. Muncy scored on a single by Will Smith that deflected off Severino towards SS Francisco Lindor and Hernández followed on a sacrifice fly by Tommy Edman on which CF Tyrone Taylor and RF Starling Marte almost crashed into each other. It was 2-0 without the Dodgers having hit one ball out of the infield, save for the sacrifice fly. The Mets had a chance to reply immediately, however, but wasted it. J.D. Martinez drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 2nd and went to second on a single by José Iglesias that ate up SS Edman. Taylor then walked as well to load the bases, but Buehler settled down to strike out Alvarez and Lindor in succession, and he escaped the jam without damage. He had had to make a large number of pitches, however, which explained why he only lasted four innings.

Severino got himself in trouble again in the top of the 3rd by walking the first two batters, Ohtani and Betts. He then got Freddie Freeman on a short fly to left, but the bases were loaded again after Muncy singled to right. However, Severino got Teoscar Hernández to line out softly to third and Lux to ground out, so he escaped without a run being scored. Just one well-timed hit by the Dodgers in the 2nd or the 3rd could have broken the game completely open, but it would remain close for a few more innings. The Mets then wasted another opportunity as well, stranding two runners in the bottom of the 3rd before Buehler completed his outing with his only perfect inning in the 4th. The Dodgers placed two more runners on base after two outs in the 5th, on a single by Freeman followed by a walk to Muncy, which spelled the end for Severino. Reed Garrett replaced him and struck out Teoscar Hernández to end the inning. For their part, the Dodgers brought out Michael Kopech to pitch the 5th, and his perfect inning would earn him the win, Buehler having failed to complete five innings.

After five innings, the score was still 2-0 and it was now up to the bullpens to bring it home, but on that count, the Dodgers' relievers thoroughly outpitched those of the Mets: the Dodgers' four pitchers allowed just one hit in five innings, while the two relievers used by the Mets - Garrett and Tylor Megill - gave up six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3. What had been a close game became a laugher. All six of the runs scored on long balls. In the 6th, Edman singled with two outs, after which Garrett was called for a balk, then, more importantly, gave up a homer to Kiké Hernandez, who seemed to have once again put on his superhero costume for the postseason: it was the 15th postseason homer of his career, tying him with Babe Ruth on the all-time list, although Ruth had hit all of his long balls in the World Series. That two-run blast made it 4-0. In the 8th, with Smith and Kiké Hernandez on base, Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer off Megill, while Muncy hit a solo shot, also off Megill, in the 9th. The Mets' only chance in the late innings came in the 6th against Ryan Brasier when they placed two men on base but José Iglesias then hit into an inning-ending double play. They just went through the motions at the plate after that, so much so that Dave Roberts could let rookie Ben Casparius pitch the final two inning, not feeling the need to use any of his higher-leverage pitchers. The shutout was the Dodgers' fourth in their last five games.