NEW YORK — The New York Mets, 11 games under .500 in late May, turned their season around after adopting an against-the-world mentality.
The attitude was best summarized by designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who said the best way to quiet the critics who didn’t believe in the Mets was to “let’s go (stink) together. Let’s go have fun (stinking).”
However, the Mets’ Cinderella ride through the playoffs is now on the verge of ending thanks to the similarly plucky Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers will attempt to clinch the National League pennant and the Mets will aim to stave off elimination Friday afternoon in Game 5 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty (1-1, 2.92 ERA this postseason) is slated to start for Los Angeles against New York left-hander David Peterson (1-0, 2.08).
The Dodgers rolled to a 10-2 win in Game 4 on Thursday night, when Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and Mookie Betts finished 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs.
The lopsided victory continued a relentless eight-day stretch for the Dodgers, who have reached the playoffs in each of the last 12 years but have won the World Series just once in that span — following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
The Dodgers appeared to be on the verge of another early elimination when they fell behind the Padres 2-1 in a five-game NL Division Series. However, Los Angeles outscored San Diego 10-0 while winning the final two games.
The Dodgers have recorded three routs of the Mets, whom they have outscored 30-9 in the NLCS while taken a 3-1 lead. Los Angeles is hitting .259 to New York’s .212, and the Dodgers have drawn 31 walks to New York’s 17.
“I sort of like the us-against-the-world that our guys have sort of taken on,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that’s kind of ironic with the Dodgers, but I like it.”
The Mets may not be in an enviable position, but they have thrived all season in challenging situations. New York had the best record in the majors after May 29 (67-40), clinched a playoff berth in the penultimate game of the season and was two outs away from elimination in Game 3 of an NL wild-card series against the Milwaukee Brewers before Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer in a 4-3 victory.
Just eight teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in an LCS since the best-of-seven format was adopted in 1985. The last team to do so was the 2020 Dodgers, who toppled the Atlanta Braves.
“The one word I can think of (for) the 2024 Mets — other than Grimace — is resiliency,” said Alonso said, referring to the fast food mascot whose first pitch at Citi Field coincided with the start of New York’s summer surge. “That’s just who we are. We have fun, we enjoy the moment. But at the end of the day, we’re a resilient bunch and we respond in a very positive way.”
Flaherty earned the win in Game 1 on Sunday, when he allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 9-0 victory. He is 2-4 with a 3.38 ERA in seven postseason games (six starts) dating back to 2019.
This will be the first playoff start for Peterson, who last pitched in Game 1, when he gave up three runs (two earned) over 2 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA and one save in six playoff games dating back to 2022.
Flaherty made his lone regular-season start against the Mets on June 13, 2019, when he didn’t factor into the decision after allowing four runs over 5 1/3 innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in their 5-4, 10-inning win.
Peterson is 1-0 with a 5.74 ERA in four regular-season games (three starts) against the Dodgers. He didn’t factor into the decision on May 29 after giving up three runs (two earned) over five innings in the Dodgers’ 10-3 victory.
–Jerry Beach, Field Level Media
