The National League Championship Series is here, and it’s a big-market, coast-to-coast matchup between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets grabbed one of the last NL wild-card spots on the final day of the regular season before beating the Brewers and Phillies so far this postseason. The Dodgers have been among the top teams in the NL — and all of baseball — all season long.
The Dodgers won four of the six games these two teams played this season, and Shohei Ohtani was a major factor for Los Angeles. Playing in five of those games, the National League MVP favorite slashed .316/.458/.684 in 24 plate appearances with two home runs, six RBI and five walks.
On Sunday, Jack Flaherty (0-1, 5.1 IP, 6.75 ERA in 2024 postseason) got the start for the Dodgers against Kodai Senga (0-0, 2.0 IP, 4.50 ERA) for the Mets at Dodger Stadium. You can watch the game on Fox.
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Make it seven scoreless innings for Jack Flaherty. The Dodgers starter pitches a 1-2-3 seventh to maintain a 6-0 Los Angeles lead. He’s at 98 pitches and could see an end to his night soon.
Danny Young pitches a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth for the Mets, and we go to the seventh with the Dodgers holding a 6-0 lead.
The postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched is 33 by the 1966 Baltimore Orioles. The Dodgers would tie those Orioles with a shutout tonight.
Jack Flaherty has shut the Mets out for six innings in Game 1 of the NLCS. The Dodgers have not allowed a run in 30 innings. The record for consecutive scoreless innings for a team in the postseason is Baltimore in the 1966 World Series with 33. What a run for Dodgers pitching.
The Mets fail to score in the sixth, and the Dodgers extend their scoreless innings streak to 30. Jack Flaherty has allowed two hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six scoreless innings.
Teoscar Hernandez ended the inning with a nice grab over the wall in foul territory.
No damage in the bottom of the fifth. David Peterson pitches a scoreless half inning, and the Dodgers maintain a 6-0 lead.
Dodgers set scoreless innings record
With New York’s scoreless fifth inning, the Dodgers have set a new NL postseason record with 29 consecutive scoreless innings pitched dating back to the second inning of Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers shut out the Padres in Games 4 and 5 to clinch the series and have held the Mets off the scoreboard through five innings of the NLCS. Not bad for a staff that’s been riddled with injuries.
The Mets got their first two hits off of Jack Flaherty and managed to mess that up. Jesse Winker reached on a leadoff single in the fifth, but he got caught in a rundown between second and third on a hit by Jose Iglesias. A pair of outs to the outfield then ended the inning, and the Mets remain scoreless despite consecutive hits to lead off the inning.
Dodgers still lead 6-0.
Ohtani, Dodgers pile on
The Dodgers are cruising. Tommy Edman scored Kiké Hernández on a one-out single off of David Peterson in the bottom of the fourth to increase the Los Angeles lead to 3-0.
Shohei Ohtani then smoked a line drive to the right-field wall to score Hernández. Ohtani came home on a single by Freddie Freeman to double the Dodgers’ lead to 6-0 through four innings.
Jack Flaherty is perfect no more. The Dodgers’ starter walked Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso in the fourth inning but got a loud out at the warning track on a fly ball to right field from Starling Marte to end the inning.
The Mets are still seeking their first hit. Dodgers lead 3-0 in the fourth.
The Mets post their first scoreless inning on the mound and get out of the third trailing 3-0.
New York’s bullpen is in for a long day. Reed Garrett is done after 1 1/3 innings in relief of starter Kodai Senga. David Peterson takes over on the mound with two outs and no men on in the top of the third.
Jack Flaherty still perfect
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty is perfect after his first turn through the Mets’ lineup. He retired the side in the third capped by a strikeout of Francisco Alvarez. That’s four strikeouts and zero baserunners allowed through three innings. Dodgers lead 3-0.
Here’s a rare sight. Shoehei Ohtani was just caught trying to steal second base to end the second inning. It’s the first time since July that the presumptive NL MVP was caught stealing. He was successful on his previous 36 attempts.
Dodgers take a 3-0 lead out of the second inning.
Kodai Senga is done
It’s a short outing for Mets starter Kodai Senga. He issued a leadoff walk to Gavin Lux, who came around to score on a Shohei Ohtani single. That’s a 3-0 lead for the Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the second.
Senga walked four and allowed two hits and three earned runs. He’s responsible for Ohtani at first base. He was also issued a pitch-clock violation. A rough Game 1 for Senga that lasted just 30 pitches.
Freddie Freeman rounding the bases on a bum ankle was a moment to celebrate at home plate.
Jack Flaherty is dealing. Six up and six down for the Dodgers starter, who has three strikeouts and a 2-0 lead after the top of the second inning. The Dodgers come to the plate in the bottom of the second looking to extend their early lead.
Kodai Senga issued consecutive walks to Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez, and the Dodgers made him pay. Max Muncy scored Betts and Freeman with a two-out single to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead through one inning.
Kodai Senga walks the bases loaded with one out, and the Mets are in early trouble.
How will the Mets handle Ohtani?
One big storyline to keep an eye on during the NLCS is how the Mets try to match up against Shohei Ohtani late in games. The Padres kept Ohtani quiet in the NLDS (he went 2-for-his-last 15) in large part because they could deploy dominant southpaw reliever Tanner Scott in the later innings.
The Mets have only two left-handed relievers on their roster (David Peterson and Danny Young), neither of whom is an obvious weapon against Ohtani. Young didn’t pitch in the NLDS, and Peterson was mostly used in multi-inning spurts.
Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets to face the Dodgers’ MVP top of the order of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
