All throughout the National League Championship Series, as Los Angeles Dodgers hitters took pitch after pitch outside the strike zone and jammed up the diamond with base runner after base runner, the resolve of the New York Mets tried to withstand the barrage to keep their season alive. These same Mets had faced longer odds and steeper hills to overcome before, after all, and all they needed was a chance to pull off the improbable during Sunday’s Game 6 to force a Game 7 and get another chance at a storybook finish.
Eventually, though, the body blows add up. And the Dodgers’ talent wave was undeniable.
Los Angeles struck early and often all evening, building up a lead and leaning on its bullpen to record all 27 outs of a 10–5 victory to secure a return to the World Series. There, the Dodgers will take on the New York Yankees in a matchup between No. 1 seeds and historic franchises that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred himself couldn’t dream up any better.
This marks the Dodgers’ fourth trip to the Fall Classic in the last eight years, though the first time they’ve clinched the National League pennant in front of their home fans since 1988 (coincidentally, also against the Mets). They’ll host the Yankees in Game 1 on Friday.
In a series that lacked much in the way of intrigue on a night-to-night basis, Sunday night was more of the same, though it still left much to unpack in this rapid reaction. With the World Series matchup set, here are the four key takeaways from the Dodgers’ big night.
Tommy Edman makes history
Edman might not have been the trade deadline acquisition many Dodgers fans were hoping for back in July. But he ended up being exactly what this team needed—and delivered when it needed him most.
Edman missed the first four-and-a-half months of the season with a wrist injury and didn’t return until after the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to Los Angeles. He performed well in a utility role for the Dodgers, and was eventually pushed to be the team’s everyday shortstop following an injury to Miguel Rojas during the National League Division Series. On a team hardly lacking in star offensive talent, Edman shined brightest in this series and saved his best for last, going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run hitting out of the cleanup spot. Across six games this series, he drove in 11 runs, tying Corey Seager for most in an NLCS in Dodgers history and earning him NLCS MVP honors.
For the series, Edman went 11-for-27 at the plate (.407) with a home run, double and stolen base.
“If you were to tell me in April that I would be NLCS MVP for the Dodgers, I probably wouldn’t have believed you," Edman said. "It’s been a whirlwind of a year. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but it’s a real blessing to be in this spot today.”
Edman perfectly represents what makes the Dodgers so special and separates the franchise from its other big-money cohorts. The organization is better than any other at finding impact players hiding in plain sight, whether it’s a train of reclaimed relief pitchers (more on them later) or utility infielders that can plug and play all over the diamond (see Hernández, Kiké). This round, it was Edman’s turn to shine, but he was far from alone as the Dodgers scored an NLCS record 46 runs. The Yankees will be tasked with figuring out how to stop whoever’s next up.
Mets squander their chances
The final score got lopsided, but this was a game the Mets had every chance to take control of in the early goings. After seizing a 1–0 lead in the top of the first, New York surrendered six unanswered and was forced to play catch-up all night. But it didn’t have to be that way, as Mets hitters left seven runners on base through the first three innings and 13 overall for the game.
Playing with their backs against the wall for the second straight game, it was imperative for the Mets to jump out to a lead on Sunday. They did that, but didn’t capitalize on their many opportunities to throw a wrench into Dave Roberts’s plans for a bullpen game. Of course, it didn’t help that starter Sean Manaea didn’t have it and was chased in the third inning, but New York lost the game early after it couldn’t take advantage of the rally chances the Dodgers provided.
Dodgers bullpen shines once more
It wasn’t always pretty, but in the end, Roberts’s bullpen game strategy got the job done.
With a rotation so depleted, the Dodgers needed its offense and bullpen to step up, and each unit did. Prior to Sunday’s game, Dodgers starters had put up a 6.00 ERA through 10 outings during the postseason, with 26 strikeouts and 15 walks in 39 innings. Their relief pitchers combined for a 2.94 ERA through 49 frames, far outweighing the former’s contributions. Los Angeles might not have a clearly dominant closer who gets the ball every ninth inning, but it instead has multiple looks to throw in high-leverage situations, routinely creating a headache for opposing lineups.
Against the Yankees, Roberts and the Dodgers’ staff will have a handful facing Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and a revitalized Giancarlo Stanton. But the “all hands on deck” strategy has worked so far, and I would expect more of the same during the next round.
Ode to the Mets
Finally, a word for these Mets, who despite this outcome have every reason to feel proud after a dramatic midseason turnaround was followed up by an even more dramatic October run.
From defying every win probability graph to establishing Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso as Queens folk heroes, this postseason stretch was a thing of beauty to behold for a fan base that endured quite a bit over the past few decades. This result will sting, but the memories of Alonso’s chef’s kiss, Lindor’s grand slam and so many others will surely soften the blow (eventually, at least).
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dodgers Eliminate Mets to Set Up Dream World Series vs. Yankees.
