Dodgers defeat Mets with 10-5 NLCS victory and advance to face Yankees in World Series

LOS ANGELES – Tommy Edman and Will Smith were honored to send Shohei Ohtani to the World Series for the first time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night .

The Dodgers won their record 25th NL pennant and first at home since 1988, when they beat the Mets in seven games. They went on to their 22nd World Series — their 13th in Los Angeles — and their first since 2020, when they beat Tampa Bay during the pandemic-delayed season.

Ohtani and Co.’s next team is Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees, who are back in the World Series for the 41st time and the first time in 15 years. Game 1 is Friday at Dodger Stadium, pitting Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) – the best home run hitters in MLB this season.

It will be the 12th time that the famous franchises have met in the World Series and the first in 43 years. The Yankees have beaten the Dodgers eight times, while the Dodgers’ two championships against the Bronx Bombers came in 1981 and 1955.

Ohtani, playing his first season with the Dodgers after agreeing to a record free agency contract, had two hits and scored two runs in Game 6. He hit .364 with two home runs and six RBIs in the NLCS.

Not bad for his first postseason after spending six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the playoffs during his tenure.

Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen struck out Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso batting in the eighth in his first two-inning start since the 2021 NLCS.

The Dodgers were briefly down 1-0 before cleanup hitter Edman came into his own.

He drove in the Dodgers’ first four runs and his 11 RBIs in the NLCS tied a franchise record set by Corey Seager in 2020 against Atlanta. Edman joined the Dodgers at the July trade deadline in St. Louis.

The Dodgers eliminated the Mets in their second attempt in the series. They outscored New York 40-26 in the six games. Neither game was played, with the Dodgers earning two losses.

The Mets fell two wins away from reaching the World Series after a 22-33 start.

The Dodgers led 2-1 in the first after Edman’s double to the left corner by Sean Manaea, which scored Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, who scored. Hernández went 0-for-18 in the NLCS. Manaea needed 34 pitches to get past first.

Facing two hits in the third, Edman sent a shot 406 feet to left center for a two-run drive. A walk to Max Muncy and two outs later, Smith scored 416 feet to center Phil Maton, extending the lead to 6-1.

The Mets cut their deficit to 6-3 in the fourth. With two outs, Vientos hit a two-run home run — his fifth of the postseason — off Ryan Brasier. Vientos’ first career grand slam highlighted the Mets’ series-tying victory in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.

New York failed to cash in twice with the bases loaded. Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, Jesse Winker flied out against Evan Phillips to end the inning. After a run in the third, the Mets loaded the bases against Anthony Banda, only for Jeff McNeil to strike out.