By Beth HarrisThe Related Press
LOS ANGELES — After spending the primary seven years of his large league profession again East, Jack Flaherty got here residence. He joined a profitable group within the Los Angeles Dodgers and helped make a little bit of playoff historical past.
Flaherty mixed on a three-hitter and Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers tied the postseason file of 33 consecutive scoreless innings by routing the New York Mets 9-0 Sunday evening within the NL Championship Collection opener.
“I saw some family out there when I was warming up and I had gone to games here with them before, so it just kind of lets you relax a little bit,” he stated. “Felt I tried to do too much the last couple times out in some big games. Just allowed me to be myself and just go out and pitch and trust my stuff and trust the guys behind me.”
Los Angeles knocked out a wild Kodai Senga within the second inning, constructed a six-run lead by the fourth and matched the scoreless file set by Baltimore Orioles pitchers over the primary 4 video games of the 1966 World Collection towards the Dodgers.
Backed by chants of “MVP! MVP!” Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a stroll whereas scoring two runs and driving in one other.
Mookie Betts added a three-run double within the eighth within the largest shutout victory margin in Dodgers postseason historical past, additionally the Mets’ most one-sided postseason shutout defeat.
“Our energy all started with Jack,” Betts stated. “Jack really gave it to us today.”
Recreation 2 of the best-of-seven collection is Monday afternoon.
Flaherty allowed two hits over seven innings within the Dodgers’ first scoreless postseason begin of seven-plus innings since Clayton Kershaw’s eight innings within the 2020 NL Wild Card Collection.
“It was just a pitching clinic,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “I thought he did a great job of filling up the strike zone with his complete mix. Once we caught a lead, he did a great job of just going after those guys and attacking. For us to get seven innings in a long series was huge.”
Flaherty left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 53,503. The 28-year-old right-hander from close by Burbank returned residence from Detroit on the July 30 commerce deadline and has been a steadying presence in a rotation hard-hit by accidents.
“He’s got an aura about him,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith stated. “He’s super competitive, super focused.”
Flaherty bought a hug from Roberts after which the pitcher hugged his mom who sat behind residence plate. A few of his buddies from their Little League days within the San Fernando Valley have been available, too.
“This game is a lot of fun and I’ve been lucky to do it since I was a little kid,” Flaherty stated. “As high pressure as they get, I just tell the guys it’s going to be fun. We’ve got to remember that sometimes.”
Flaherty retired his first 9 batters, extending the Dodgers streak of consecutive hitters retired to twenty-eight, earlier than strolling Francisco Lindor main off the fourth. New York’s solely hits off him have been a pair of singles by Jesse Winker and Jose Iglesias within the fifth. Flaherty struck out six.
“He was getting ahead with his fastball and then the slider, the breaking ball, the slow curve kept us off-balance, but he was getting ahead and making pitches,” rookie Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated. “He tried to make us chase, which we did the first time through the order. Then he was just on.”
Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius pitched an inning every.
Lindor was 0 for 3 with a stroll and a strikeout and Pete Alonso went hitless in three at-bats with a stroll and a strikeout.
The Dodgers rallied from the brink of elimination towards San Diego to win the NL Division Collection in 5 video games with shutouts within the final two video games.
They opened their pursuit of a file twenty fifth NL pennant by chasing Senga after 1 1/3 innings of his simply third total begin in a 12 months decimated by accidents. The Japanese right-hander walked 4 of his first eight batters, together with three in a row in a 14-pitch span within the first inning.
“He didn’t have it,” Mendoza stated. “He didn’t have the life on his fastball and a lot of balls out of hand, non-competitive pitches, especially the split. You could tell that the way that they were taking those pitches they were balls out of the hand.”
Senga walked the bases loaded with one out within the first, when simply seven of his 23 pitches have been thrown for strikes. Max Muncy singled up the center, scoring Betts and a hobbled Freddie Freeman, who touched the plate together with his left foot to guard his sprained proper ankle. He staggered into the arms of Betts, who steadied the a lot larger and taller Freeman.
Ohtani chased Senga with an RBI single within the second and the Dodgers tacked on three runs within the fourth off reliever David Peterson as Tommy Edman and Freeman had RBI singles.
UP NEXT
New York’s Sean Manaea begins Recreation 2 after profitable Recreation 3 of the NL Division Collection towards Philadelphia. It’ll be the primary time the Dodgers face a lefty starter on this postseason. The Dodgers didn’t say who will begin a bullpen sport for them.
Initially Printed: October 13, 2024 at 9:31 p.m.
