By BETH HARRIS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani carried the injury-riddled Los Angeles Dodgers to baseball’s greatest report in the course of the common season. Tommy Edman joined the crew in late July and helped them attain the World Sequence.
It’s been that form of yr for the big-spending Dodgers. When Ohtani isn’t superb together with his energy on the plate and prowess on the basepaths, another person is stepping up.
Edman and Will Smith homered to ship Ohtani into the World Sequence for the primary time, and the Dodgers eradicated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Recreation 6 of the NL Championship Sequence on Sunday evening. Los Angeles opens the World Sequence in opposition to the New York Yankees on Friday.
“I really feel like we finally arrived, I finally arrived at this stage,” Ohtani mentioned by way of a translator. “A lot of the games we played were really tough and hard to win, and it was truly a team effort to get here.”
The Dodgers clinched their report twenty fifth NL pennant and first at house since 1988, once they beat the Mets in seven video games. They moved on to their twenty second World Sequence — thirteenth in Los Angeles — and first since 2020, once they beat Tampa Bay in the course of the pandemic-delayed season.
“Every year I get to spring training and I wonder how we’re going to make a baseball team fit because we have so many talented players,” reliever Evan Phillips mentioned. “I wouldn’t say we planned for injuries but we planned to have multiple guys contribute throughout the year.”
Subsequent up for Ohtani and Co. is Aaron Choose and the Yankees, again within the World Sequence for the forty first time and first in 15 years. The matchup, which opens at Dodger Stadium, options the highest two home-run hitters in Choose (58) and Ohtani (54).
“It’s kind of what the people wanted, what we all wanted,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts mentioned. “It’s going to be a battle of two good teams, a lot of long flights across the country.”
It’ll be the twelfth time the storied franchises meet within the World Sequence and the primary in 43 years. The Yankees have crushed the Dodgers eight instances, whereas the Dodgers’ three championships in opposition to the Bronx Bombers got here in 1955, 1963 and 1981.
“It’s the place that I’ve dreamt of playing all my life,” Ohtani mentioned, “and to be able to finally come to this stage and be able to play and hopefully win it is my next goal.”
Enjoying his first season with the Dodgers after agreeing to a report $700 million, 10-year contract as a free agent, Ohtani had two hits and scored two runs in Recreation 6. He hit .364 with two homers and 6 RBIs within the NLCS.
“The goal was to get to this far,” Ohtani mentioned. “And I also pictured myself getting this far with the contract that I’ve signed.”
Ohtani spent his first six MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who by no means had a profitable report or reached the playoffs throughout his tenure.
“We wouldn’t be here without him,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy mentioned. “We went through a lot of injuries and there was a good stretch during the regular season where he singlehandedly carried us.”
The Dodgers, who had been eradicated within the Division Sequence the final two years, spent a mixed $1 billion final winter to signal Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to profitable long-term contracts in hopes of profitable the franchise’s eighth World Sequence title.
Rookie Ben Casparius obtained 4 outs for the win and Blake Treinen the save in his first two-inning outing for the reason that 2021 NLCS.
Los Angeles trailed after Pete Alonso’s run-scoring single in opposition to starter Michael Kopech.
Edman gave the Dodgers the lead for good with a two-run double within the backside half off Sean Manaea that drove in Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, who each singled. Hernández snapped an 0-for-18 skid.
Edman drove within the Dodgers’ first 4 runs and his 11 RBIs within the NLCS tied a franchise report set by Corey Seager in 2020 in opposition to Atlanta. Edman, who gained the NLCS MVP award, joined the Dodgers on the July commerce deadline from St. Louis.
“I think the common theme for this season has been a lot of people, different guys have been stepping up over the course of the season,” Ohtani mentioned.
Edman despatched a 406-foot shot to left-center for a two-run homer in a four-run third that included Smith’s 416-foot drive to middle off Phil Maton that prolonged the result in 6-1.
“I never imagined once we acquired him, he’d be hitting fourth in a postseason game,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned of Edman. “But I trust him. The guys trust him. He’s made huge defensive plays for us and had huge hits.”
Vientos hit his fifth postseason homer, a two-run drive within the fourth Ryan Brasier that lower the deficit to 6-3 within the fourth.
The Dodgers, whose beginning pitching has been decimated by accidents, used seven pitchers in ending off the Mets, whose $332 million payroll was the most important in baseball.
New York twice stranded the bases loaded, when Anthony Banda struck out Jeff McNeil within the third and when Jesse Winker flied out in opposition to Phillips within the sixth.
Los Angeles outscored New York 40-26 within the six video games. The Mets got here inside two wins of reaching the World Sequence after a 22-33 begin and incomes the NL’s final wild card.
“This should be our expectations moving forward every year, we should be playing games deep into October,” first year-manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned.
Manaea lasted simply two innings, giving up 5 runs and 6 hits. Alonso had two hits and drove in a run in what may have been his remaining sport for the Mets. The primary baseman is eligible at no cost company after the World Sequence.
“I love this team. I love this organization. This fanbase has treated not just myself, but my family so, so well,” Alonso mentioned.
The sellout crowd of 52,674 included Tom Hanks, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Magic Johnson, Rob Lowe, Josh Groban, Jenny McCarthy and Vanessa Bryant.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman sat out for the third time within the postseason due to his sprained proper ankle. He additionally missed Recreation 4 of the NLCS and Recreation 4 of the NLDS.
___
Initially Revealed: October 20, 2024 at 8:27 p.m.
