The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres in a tense National League Division Series, punching their ticket to the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets.
The Dodgers are riding an emotional high from overcoming a 2-1 series deficit against the Padres in the NLDS.
On the flip side, the Mets stunned the Philadelphia Phillies in four games. The No. 6 seeded Mets needed didn’t clinch a playoff spot until Game 161 of their season, which came in a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves the day before the playoffs began.
They also went on a remarkable run late in the season after hovering around .500 for most the year to put themselves in the postseason bracket. With a win in the NLCS, the Mets would become the first team to knock off all three division winners in their league in a single postseason.
This created a matchup that is impactful for both the Dodgers and the Mets, and marks the fourth time in postseason history the two franchises will square off in the playoffs. Their most recent meeting came in 2015, when the Mets topped the Dodgers in the NLDS, highlighted by extraordinary pitching and timely offense.
Mets vs. Dodgers postseason history
2015 NLDS: Mets defeat Dodgers 3-2
The best-of-five Division Series round was spectacular for both teams in terms of talent and execution. In 2015, the Mets bested the Dodgers in their five-game set, advancing to the NLCS.
With home-field advantage, the Dodgers hosted the Mets at Dodger Stadium during three of the five games needed to decide a winner. Splitting the first of two in Los Angeles, it was clear that scoring was at an extreme premium.
Clayton Kershaw was at his peak, Zack Greinke slotted alongside him, and the Dodgers’ co-aces each pitched twice. But the series came down to timely swings and the emergence of Daniel Murphy as a postseason slugger.
Posting a .333/.333/.810 slash over 21 at-bats, Murphy had four extra-base hits behind a double and three home runs. In a deciding Game 5, he tallied three hits and eventual game-winning solo homer in the top of the sixth inning.
For the Dodgers, Justin Turner went 10-for-19 with six doubles and a 1.392 on-base plus slugging percentage as their most valuable offensive player.
The Mets ended up advancing to the World Series, where they lost to the Kansas City Royals.
2006 NLDS: Mets sweep Dodgers 3-0
Game 1 of the 2006 NLDS was the most eventful as Derek Lowe allowed four earned runs over 5.1 innings. John Maine got into some traffic in his 4.1 innings of work, but held damage to a minimum for the Mets.
The Dodgers’ offense couldn’t figure out Tom Glavine, who stymied their offense for six shutout innings the next game. Sitting in a 2-0 deficit, a trip to Los Angeles would be the last of the series.
L.A. sent 40-year-old Greg Maddux to the mound in a win-or-go-home Game 3, and he allowed four earned runs on seven hits, including three in the initial frame. The Mets went on to lose in the NLCS to the eventual World Series Champion St. Luis Cardinals.
1988 NLCS: Dodgers defeat Mets 4-3
The Mets went into the series as heavy favorites, winning 100 games during the regular season, retaining their rock-solid core pieces for several seasons.
Each team traded blows during the 1988 NLCS, until the Dodgers took a 3-2 series lead after winning Games 4 and 5. The Mets rallied to beat the Dodgers in Game 6 by a score of 5-1, as David Cone threw a complete game, allowing just one earned run on five hits.
In Game 7, rel Hershiser turned in one of his many storied postseason outings. Eventually being named the 1988 NLCS MVP, the right-hander pitched a complete game shutout as the Dodgers blanked the Mets in a 6-0 win at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers would eventually go on to win the World Series over the Oakland Athletics.
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