The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2021 after eliminating the San Diego Padres behind a 2-0 win at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
In doing so, the Dodgers became the first NL team to advance past the Division Series since the expanded MLB postseason format was implemented in 2022.
Awaiting the Padres or Dodgers in the NLCS was the New York Mets, who are well-rested after eliminating the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
The Mets finished the 2024 season with a 89-73 record, earning the final playoff spot in the NL bracket on the last day of the season.
New York appeared to be an unlikely postseason team as they stumbled to a 24-33 record through the first couple of months, but made an improbable push by closing on a 65-40 stretch.
The Dodgers and Mets got their six head-to-head meetings in 2024 out of the way early, last facing off on May 29. It ended with the Dodgers winning four of the games to take the season series.
Mets vs. Dodgers season review
April 19-21
Their first meeting of the 2024 season was at Dodger Stadium with a pitching matchup of Sean Manaea and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Both starters turned in solid outings before handing it off to the respective bullpens.
It was not a clean game defensively for either side with three errors by the Mets and two for the Dodgers. The game was tied at 4-4 entering the seventh inning before three Dodgers relievers combined to allow five runs and the Mets cruised to a 9-4 win.
Gavin Stone took the mound in the second game but was unable to get out of the fourth inning as control problems plagued his start and forced the Dodgers to go to the bullpen early. Stone finished with 3.1 innings pitched, five walks, four hits, one strikeout and two runs allowed.
Freddie Freeman drove in three of the Dodgers’ four runs, but a Starling Marte three-run homer in the sixth inning proved to be too big a deficit in a 6-4 loss for L.A.
In the grand scheme of things, the final game of this series proved to be pivotal moment for the 2024 Dodgers season. With the team on a downward slide, the 10-0 final was a statement win for the Dodgers that sparked a 14-2 record over their next 16 games.
Tyler Glasnow was fantastic in the game, throwing eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to boot. The offense was led by a recently called-up Andy Pages who capped off an eight-run fifth inning with his three-run homer. Shohei Ohtani, Freeman and Will Smith all followed suit with two RBI each.
May 28-29
Inclement weather forced the Dodgers and Mets to play a doubleheader at Citi Field on May 28.
Glasnow took the mound for the first game of the doubleheader and collected eight strikeouts over seven innings.
Though, he was actually in line for the loss after allowing a two-run home run to Francisco Lindor in the third inning, but the Dodgers scored one run in the eight and ninth to send the game to extras.
Mookie Betts’ RBI single and Freeman’s two-run homer in the 10th was more than enough for Blake Treinen to pick up his first save of the season in a 5-2 Dodgers win. That snapped a five-game skid.
Stone faced the Mets for the second time this season as he got the start in the nightcap of the twin bill. After a rocky start to the season, Stone was beginning to come into his own for the Dodgers, and that continued against the Mets.
With pitching options limited due to the doubleheader, Stone gave the Dodgers a much-needed seven shutout innings and struck out seven batters in the process. Solo home runs from Smith, Miguel Rojas and Miguel Vargas was all the scoring the Dodgers needed. Alex Vesia converted a two-inning save as the Dodgers won 3-0.
In the series finale, the Dodgers bullpen covered six innings to close out a 10-3 victory. The Dodgers got out to an early 3-0 lead before the Mets tied the game in the fifth inning.
The Dodgers scored six runs in the eighth to retake the lead, highlighted by home runs from Smith and Ohtani. It was Smith’s second homer of the game and third of the series.
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