The Los Angeles Dodgers remained something of a freight train on Thursday night as they bulldozed their way to a 10-2 win over the New York Mets in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
That gave the Dodgers a commanding 3-1 lead in the NLCS and has them one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2020.
Shohei Ohtani got the offense going early with a leadoff home run, marking his first hit in the postseason with the bases empty.
So Shohei CAN hit without runners on base!
(🎥: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/9VrsRBFwfq— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
ShowTom delivers!
(🎥: @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/PEUrA10kDS— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
New York tied the game on Mark Vientos’ solo homer in the bottom of the first inning, but Tommy Edman’s RBI double put the Dodgers back ahead in the third. Kiké Hernández followed that with a hard-hit RBI infield single that extended their lead to 3-1.
Kikétober still has a few weeks left.
(🎥: @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/5DqbVJkZUF— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
MOOKTOBER!
(🎥: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/44Lfshiv47— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
The Mets walked Shohei Ohtani again.
Mookie Betts: "And I took that personally."
(🎥: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/6UV3TCB5mc— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
Although the Mets responded with a run in the bottom of the third, they never drew any closer.
Mookie Betts singlehandedly broke the game open, beginning with a two-run double in the fourth inning. He added a two-run homer in the sixth that put the Dodgers up 7-2.
Max Muncy can't stop reaching base.
(🎥: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/1VZ3Idc4C4— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
Chat, is this good?
Mookie Betts is 4-for-5 with a HR, 2 runs scored and 4 RBI.
(🎥: @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/5OAaSehDUS— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
Betts joined Chris Taylor (Game 5 of 2021 NLCS) and Steve Garvey (Game 4 of 1974 NLCS) as the only players in Dodgers franchise history with four hits and four RBI in a single postseason game.
Max Muncy collected one hit and drew two walks as he set an MLB postseason record of reaching base in 12 consecutive plate appearances. Muncy has achieved the feat all in 2024, while Reggie Jackson also reached safely 12 playoff games in a row, but over the span of 1977-1978.
Tommy Edman loves to face lefties.
(🎥: @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/sKnt8lxHWN— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
Blake Treinen is a cheat code.
(🎥: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/uyEcqJgUB0— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) October 18, 2024
Yoshinobu Yamamoto held the Mets to just two runs over 4.1 innings. He set a postseason career high with eight strikeouts.
Dodgers look to close out NLCS
The Dodgers are turning to Jack Flaherty for a start in Game 5 as they are on the brink of winning the NL pennant. Manager Dave Roberts expressed the team needing to have a “sense of urgency” to eliminate the Mets rather than allow them to extend the NLCS with a Game 6 at Dodger Stadium.
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