Inclement weather continued to follow Clayton Kershaw as a thunderstorm arrived at Dodger Stadium just under four hours before first pitch.
The game began on time and was played without issue, and ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers rallying late to earn a 6-5 walk-off win over the New York Mets in 10 innings.
Kershaw entered the night 11-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 18 career starts against the Mets during the regular season. Included in that was a 7-0 record and 1.70 ERA in 10 career home starts against the Mets.
When Kershaw last faced New York, he pitched two hitless innings at Citi Field before a rain delay ended his night early. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was optimistic the left-hander would continue improving in his fourth start of the season, and in some sense Kershaw delivered on that.
However, a one-out single and wild pitch ultimately led to the Mets taking a 1-0 lead on Pete Alonso’s RBI base hit with two outs. Alonso fouled off four pitches before coming up with his hit.
That was a bit of a common theme for Kershaw, who got two strikes on eight of the first 12 batters faced. He had just one strikeout during that span and gave up three hits, including a two-run homer to Juan Soto that cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3 in the third inning.
The home run was Soto’s third in his last four games after enduring a drought of 17 in a row without leaving the ballpark.
Kershaw wound up pitching into the fifth inning but exited on the hook for a loss. A four-pitch walk was compounded by Max Muncy’s error on a likely double play ball.
Kershaw managed to retire but gave up a two-out RBI double to Alonso and Brandon Nimmo beat him to first base for an infield single that drove in a run to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.
Ben Casparius stranded both inherited runners and proceeded to retire all eight batters faced.
Dodgers offense rallies after going quiet
The Mets’ initial lead was quickly erased thanks in part to Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combining for back-to-back hits in the bottom of the first inning.
Betts’ soft single was followed by an RBI double from Freeman, and he took third on a fielding error. Will Smith’s RBI groundout drove Freeman in, and Muncy’s home run extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1.
But that was all Tylor Megill allowed as he completed six innings. He allowed only one baserunner after the first inning, when Andy Pages doubled with two outs in the fourth.
Shohei Ohtani and Betts both reached with no outs in the eighth inning, and they advanced on a passed ball. But the Dodgers couldn’t capitalize on one of their better opportunities of the game.
Just as despair may have started to set in, Muncy led off the bottom of the ninth with a game-tying home run.
Tanner Scott bounced back from struggling in the series opener and Freeman delivered a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 10th.
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