Dodgers World Series bound after 10-5 victory over Mets

Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their win against the New York Mets in Game 6 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World Series. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2020 with a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers will open the World Series Friday at Dodger Stadium against the New York Yankees, a record 12th World Series meeting between the teams and first since 1981. The Yankees have won eight times and the Dodgers three.

The Dodgers will be playing in the World Series for the 22nd time and 13th since moving to Los Angeles from Brooklyn following the 1957 season.

This was the first time the Dodgers won a pennant-clinching game at Dodger Stadium since 1988, when they defeated the Mets, 6-0, in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates after their win against the New York Mets in Game 6 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tommy Edman, batting cleanup in place of Freddie Freeman, drove in four runs with a two-run double in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third as the Dodgers won the best-of-seven series four games to two.

Edman, acquired in July 29 from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also included the Chicago White Sox, was selected as the series’ MVP. He batted .407 with 11 hits in 27 at-bats and drove in 11 runs.

“I can’t say enough about the front office being able to acquire him at the deadline,” manager Dave Roberts said. “What he can do for us on the field, in the clubhouse, it’s just amazing.

“I never imagined once we acquired him, he’d be hitting fourth in a postseason game. But I trust him. The guys trust him. He’s made huge defensive plays for us and had huge hits. Just very fortunate to have a player like Tommy.”

Edman began the season on the injured list because of a right wrist sprain. He played his first game of the season July 9 with the Springfield (Missouri) Cardinals, St. Louis’ Double-A Texas League affiliate, on a rehabilitation assignment.

Following the trade, he was sent to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, the Dodgers’ Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate. Edman played for the Dodgers for the first time on Aug. 19.

Will Smith hit a two-run homer in the third that increased the Dodgers’ lead to 6-1 in front of a crowd announced at 52,674.

New York cut the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth when Mark Vientos hit a 1-0 slider from Ryan Brasier 401 feet over the centerfield fence for a two-run home run. The home run was Vientos’ third of the series and fifth of the postseason.

The Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth when Francisco Alvarez led off with a single and two outs later Vientos and Pete Alonso walked. But Evan Phillips retired Jesse Winker on a fly out to left fielder Teoscar Hernnádez to end the inning.

The Dodgers added a run in the sixth. Smith, the first batter Ryne Stanek faced, walked on four pitchers. Chris Taylor bunted with Smith beating the throw by Alonso, the New York first baseman, to second, with Taylor credited with a sacrifice. Shohei Ohtani singled in Smith.

The Dodgers scored four times in the eighth on Mookie Betts’ two-run double, Teoscar Hernández’s sacrifice fly and Kiké Hernandez’s RBI single.

With the lack of healthy starting pitchers forcing Roberts to opt for a bullpen game for the second time in the series and third time in the postseason, rookie Ben Casparius (1-0), the second of seven Dodger pitchers, was credited with the victory, pitching 1 1/3 shutout innings, allowing two hits and walking a batter.

Blake Treinen earned his third save of  the postseason, allowing one run and two hits over the final two innings, striking out four.

New York starter Sean Manaea (2-1) was charged with the loss, allowing five runs and six hits, walking two and striking out two in two innings.

The Mets opened the scoring in the first. Leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor walked on four pitches, moved to second on Michael Kopech’s wild pitch, to third on Brandon Nimmo’s ground out and scored one out later on Alonso’s single.

When the Dodgers scored twice in their half of the first, it marked the series’ first lead change. The team scoring first had won each of the first five games.

The Dodgers outscored New York, 46-26, the third time a team had outscored its opponent by at least 20 runs in a league championship series.

The other teams to accomplish the feat were the Atlanta Braves, who outscored the St. Louis Cardinals by 26 runs in the 1996 National League Championship Series, and the Dodgers, who outscored the Chicago Cubs by 20 in the 2017 National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers’ 46 runs were the most by a National League team in a postseason series, surpassing the previous record of 44 set by the 1996 Braves in the NLCS and matched by the San Francisco Giants in their loss to the Angels in the 2002 World Series.

The Dodgers’ 42 walks were a postseason record, topping the previous record of 41 by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.

Freeman had one hit in his last 16 at-bats over four games and was hitless in five at-bats Friday, striking out twice. Freeman did not play in Thursday’s 10-2 victory because of a sprained right ankle sustained on Sept. 26.

“I do think the swing is compromised because of the ankle and he’s grinding,” Roberts said Saturday at his workout day news conference. (CNS)