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Within the postgame clubhouse following Game 5 of the National League Division Series, the expletives flowed as freely as showers of beer and champagne.
Truly, it began even earlier than then.
What’s completely different about this yr’s Dodgers staff, Sport 5 hero Kiké Hernández was requested throughout a postgame Fox tv interview out on the sphere.
“The truth that we don’t give a f—,” Hernández grinned.
It was a message just like one Hernández shared with the staff because the Dodgers stormed again from a two-games-to-one deficit within the NLDS to defeat the San Diego Padres, one gamers proudly recounted — expletive included. Subsequent up on the Dodgers’ October conquest: the New York Mets, who will journey to Dodger Stadium for the beginning of a best-of-seven NL Championship Sequence on Sunday. First pitch is at 5:15 p.m.
“That Mets staff is taking part in actually good baseball,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned, protecting his language G-rated. “However we’ll be prepared.”
If the Dodgers’ place within the NLCS is a shock, then the Mets’ has been nothing in need of a miracle. What was speculated to be a reset season with a bloated payroll has as an alternative borne an surprising championship chase, with the staff sneaking into the playoffs as a five-seed earlier than dispatching the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers and NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Because the Dodgers embark on a fast turnaround from Sport 5 to a different Sport 1, listed below are 9 issues to learn about their NLCS opponent — and the considerations the upstart Mets may pose within the best-of-seven sequence.
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(Adam Starvation / Related Press)
Regardless of having the best payroll in baseball this yr (over $340 million in keeping with Cot’s Baseball Contracts), the Mets’ pure roster expertise pales compared to another big-market golf equipment — the Dodgers, included.
However on vibes, no squad has matched the constructive vitality generated in Queens this season; from infielder Jose Iglesias’ “OMG” pop song, the unofficial anthem of the staff; to the superstitious connection that Grimace, the purple pear-shaped McDonald’s mascot character, cast among the many fan base after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch in the beginning of a Mets regular-season profitable streak. On the sphere, the Mets’ journey right here was its personal fairy story. They went from an early-season laughing inventory, 11 video games beneath .500 in early June, to a midseason surge that left them 49-46 on the All-Star break. They vaulted into playoff competition with a nine-game profitable streak in late August and early September. Then they punched their October ticket in a memorable doubleheader on the Monday after the tip of the common season, erasing deficits within the eighth and ninth innings in opposition to the Atlanta Braves — the latter on a go-ahead Francisco Lindor house run — to earn what as soon as appeared like an unlikely playoff bid.
The dramatics continued by way of the primary two rounds. In a decisive Sport 3 of the wild-card sequence in Milwaukee, Pete Alonso hit a three-run house run within the ninth inning for a 4-2 win over the Brewers. In an NLDS upset of the second-seeded Phillies, the Mets clinched the sequence in a Sport 4 win that was keyed by Lindor’s sixth-inning grand slam.
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Shortstop Francisco Lindor celebrates after the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Sport 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday.
(Adam Starvation / Related Press)
Shohei Ohtani has all however locked up the Nationwide League MVP award this yr, after his unprecedented 54-homer, 59-steal season with the Dodgers. For a lot of the summer season, nonetheless, Lindor was seen as a attainable challenger, thought of the most effective non-designated hitter within the NL this yr.
Regardless of lacking the All-Star Sport after a sluggish begin to the yr, Lindor caught hearth within the second half, batting .306 with 16 house runs and a .943 OPS in his remaining 57 video games — all whereas taking part in extremely rated protection at shortstop and serving because the Mets’ poised, impassioned, non secular chief.
Although his full-season stat line didn’t rival Ohtani’s numbers — Lindor batting .273, to Ohtani’s .310, with 33 house runs and 91 RBIs — he wasn’t far off matching Ohtani’s NL-best whole in wins above substitute, posting a 7.8 mark (because of the added worth from his protection) to Ohtani’s 9.1 (which was hampered by the actual fact he was solely a DH this season), in keeping with Fangraphs.
Lindor has been a power within the playoffs as properly, batting seven for 27 with three doubles, his Sport 4 grand slam, six RBIs and 6 walks.
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(Frank Franklin II / Related Press)
If not for his season-saving swing final week in Milwaukee, Alonso’s Mets profession may already be over.
The veteran slugger might be a free agent this offseason. And regardless of his standing as a fan favourite at first base, the “Polar Bear,” as he’s identified, may simply wind up elsewhere in 2025.
Till then, Alonso poses the largest energy risk within the Mets lineup. His 34 house runs this yr led the staff (regardless of being a full-season profession low for him). His 70 walks trailed solely Brandon Nimmo. His 88 RBIs and .458 slugging proportion have been each third on the membership.
Within the playoffs, Alonso’s manufacturing has solely grown. He’s batting .273 in seven video games, with three house runs, six RBIs, seven walks and a 1.161 OPS — fourth highest within the majors this postseason amongst gamers with at the least 4 video games.
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Mark Vientos turned a fixture at third base for the Mets this season and has 12 hits within the postseason to this point.
(Adam Starvation / Related Press) The one hitter within the Mets lineup who has been hotter within the playoffs than both Alonso or Lindor? How concerning the 24-year-old Mark Vientos, considered one of simply two Mets regulars (together with 22-year-old catcher Francisco Alvarez) who will end this calendar yr beneath the age of 30.
A fixture at third base ever since mid-Might, Vientos has adopted up a robust first full MLB season (.266 common, 27 house runs, 71 RBIs) by occurring an absolute tear in October.
His 12 hits are most within the playoffs. He recorded a number of knocks in all 4 NLDS video games in opposition to the Phillies. And he’s considered one of simply seven gamers with a number of house runs thus far this postseason.
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(Matt Slocum / Related Press)
On the opposite finish of the age spectrum, the oldest member of the Mets’ lineup might be a recognizable face at Dodger Stadium.
When the Dodgers signed Ohtani this yr, it meant saying goodbye to 2023 designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who had a renaissance season with the Dodgers by hitting 33 house runs on a one-year contract.
After touchdown in New York over the winter, Martinez’s manufacturing dropped off — he hit simply 16 house runs whereas batting .235, ending the common season in a three-for-41 stoop — however his numbers within the postseason have been regular, coming into the NLCS with 4 hits and three RBIs in 14 at-bats.
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(Chris Szagola / Related Press)
Kodai Senga apart (extra on him in a second), the Mets’ beginning rotation lacks big-name star energy. What they possess as an alternative: A trio of veteran starters in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana who, fairly merely, know learn how to gather outs.
Of these three, solely Manaea averaged greater than 9 strikeouts per 9 innings this yr. Solely Severino averaged above 95 mph along with his fastball. But, every of them had double-digit wins and sub-4.00 ERAs. All made at the least 30 begins and pitched 170 innings.
Within the playoffs, their performances have gone up a degree. Coming into the NLCS, Mets starters have a 2.43 ERA in October — third greatest amongst golf equipment to succeed in the division sequence spherical.
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(Chris Szagola / Related Press)
Senga is the wild card on the Mets’ pitching workers, a $75-million ace from Japan who was an All-Star as a 30-year-old rookie in 2023. This season, a shoulder damage in spring coaching sidelined the right-hander for all however one begin within the common season. Coming into the playoffs, he wasn’t anticipated to be any sort of an element.
However after the Mets superior by way of the wild-card spherical, Senga was a shock addition to their NLDS roster. In Sport 1 in opposition to the Phillies — his first outing on a big-league mound since late July — he pitched two innings, giving up only a solo house run whereas placing out three.
Come Sport 1 of the NLCS on Sunday, Senga may very well be tapped for the same position once more, as he’s reportedly the Mets’ probably option to open the sequence in one other abbreviated outing (one during which transformed starters David Peterson or Tylor Megill may comply with him out of the bullpen).
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(Frank Franklin II / Related Press)
Nobody on the Mets’ roster probably wanted the three-day break between the NLDS and NLCS greater than nearer Edwin Díaz, who has pushed his arm to the restrict over the past two weeks. In an 11-day span from Sept. 29 to Oct 9, Diaz made 5 appearances and threw 153 pitches, summoned for one aggravating late-game state of affairs after the subsequent within the remaining week of the common season and first two rounds of the playoffs.
Diaz hasn’t been good in that point, blowing late-game leads in two of his outings. However he has additionally recorded a save and been credited with two profitable choices, persevering with a risky — however in the end productive — season for the hard-throwing right-hander during which he had 20 saves and a 3.52 ERA after lacking all of 2023 with a torn knee tendon.
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(Adam Starvation / Related Press)
Maybe the largest benefit the Mets maintain coming into the NLCS is the additional relaxation they have been afforded by closing out the Phillies in 4 video games, giving them these two further days off whereas the Dodgers and Padres went to Sport 5.
Due to that, the Dodgers will in all probability solely have the ability to pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto as soon as within the NLCS (until they break his routine of getting at the least 5 days of relaxation between begins). They may also must be aware of their closely labored bullpen, which mixed for greater than 30 innings over the past seven days. Then once more, beating the Padres was price it for the Dodgers — who spoke overtly Friday night time concerning the emotional satisfaction of profitable the sequence (“All of us needed to beat these guys actually dangerous,” Roberts pronounced) and had the letters “FTP” (P for Padres, F for yet one more curse phrase) written in marker on a clubhouse whiteboard.
Now, they’ll have simply 48 hours to regroup and prepare for the best-of-seven NLCS.
Not that they appeared too involved by it in a champagne-soaked clubhouse.
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Chances are you’ll sometimes obtain promotional content material from the Los Angeles Instances. Jack Harris covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Instances. Earlier than that, he coated the Angels, the Kings and nearly all the things else the L.A. sports activities scene needed to supply. A Phoenix native, he initially interned at The Instances earlier than becoming a member of the workers in 2019.
1. Mets magic
2. The opposite MVP candidate
3. Polar Bear pop
4. Rising star
5. A well-recognized DH
6. A veteran rotation
7. The Senga issue
8. Edwin Díaz
9. Relaxation vs. the weary
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