The New York Mets’ seemingly endless supply of magic in 2024 reached empty two games short of a Subway World Series.
Tommy Edman drove in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first four runs of the night, including a two-run double in the bottom of the first and a two-run home run in a four-run bottom of the third to help clinch the National League pennant for his side and end the Mets’ season in Game 6 of the NLCS on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium with a 10-5 victory.
The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic, which begins on Friday in Los Angeles.
As had been the case for major portions of this series, the Mets came up empty with prime run-scoring opportunities available, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 men on base.
Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea, who had limited the Dodgers to just two runs on two hits in Game 2, did not record an out in the third inning as he was chased after getting knocked around by Edman twice.
Pete Alonso put the Mets ahead in the top of the first off Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech when he fisted a soft infield single that scored Francisco Lindor.
The Dodgers answered off Manaea immediately when Edman doubled down the left-field line to score Shohei Ohtani from third and Teoscar Hernandez from first.
The Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third after Tyrone Taylor was hit by a pitch, but Jeff McNeil struck out on three straight pitches from Los Angeles’ Anthony Banda.
They were forced to watch their hopes begin to swirl down the tube when the Dodgers made them pay for that missed chance. Hernandez singled to lead off the third before Edman went deep to make it a 4-1 game.
After walking Max Muncy, Manaea was lifted for Phil Maton, who could not limit the damage. Catcher Will Smith took him deep to give the Dodgers a five-run lead.
Mark Vientos continued his torrid postseason and gave the Mets some momentary hope in the top of the fourth when he hit his fifth home run of the postseason, a two-run shot to center, to cut the deficit to three.
It gave Vientos 14 RBI in October, setting a new single-season postseason franchise record.
In an attempt to keep the game close, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza went to his closer Edwin Diaz, who put up a scoreless fourth and fifth inning. But Ryne Stanek yielded Los Angeles’ seventh run of the night in the sixth when Ohtani singled home Chris Taylor.
The Mets scratched a fourth run home in the seventh with a Francisco Alvarez sacrifice fly, but they would not get any closer as Los Angeles put it beyond the shadow of a doubt in the bottom of the eighth with three runs off Kodai Senga.
Jeff McNeil drove in Tyrone Taylor with a two-out single to make it a five-run game, though it only delayed the Mets’ eventual demise by a few moments.
For a Mets team expected to be on the cusp of the postseason picture this season, they exceeded all expectations. However, that will provide little consolation when the club falls tantalizingly short of what would have been its sixth-ever pennant and the first since 2015.
