Cody Snavely
NLCS Game 3, 10/16/2024: Dodgers 8, Mets 0
NEW YORK, NY — Well, no one said it was going to be easy. The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to Queens, New York, for the next three games of this National League Championship Series with it all tied up at a game apiece.
After a thirling one-sided shutout win to kick off the series for the Dodgers, where Jack Flaherty threw seven scoreless innings and the offense dropped nine runs of support, the team was riding high into game two.
However, that high would not last long as the New York Mets would strike first in game two with a leadoff by likely National League Most Valuable Player Award finalist Francisco Lindor and then a Mark Vientos grand slam an inning later pushing the lead to six.
Despite the Dodgers’ best efforts to build a comeback, it was snubbed short, as the Mets would even the seven-game series at one-to-one.
The series would now be best-of-five, with the Mets having home-field advantage, as games three through five will be played at Citi Field.
For game three, the Dodgers will turn to right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler, who is making his second start this postseason. Buehler’s last start against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series was less than stellar, as the righty allowed six runs in five innings, in large part due to his defense. However, his postseason pedigree speaks for itself, with a career 3.40 ERA in October.
For the Mets, they would turn to Luis Severino, who signed a one-year $13 million contract over the winter, leaving the New York Yankees, who were eager to move on once he hit free agency.
Sevy, 30, has made two postseason starts so far this year, both of which the righty completed six full innings but has a 4.50 ERA.
For Buehler and Severino, it is the twenty-eighth start combined for the pair of righties, as their time in Los Angeles and New York has given them plenty of opportunities to perform where the lights shine brightest.
Fall is in the air as the East Coast fall weather was making an appearance with a game-time temperature at forty-eight degrees, a nearly thirty-point drop compared to the weather in Southern California.
Severino would look good early, getting Shohei Ohtani to ground out on the first pitch, putting the two-way superstar in an 0-for-20 hole with the bases empty.
Sevy would then end the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, thanks to a generous strike zone from the home plate umpire, but nonetheless, it was a 1-2-3 inning for the Dodgers to kick off the ballgame.
However, Buehler would return the favor to the Mets, collecting two strikeouts of his own despite allowing a two-out single to injured Brandon Nimmo.
In the top of the second inning, after a leadoff walk by Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy and an infield single by Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers would have traffic on with no outs. A swinging bunt back to Luis Severino would advance the runners to second and third, bringing up Will Smith.
Smith, who came into today’s game, was hitting .087 this postseason, would string together a nine-pitch at-bat ending in an infield single of Severino’s glove. The Dodgers would add on with a sac fly by shortstop Tommy Edman, pushing the Dodgers lead to two, taking advantage of two key New York Mets mistakes in the inning.
However, nothing can ever come easy for the Dodgers as the second-inning woes from Bueher continued in tonight’s game as the righty loaded the bases off a booted grounder and two walks.
However, Buehler would turn back the clock, getting back-to-back strikeouts of Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor to end the inning.
In the top of the third inning, the Dodgers would get yet another opportunity after back-to-back walks to lead off the inning, and a one-out single by Muncy would bring up Teo again with runners on.
However, despite the traffic, the Mets would escape yet again, this time with the bases loaded, stranding the Dodgers’ threat.
All in all, it wasn’t pretty, but Buehler made it work. He gave the Dodgers four hard-fought scoreless innings, collected six strikeouts, and rebounded nicely after his first postseason start.
Dave Roberts would now hand the keys to the bullpen and his high-leverage relief pitchers, starting off with hard-throwing Michael Kopech to face the top of the Mets lineup.
Kiké Hernandez would also continue his postseason magic, hitting a towering two-run home run after Tommy Edman extended the inning for the clutch postseason hitter.
Per usual, the Dodgers bullpen would shut it down, and an eighth-inning three-run home run from Shohei Ohtani would seal the deal as the Dodgers would take game three and now lead the NLCS 2-1. Tomorrow, rookie right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the ball as the Dodgers look to get closer to their first World Series berth since 2020.
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