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Mets run out of playoff magic as Dodgers send them packing in crushing fashion

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2 months ago

October 21, 2024

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Mets run out of playoff magic as Dodgers send them packing in crushing fashion

LOS ANGELES — Thanks for the memories.

OMG, Grimace and the Playoff Pumpkin all became past tense Sunday night when a Mets team that defied odds for much of the season and October couldn’t find yet another miracle.

Sean Manaea got battered early and there wasn’t much recourse from the Mets in a 10-5 loss to the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS. The Dodgers extended their National League record with a 25th pennant and will host the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.

It’s 38 seasons and counting without a World Series title for the Mets, who defied most projections by winning 89 games to nudge into the playoffs with a wild-card berth before topping the Brewers and Phillies in the wild-card series and NLDS, respectively.

“It stinks because you want to keep going,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But I just told the guys how proud I was, because not only we became a really good team, we became a family. And now we raised the bar. This is what we should strive for every year, to play deep into October.”

This seasoned Dodgers team posed too much of a challenge, even with a battered starting rotation. The Dodgers instead relied on their bullpen and let stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts carry the offense, along with lesser known commodities Max Muncy and Tommy Edman (who was named MVP of the series after driving in 11 runs).

“Over the course of the series, they played better than us and I wish them the best in the next round,” Pete Alonso said. “But there is so much for us to be proud of, what we have overcome, how we became like brothers.”

The Mets needed length from Manaea, but got nothing close to it. The left-hander was yanked after recording only six outs and was charged for five earned runs on six hits and two walks over a 64-pitch struggle. Manaea, who is expected to opt out from his contract after the season, was in tears as he spoke to reporters afterward.

“I’m just proud of everything we accomplished,” he said.

Alonso, in potentially his final game in a Mets uniform — he is headed to free agency after the World Series — finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.

The Mets went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.

Alonso’s infield single in the first brought in the game’s first run. Francisco Lindor walked leading off and reached second on Michael Kopech’s wild pitch before Alonso, with two outs and Lindor on third, hit a slow bouncer that Chris Taylor threw away.

Manaea was in trouble from the start, facing seven batters in the first inning as the Dodgers built a 2-1 lead. Ohtani singled leading off and Teoscar Hernandez hit a shot to center that he thought was a two-run homer, but it hit the fence and became a long single (because of his failure to run). Hernandez’s miscue became a moot point with Edman’s two-run double.

The Dodgers took control in the third inning with four runs, including two homers, to bury the Mets in a 6-1 hole. Edman smashed a two-run homer before Phil Maton entered and surrendered a two-run bomb to Will Smith.

Mark Vientos’ fifth homer this postseason, a two-run blast in the fourth, pulled the Mets within 6-3. Francisco Alvarez singled leading off the inning before Vientos cleared the center-field fence against Ryan Brasier.

Edwin Diaz entered in the fourth with the Mets behind 6-3 and pitched two scoreless innings.

Alonso walked in the sixth to load the bases and bring Jesse Winker to the plate as the potential go-ahead run with two outs. Winker was retired on a soft fly ball to left by Evan Phillips.

Ohtani delivered an RBI single off diving Tyrone Taylor’s glove in center field in the sixth to widen the Dodgers’ lead to 7-3.

The Mets got the run back in the seventh. Taylor and Jeff McNeil each singled before Alvarez brought in the run with a sacrifice fly.

Kodai Senga entered for the seventh and worked a scoreless inning. The right-hander returned for the eighth and surrendered an RBI double to Betts before Hernandez’s sacrifice fly drove in the Dodgers’ ninth run. Kiké Hernandez stroked an RBI single that buried the Mets in a 10-4 hole.

“On this team the window has closed,” Brandon Nimmo said. “That’s a frustrating thing. That’s a sad thing. It’s very hard to swallow because I love this team so much. But as for this organization, I think it’s a good step forward.”