NY Mets save their season in NLCS Game 5 win over Dodgers

NEW YORK – The New York Mets do some of their best work when their backs are up against the wall.

They proved it again in an elimination game in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

After a pair of clunkers in the first two games at Citi Field, the Mets offense exploded in taking a 12-6 victory over the Dodgers in front of 43,841 fans at Citi Field.

In the process, the Mets forced a return trip to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium for Game 6 at 8:08 p.m. on Sunday. The Dodgers own a 3-2 advantage in the series.

After scoring a combined two runs in back-to-back losses to the Dodgers in Flushing, the Mets erupted for eight runs in the first three innings.

Pete Alonso lit up Citi Field in the opening inning with a three-run home run off the Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty on a shin-high slider. In the third inning, the Mets tore up Flaherty for five more runs on four hits and two walks. It was a stark contrast to Game 1 when Flaherty held the Mets scoreless for seven innings.

Starling Marte led the charge in the third-inning onslaught with a two-run double. It was career game for Marte, who was 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI.

It was enough to withstand a power surge from the Dodgers in the middle three innings, including two home runs from Andy Pages, who drove in four runs, and a solo shot from Mookie Betts.

Here is our analysis from the Mets' NLCS Game 5 victory over the Dodgers on Friday:

With a taxed bullpen, the Mets needed Edwin Diaz to pick up the two final innings against the top of the Dodgers' lineup.

Diaz tossed a perfect eighth inning with strikeouts of Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani. Then, in the ninth, Diaz picked up a trio of fly balls to work around an infield single by Tommy Edman and finish off a 12-6 Mets win.

The bottom of the Mets' lineup kept the team out of arm's reach of the Dodgers with another run in the sixth inning.

Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a Starling Marte double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeff McNeil to make it 11-6 Mets. Marte is 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBI and a run.

The Dodgers are not going down without a fight.

In the top of the fifth inning with the Mets leading 10-2, Reed Garrett allowed two baserunners on a hit by pitch and walk before Andy Pages ripped an inside cutter for a three-run home run.

Then, Carlos Mendoza called upon Ryne Stanek, who struck out Shohei Ohtani. But Stanek could not get through Mookie Betts, who added a solo home run on a hanging slider to get the Dodgers within 10-6 midway through the sixth.

The Mets tacked on two more runs after Brent Honeywell entered the game in the fourth to grow their lead to 10-2.

Jesse Winker ripped an RBI triple into right field and Jeff McNeil added a sacrifice fly to center field.

David Peterson's night was done in the fourth inning after he gave up a two-out home run to Andy Pages, bloop single to Shohei Ohtani and back-to-back walks to Mookie Betts and Tesoscar Hernandez.

Reed Garrett held the Dodgers there by freezing Freddie Freeman on an outside slider. The Mets' lead is 8-2 in the middle of the fourth.

The brakes are off on the Mets' offense.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Mets sent up their whole lineup against the Dodgers' Jack Flaherty. After back-to-back walks, Starling Marte laced a two-run double down the left-field line.

Then, with two outs, Francisco Alvarez ripped an RBI single, Francisco Lindor added an RBI triple and Brandon Nimmo blooped in an RBI single to swell the Mets' advantage to 8-1.

Flaherty, who shut out the Mets in Game 1 and only allowed two hits, needed 29 pitches to get through the third. He gave up two walks and four hits in the frame.

After a leadoff walk to Kike Hernandez and bloop single by Andy Pages put runners on the corners, David Peterson spiked a sinker, allowing the Dodgers to cut the Mets' deficit to 3-1.

With two runners on and two outs, Peterson jammed Mookie Betts to induce a pop-up to Pete Alonso.

Through two NLCS home games at Citi Field, the Mets had come up empty with runners in scoring position. Pete Alonso delivered the biggest blow of the series for the Mets in the bottom of the first.

After Francisco Lindor singled and Brandon Nimmo walked, Alonso powered a low slider over the center-field wall to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. It was a 432-foot blast from Alonso, who matched Mark Vientos with four home runs this postseason.

The top of the Dodgers' lineup made their presence known in the top of the first inning, but David Peterson was able to keep the rest of their offense at bay.

Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a single through the middle that was just out of reach of Jeff McNeil. Then, Mookie Betts sent a line drive into the right-center field gap that glanced off the glove of a diving Starling Marte.

From there, Peterson got a ground ball from Teoscar Hernandez, line-drive out from Freddie Freeman and struck out Tommy Edman to keep it scoreless.

TV: FS1