The New York Mets are headed home with momentum in the 2024 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets jumped all over Dodgers pitching in Game 2, scoring six runs in the first two innings, starting with Francisco Lindor’s lead-off home run in the first and punctuated with Mark Vientos’ grand slam in the second.
Now, with the series even at a game apiece, the next three games are at Citi Field, starting Wednesday. New York, which clinched a playoff spot in a makeup doubleheader the day after the regular season was scheduled to end, now has home-field advantage in what has become a best-of-five to advance to the World Series.
Luis Severino (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 12.0 IP, 10K, 2BB in 2024 postseason) gets the start for the Mets against Walker Buehler for the Dodgers (0-1, 10.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 0K, 1BB) in Game 3.
How to watch Dodgers at Mets, NLCS Game 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Luis Severino works a low-stress fourth to keep it 2-0. Pitch counts are significant right now, with Severino at 79 through four and Buehler at 73 through three. With three games in three days, this is an important day for bullpen preservation.
Walker Buehler works around a couple baserunners to post a scoreless third. He is the biggest X-factor of this game and possibly the whole series, and is succeeding so far.
Severino loads the bases but gets out of the jam with a soft lineout by Teoscar Hernandez and a groundout from Gavin Lux. It’s still 2-0 Dodgers, and it could have been much worse.
Luis Severino opens the third by walking Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, and the Dodgers are threatening again with no outs. Severino gets a visit from the pitching coach.
The biggest at-bat of the game (so far) ends with Francisco Lindor striking out with the bases loaded. A huge relief for Walker Buehler, and it’s still 2-0 Dodgers.
And now a walk of Tyrone Taylor to load the bases. Buehler melted down under similar circumstances in the second inning of his NLDS start. We’ll see if this one goes south, too.
And now the Mets are threatening after a defensive misplay by the Dodgers. Tommy Edman bobbles a potential double-play ball, then loses it again on the bounce to give New York two on with one out.
Dodgers 2, Mets 0
Tyrone Taylor makes an incredible play at the warning track — while narrowly avoiding disaster on a collision with Starling Marte — to rob Tommy Edman of extra bases.
However, the runner from third still scores, so the Dodgers get another run.
Dodgers 1, Mets 0
On a nine-pitch at-bat, Will Smith fights back from down 0-2 and scores a run on a comebacker to Severino. The Dodgers haven’t hit it out of the infield this inning, but they now have the lead.
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez gets a little too aggressive there. Teoscar Hernandez hit a swinging bunt, and Alvarez tried to throw out Max Muncy, who walked, at second rather than taking the easy out at first, but the throw was off.
Both runners are safe, and now the Dodgers have two on with none out.
Walker Buehler responds with a scoreless first inning, with a two-out infield single from Brandon Nimmo providing the first hit of the game. Buehler looked good in the first inning of his last start against the Padres before it all went south, though.
Luis Severino gets through the vaunted top of the Dodgers lineup with a 1-2-3 first inning, with strikeouts of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman (though the last strike on Betts would have been ball 4 with a robo ump). We call that a good start.
Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino fires a fastball to Shohei Ohtani, who grounds out to first, and we’re off in Game 3 of the 2024 NLCS.
Darryl Strawberry throwing out the first pitch to Doc Gooden — NLCS Game 3
Amber Holden is a journalist and columnist for the L Caribbean Press Center. She writes about politics, health, business, and finance.
Her hobbies include reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with her family.