LOS ANGELES — The Mets faced an uphill battle from the outset as they took on the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night.
Kodai Senga was eager to prove himself in his second start after returning from the 60-day injured list, but he struggled significantly, finishing with only four outs and allowing three earned runs in a lopsided 9-0 defeat to the Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. The game drew a crowd of 53,503 fans.
With Senga’s lack of control putting the Mets in a difficult position early on, manager Carlos Mendoza relied on four relievers to finish the game. The Dodgers capitalized even further, scoring three additional runs against David Peterson in the fourth inning and another three off Jose Butto in the eighth.
The Mets’ offense faltered in their first NLCS game since 2015, with Jack Flaherty dominating on the mound. Flaherty did not allow a hit for the first four innings and concluded the game with seven scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing only two hits and two walks.
Despite their penchant for dramatic comebacks in the 2024 playoffs, the Mets were unable to recover from an early deficit in this matchup.
In a significant moment during the game, Mookie Betts came through with a three-run double that effectively sealed the win for the Dodgers. With the bases loaded and one out, Betts hit a sharp ground ball into left field, allowing all three runners to score and stretching the Dodgers’ lead to 9-0. This inning also featured an error from Pete Alonso, who threw high to second base earlier in the frame.
Flaherty was on fire, finishing with a perfect performance against the Mets, who could not respond after falling behind by six runs through four innings. He retired the last eight batters he faced, showcasing a strong command throughout.
Adding to the Mets’ woes was a baserunning mistake by Jesse Winker, who, after recording the Mets’ first hit in the fifth inning, was caught in a rundown between second and third base on a blooper that could have led to a potential scoring opportunity.
The Dodgers continued their offensive attack, with Shohei Ohtani contributing to the scoring with an RBI single against Senga before adding another run against Peterson, and Freddie Freeman also driving in a run. The Dodgers amassed a total of four hits against Peterson in one inning to extend their lead.
Flaherty’s impressive performance included sending down the first nine Mets batters, as he struck out four and faced minimal difficulty getting through the lineup.
Despite expectations that Senga would pitch several innings, his struggles with control forced Mendoza to pull him after just 1⅓ innings, handing the game over to Reed Garrett to record the final outs.
Throughout the game, Senga faced challenges finding the strike zone and gave up a two-run single to Max Muncy, which put the Dodgers ahead early.
This anticipation among fans for Game 1 of the NLCS heightened as both teams lined up, with game start time set for 8:15 p.m. on Fox.