Mets vs. Dodgers score: Shohei Ohtani, Kiké Hernández blast home runs as Los Angeles takes 2-1 NLCS lead

The Mets were shutout on a series of missed opportunities

By Matt Snyder

Oct 17, 2024 • 1 min read

The Los Angeles Dodgers have defeated the New York Mets, 8-0, in Game 3 of the NLCS. This gives the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Kiké the playoff beast

The Dodgers plated two runs in the second inning with some help from shoddy Mets defense, though the Dodgers deserve credit for putting the ball in play. The runs scored on an infield single and a sac fly.

Things opened up in the sixth for the Dodgers, though, when their nine-hole hitter went yard. Enrique Hernández (or "Kiké," depending where you look) hit a home run to left field with a runner on:

That made the score 4-0 Dodgers and with that breathing room, it felt pretty elementary from there.

Hernández isn't one of those diminutive hitters with no power or anything. He's hit at least 20 homers in a season twice before and had 12 home runs in 362 at-bats in the regular season in 2024. Still, he has 120 career regular-season home runs in 1,183 games. He's not exactly Albert Pujols up there.

Except in the playoffs, he kind of is. This was his 78th career playoff game and that home run was his 15th in 198 at-bats.

He becomes the 20th player to hit at least 15 postseason home runs in MLB history. The only other players with fewer than 200 at-bats on the list are Nelson Cruz (18 HR, 187 AB), Bryce Harper (17 HR, 193 AB) and Babe Ruth (15 HR, 129 AB).

Ohtani puts the game away

Though it was incredibly likely the Mets were going to come back from a four-run deficit with two innings to go anyway, Shohei Ohtani put this thing to bed in the top of the eighth with a moonshot down the right-field line.

That was a three-run blast. It was his second career playoff home run. He also hit a three-run shot in Game 1 of the NLDS. Much has been made about his woes hitting with the bases empty versus how amazing he's been with runners on base. Sure enough, Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk when there were no runners on base this game. This at-bat was his only one with runners on. It's a remarkable coincidence more than a trend, but it sure is getting funny.

The line right now for Ohtani with runners on base: 7 for 9 with two homers and eight RBI. With the bases empty? He's 0 for 22.

Buehler guts through four

Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler was 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in his 16 starts this season, his first in returning from Tommy John surgery. He was touched up for six runs in the second inning in his start in the NLDS in San Diego, too. This time around, it looked like things might unravel in the second inning again.

Walker buckled down, though. With the bases loaded and one out, he struck out Francisco Alvarez and Mets superstar Francisco Lindor to end the inning with zero runs scored. He was able to strand two more runners in the third, too.

He would end up getting through four scoreless innings and that's just about all the Dodgers were asking for from him. It was a lot of hard work in just four innings, but the zeroes on the scoreboard were what mattered most.

Buehler was missing bats, too. He struck out six -- a 13.5 K/9 rate, compared to his regular-season 7.6 -- and got 18 swings and misses. That's the highest figure for the first four innings of any start of his entire career (via MLB.com).

Sloppiness early for both sides

The ALCS has provided some sloppy and, frankly, poorly played baseball games. Early on in this thing in the live blog, I quipped that the ALCS was contagious. There was an error and several bobbles in the second inning by both sides. Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor made a spectacular catch on the warning track, but that came along with a Starling Marte collision and both players were fortunate to escape unscathed.

Things did settle down, though. Fortunately, nearly all the sloppiness was very early in the game.

Missed Mets opportunities

As noted in the Buehler section, the Mets left the bases loaded in the second and two runners on in the third. In the sixth inning, Marte singled and J.D. Martinez walked to give the Mets a little life with two runners on and one out. Jose Iglesias promptly hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Mets weren't starving for baserunners. They just couldn't get them home. They were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners.

It should be noted that the final number compared to the final score here doesn't seem really bad, but the Mets left most of these guys on base when the game was still close. A big second or third inning changes the complexion of everything in this one.

Up next

We'll see it happen with the exact same time and location Thursday. That's 8:08 p.m. ET in Citi Field, home of the Mets. The Dodgers lead the series, two games to one. It isn't a dire situation for the Mets just yet, but they probably shouldn't fall again to make it a 3-1 deficit. That still wouldn't be insurmountable, but it would be awfully tough to dispatch of a team as talented as the Dodgers three straight games.

As an illustration, teams in MLB best-of-seven series with a 2-1 lead have gone on to win the series 106 out of 151 times, or 70.2% of the time. Teams taking a 3-1 lead are 79-14 (84.9%).

Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the ball for the Dodgers while the Mets will start José Quintana.

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Live updates

Dodgers 8, Mets 0: LA takes 2-1 lead in NLCS

Game 3 was closer than the final score makes it seem. It was not until the eighth inning that the Dodgers broke the game open on Shohei Ohtani's titanic three-run home run into the second deck.

Up to that point, the Dodgers were nursing a 4-0 lead, which is usually pretty comfortable, but these Mets have made a habit of coming back in the late innings this postseason. Los Angeles was wise to add those insurance runs.

The Dodgers now lead the series 2-1 and, historically, teams with a 2-1 lead a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 70% of the time. Game 4 is Thursday night at Citi Field. Jose Quintana and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are the schedule starters.

Muncy homers to make it 8-0

The game is basically over, but Max Muncy went deep and it's notable for a reason. We'll get to that. First, the blast:

Now to the other important part: Muncy now has 13 playoff home runs, all with the Dodgers. That ties him for the most in franchise history along with Justin Turner and Corey Seager.

Yes, the Dodgers have a storied history and have been around forever, but keep in mind how many more rounds of playoffs there are these days and that the Dodgers make it every year. It makes sense that the top three would all be current players.

"Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep." - Casparius

Tylor Megill is back out for the ninth inning. He's thrown two innings and 44 pitches, so he's doing good work saving the bullpen. (He was a starter during the season, so he's built up for the long outing.)

Game isn't over yet, but the Dodgers are well-positioned to take Game 3. It's 7-0 with one out in the eighth. Historically, teams with a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 70% of the time.

Whatever Cosm Los Angeles is, here's the view from Cosm Los Angeles, whatever that is:

Ohtani goes upper tank

The Dodgers have taken a 7-0 lead on a three-run Shohei Ohtani bomb.

Will Smith had walked to start the inning and Kiké Hernández singled with one out to set the table for Ohtani, who has famously not been hitting with the bases empty this postseason. That blast was 410 feet and left the bat at 115.9 miles per hour.

That is now Ohtani's second career postseason homer. Both of them have been three-run shots.

For all intents and purposes, that ends Game 3.

Inning-ending double play ends the Mets' threat and keeps it 4-0 through six. Dodgers presently have an 87.5% chance of winning Game 3.

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Hernández makes it's 4-0 Dodgers

Two-out, two-strike, two-run homer to left here in the sixth inning. I did not think this ball would get out.

Enrique Hernández levels up in the postseason every year it seems. Some players just thrive this time of year. It's remarkable, really.

Kopech threw 12 pitches in a 1-2-3 fifth (with two fly balls to the track). Ryan Brasier is warming for the sixth. Thought they might try to squeeze another inning out of Kopech, but I guess they want to make sure he's available tomorrow (and the next day?).

Brandon Nimmo said the other day that his plantar fasciitis only acts up while he's running. That...has not appeared to be the case tonight, based on his various grimaces (and not the fun dress-up kind in the stands)

Seems like the wind is blowing in tonight.

The Citi Field faithful are getting VERY good at the My Girl singalong for Lindor

I'm sure it will be a very normal game from here on out.

Middle of five and both teams are into their bullpens. This could be a long night.

Severino's outing

He's done after 4 2/3 innings and has given up three hits and four walks. He allowed two runs. It wasn't a bad outing at all and several of the baserunners were due to poor defensive plays/bad luck on batted balls. Of course, there was also a tremendous catch in center by Tyrone Taylor that helped save some runs. Perhaps it all evened out.

The Mets trail 2-0 in the middle of the fifth inning.

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Severino is done after a two-out walk to Max Muncy. Reed Garrett coming in. It's 2-0 Dodgers in the fifth.

Nifty play by Lindor:

Well there's some defense from Francisco Lindor

Third time through for Dodgers

It's Ohtani-Betts-Freeman to face Luis Severino in the fifth. That's a danger zone. The Mets should have the bullpen ready.

Walker Buehler's outing

If we can take Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at his word from that dugout interview, Walker Buehler's outing is over. He worked four innings, allowing three hits and two walks but, most importantly, zero runs. He struck out six. Given how he'd been going and the traffic he dealt with, that's a great outing. The Dodgers will look to get 15 outs from their best relievers now.

2-0 Dodgers through four innings

That's likely it for Walker Buehler, who threw 90 pitches to get through the lineup twice.

Manager Dave Roberts just said he's trying to squeeze three more outs from Buehler.

The Dodgers have Michael Kopech warming as Buehler takes the mound for the fourth.

Relevant since Buehler in his NLDS start against the Padres had zero strikeouts in five innings:

Tommy Edman is hitting .320 with a .308 OBP this postseason. Delightful.

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