Star power: Shohei, Mookie propel Dodgers within 1 win of NL crown

NEW YORK -- After Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called star first baseman Freddie Freeman to let him know that they’d be sitting him as he continues to nurse a badly sprained right ankle.

For most teams, losing one of their best players, especially someone who is considered one of the best pure hitters of his generation, would be a massive blow to the lineup. These Dodgers, however, are not your ordinary club.

Even without Freeman, the Dodgers still had the luxury of writing down two other former Most Valuable Players in their lineup. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are two of the game’s biggest stars, and they proved it on the field on Thursday.

Ohtani and Betts combined to reach base eight times while going 5-for-9 with a pair of homers and five RBIs in the Dodgers’ 10-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field. The two superstars became the first duo atop a lineup to score seven runs in a game since Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez accomplished it in 2009.

Because of that, the Dodgers are now one win away from their second NL pennant in the last five seasons -- and history is in their favor.

In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams leading 3-1 after four games have gone on to win the series 79 of 93 times (85%). Of the 14 teams to rally from a 3-1 deficit, the most recent was the 2020 Dodgers, in the NLCS against the Braves. Under the current 2-3-2 format, teams with a 3-1 lead and playing Game 5 on the road have gone on to win the series 42 of 49 times (86%).

• Dodgers-Mets NLCS Game 5 FAQ

“Ever heard of them?” Freeman asked with a smile, when talking about Ohtani and Betts. “Right out of the gate, you’re facing Hall of Famers. It’s just amazing, especially when they’re swinging the bat as well as they are right now. It’s fun to hit behind.”

Ohtani came into Game 4 with drastic splits in this series. He was unstoppable with runners on base, but was still looking for his first hit with nobody on (0-for-22). Ohtani wasted no time in changing that narrative, smoking a 117.8 mph leadoff homer to give the Dodgers the early 1-0 lead.

“The focus has been pretty much the same regardless of the situation, if there’s runners on or not,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Kind of stick to the same plan, the same approach.”

After Ohtani’s blast, the Mets’ game plan against the Japanese superstar became clear: they weren’t going to give him many pitches to hit. They were content with walking him, which they did three times, twice on just four pitches. The Mets wanted to see if somebody else was capable of beating them.

Well, Betts showed them why he has some hardware sitting at home, too. With the Dodgers holding onto a one-run lead in the fourth, it was Betts who welcomed José Buttó with a two-run double into the left-field corner. Two innings later, Betts smacked his third homer of the postseason, a two-run shot to give the Dodgers a five-run lead and sending a packed Citi Field crowd running for the exits.

Betts joins Chris Taylor (NLCS Game 5, 2021) and Steve Garvey (NLCS Game 4, 1974) as the only Dodgers players to tally four hits and four RBIs in a postseason game.

“I think he took it the same way [Mark] Vientos took it -- personal,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I think that he understands that whether it’s a manager putting four fingers up or you’re throwing intentional balls two feet outside, you’re going to go after the next guy. So I think that Mookie takes it personal, like all competitors should. And I do think that stuff lights a little fire under him.”

Both Ohtani and Betts have experienced the highs and lows of postseason baseball. After the first two games of the NLCS, Ohtani sat through questions about his odd splits and why he wasn’t producing at the clip with which he ended the regular season. A round prior, Betts went through the same exercise, having to explain why his production in the postseason had dropped off.

The outside noise got so loud for Betts that he shut off his social media accounts. In the midst of trying to block out the distractions, Betts found a routine that worked for him. He locked himself in the batting cage at Petco Park and took hundreds of swings. That has continued ever since.

Betts has been searching all month. He might have found something on Thursday.

“Sometimes, I just go into the locker room and just sit by myself just to get away from all the things that are going on, and you can reset and come back to it,” Betts said. “It’s tough, but if you want to do it, you’ll find a way.”

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With their two superstars leading the way, the Dodgers have more than found a way against the Mets. They have scored eight or more runs in three of the four games this series. The only other teams to score that many runs in three or more games in a single postseason series are the 1993 Blue Jays and the 1960 Yankees.

En route to that success, the Dodgers also set a postseason record with 31 walks over the first four games of a series. They look every bit like the team they expected to be coming out of Spring Training. And on Thursday, they suffocated the Mets with their star power.

“We’re hungry, we want to win, and we set a goal in Spring Training to go out there and try to do our job and to win games,” said Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández. “And at the end of the year, just celebrate winning a World Series.”