Mets 12, Dodgers 6 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)
Series Status: Dodgers Lead 3-2
WP: Ryne Stanek (1-0) LP: Jack Flaherty (1-2)
Seat On The Korner:
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
There were a lot of candidates for the Seat tonight but the honor goes to Mets' outfielder Starling Marte, who played a sneakily key role in their 12-run outburst. Marte went 4 for 5 with three doubles and three RBI, including a key two-run double off Dodgers' starter Jack Flaherty in the third inning to build a huge early lead.
Need To Know:
The Mets have now improved to 2-0 in elimination games this postseason.
Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker both tripled in the game for the Mets, marking the first time in franchise history they've hit two triples in a single postseason game.
The Mets scored 10+ runs in a postseason game for the first time since 2015, when they scored 13 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS.
The Mets did not strike out once in this game, becoming the 11th team all time to complete a postseason game without striking out and the first to do it since the Anaheim Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.
Pete Alonso launched a three-run homer to open the scoring for the Mets in the first inning, bringing him into a tie with Mike Piazza for the second-most playoff home runs in franchise history with five.
Jeff McNeil made his first start of the postseason for the Mets and went 0-for-3 with a pair of sacrifice flies and two RBI to help tack on critical insurance runs for the Mets.
Turning Point:
There were plenty of turning points in a wild game, but the biggest came in the fourth, when the Dodgers knocked out starter David Peterson and loaded the bases with two outs for Freddie Freeman. Reed Garrett, who has struggled with inherited runners in the second half, delivered a nasty backdoor sweeper to freeze Freeman and strike him out to leave the bases loaded.
Three Keys:
A Solid Start From David Peterson
The Mets turned to David Peterson with their season on the line, asking him to get as many outs as he could despite being limited to relief work since the start of the postseason. Peterson built early confidence when he stranded two men on in the first and lasted 3.2 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits with four walks and striking out three. Even though he didn't personally pick up the win, Peterson has been a good luck charm for the Mets, who are now 16-6 in games he has started this season.
The Circle Of Trust
Manager Carlos Mendoza made it publicly known prior to the game that Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz were available for 12 outs today. The pair combined for 13, with Stanek going a career-high 2.1 innings pitched while racking up four punchouts. Diaz got the final six outs, recording just one hit and striking out two, with the pair needing just 54 pitches to pick up the 13 outs. It's clear that those two and Garrett are the most trusted arms for Mendoza out of the bullpen and all three will be counted on for significant contributions if the Mets can rally from a 3-1 deficit.
Jesse Winker's Welcome Return
The Mets' offense went into a slumber with Jesse Winker on the bench the past two days, so Mendoza re-inserted him back into the lineup tonight. Winker was immediately productive, going 2 for 3 with a walk, a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. The team also felt more energetic with Winker in the lineup, who increased his postseason OPS to 1.203, and he should have cemented his spot in the lineup for the rest of this series with tonight's performance.
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