Dodgers end Mets’ magical run with 10-5 defeat in Game 6 of NLCS

LOS ANGELES — The Mets’ magic period has travel to an end.

After 20 days of chaotic comeback victories, champagne showers and a feeling of invincibility, the Mets fell backmost to world Sunday nighttime astatine Dodger Stadium. The Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Mets with a 10-5 triumph successful Game 6 of the NLCS to clinch the NL pennant and beforehand to the World Series for the 4th clip since 2017.

The Mets were down by lone a tally going into the bottommost of the third, but a brace of two-run homers fixed up by Sean Manaea and Phil Maton doomed them. Down lone 2-1 erstwhile they started the inning, the Dodgers were up, 6-1, by the clip it ended.

The Mets had chances to interruption the crippled unfastened successful the 2nd and 3rd innings with 7 runners reaching base, but they stranded each 7 of them. Twice they loaded the bases with 2 outs, but the rallies were stopped short. Jeff McNeil struck retired against left-hander Anthony Banda successful the 3rd and Jesse Winker popped retired to near tract successful the sixth.

The Mets went 2-for-26 with runners successful scoring presumption successful 4 losses against a depleted Dodgers pitching staff.

Yet successful the end, it was the Mets who ran retired of pitching. Nearly the full Dodgers rotation and a fewer of their champion relievers were each retired with injuries successful this series, but an exceptionally heavy lineup with a diligent attack proved to beryllium excessively overmuch for the Mets pitching staff. Only erstwhile did a Mets starter transportation into the sixth inning, Manaea successful Game 2.

The left-hander lone made it to the 3rd inning Sunday, giving up 5 earned runs connected six hits, walking 2 and striking retired two.

Good luck to the Yankees successful trying to incorporate those bats.

The Mets didn’t spell down easily. The Dodgers utilized their bullpen for each 9 innings and utilized it aggressively. Mark Vientos deed a two-run homer disconnected Ryan Brasier successful the apical of the 4th to chopped the Los Angeles pb to 3 runs, his 5th of the postseason. After the Dodgers scored an security tally successful the bottommost of the sixth, the Mets managed to propulsion 1 crossed successful the apical of the seventh. They scored 1 again with 2 retired successful the ninth.

The 2024 team’s full individuality is their resilience and they developed rather a estimation arsenic a radical of comeback kids with dramatic, late-inning wins to clinch a playoff spot, to beforehand done the Wild Card circular and done the NLDS.

There was nary coming backmost this time. Not successful the bid and not successful Game 6. Not erstwhile they had to usage a rusty Kodai Senga successful the bottommost of the eighth. The right-hander, who took the nonaccomplishment successful Game 1, came connected successful alleviation with the Mets down lone 7-4, but gave up 3 earned runs.

The Mets tin look astatine this 2 ways. They tin look astatine the unthinkable tally they made to travel conscionable 2 wins distant from a travel to the World Series and beryllium arrogant of however acold they got aft the remainder of shot had written them disconnected backmost successful May. They tin look astatine the clutch homers Vientos hit, the greatness of Francisco Lindor and the large outs that Edwin Diaz and David Peterson got and commencement to look guardant by identifying pieces to physique astir them.

But they tin besides look astatine the 2 teams successful the World Series and wonder, wherefore not us? They swept the Yankees successful 4 games this play and the Dodgers are the squad they’ve been trying to emulate since the Steve Cohen epoch began successful 2021. This World Series matchup mightiness consciousness similar a gut punch.

Both views tin beryllium valid.

The Mets believed successful themselves close up until the last out. That content could marque for an adjacent much palmy 2025 campaign. But it volition undoubtedly marque for an adjacent tougher wintertime than the last.