Teoscar Hernández delivered the go-ahead hit in the 13th inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 7-5 in a lengthy, rain-interrupted game at Citi Field on Friday night. The victory came in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series and extended the Dodgers’ recent dominance in Queens.
Los Angeles entered the game as a slight favorite, with most sportsbooks listing them at around -120 on the moneyline. The Mets were priced at approximately +100. The total run line was set at 8.5 and was surpassed after the teams combined for 12 runs in a dramatic contest that spanned over four hours, not including a rain delay of nearly 100 minutes.
The Dodgers took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil tied the game with a two-run triple off closer Tanner Scott, who was charged with his fourth blown save of the season. Tyrone Taylor followed with an RBI single to knot the score at 5-5, sending what remained of a crowd of 40,449 into a late-night celebration.
New York had multiple chances to win the game in extra innings. Luisangel Acuña, making his debut as a Mets rookie, stranded the winning run at third base in both the ninth and 11th innings. Pete Alonso flied out to the warning track in center field with two runners on in the 10th. In the 12th inning, the Dodgers used a five-man infield after issuing two intentional walks. Luis García, who eventually earned the win, induced a double-play grounder from Luis Torrens to escape the jam.
Los Angeles finally capitalized in the 13th. Will Smith, the automatic runner, scored from second on Hernández’s RBI double off Huascar Brazobán, who was the ninth pitcher used by New York. Hernández, who had already driven in two runs earlier in the game with a single, advanced to third on a base hit by Hyeseong Kim and scored on Andy Pages’ sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers a 7-5 lead.
García pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings in relief, improving to 2-0. He secured the win with the final out of the game at 12:56 a.m., when Tommy Edman made a sliding catch in center field. The game lasted 4 hours and 8 minutes, excluding the rain delay. A postgame fireworks show followed moments after the final pitch.
Offensively, the Dodgers got RBI singles from Smith, Pages, and Max Muncy in addition to Hernández’s key contributions. Brett Baty homered for the Mets, while Alonso was credited with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning on a controversial obstruction call against Muncy at third base, which allowed Starling Marte to score despite appearing to be thrown out at home.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw made his second appearance since returning from injury, but his outing was cut short due to the rain delay in the third inning. Mets left-hander David Peterson will face Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin on Saturday. Gonsolin brings a 2-0 record and 4.05 ERA into the matchup, while Peterson enters with a 2-2 record and a 2.86 ERA.