The next stop on the Mets’ roadmap toward an improbable World Series title became official Friday.
The Dodgers defeated their own division rival Padres in the National League Division Series, and will host the Mets for Game 1 of the Championship Series Sunday.
It almost seems like destiny that these two teams will meet. Shohei Ohtani vs. Francisco Lindor. The likely MVP of the National League versus the likely second-place finisher who carried his team over the last 90 games to squeak into the playoffs.
Now, on the biggest stage, the two of them will leave their marks on each of their teams’ seasons. The Dodgers are currently favored to win the series by the books, but so were the Mets in 1988 versus LA.
The series has drama written all over it. And the winner will get their chance at glory. But before we dive into Game 1, let’s look at the Mets and Dodgers’ history in the playoffs.
Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The last time these two teams faced each other in the postseason was 2015. The Mets, like this season, went on a magical run, and were challenged by the Dodgers in the first round.
Los Angeles was imposing, throwing out Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who both finished with 2.13 and 1.66 ERAs respectively. But the Mets had answers on the mound in 2015 as well. Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey finished with sub-3 ERAs and rookie Noah Syndergaard punched out 166 batters with a 3.24 ERA.
The series came down to the offenses, which in the end fell in favor to the Mets. It picked up Harvey in Game 3, where Curtis Granderson drove in five runs and both Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d’Arnaud homered. And then they finished the job in Game 5, where Daniel Murphy tripled, stole third and scored on a sac-fly, then homered to account for all three runs for the Mets.
The 2006 NLDS was a clean sweep for the Mets, who rode the momentum of a close Game 1 at home to handily defeat the Dodgers.
Game 1 was the most thrilling, as John Maine struggled over 4 1/3 inning, but only allowed one run. He got some help from his defense in the second, where Shawn Green and Paul Lo Duca connected to tag two Dodgers out at the plate.
Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Cliff Floyd provided the offense, driving in six runs for the Mets in a close 6-5 win.
From there, the Mets handled business and won the next two. Tom Glavine provided six scoreless innings in Game 2 and offense scored nine runs in Game 3 to send the Mets to the NLCS.
The first time these two teams met in the postseason was 1988. And all Mets fans who were alive will tell you how disastrous this went.
The Mets were the heavy favorites, rostering their entire 1986 core along with a new pitching star in David Cone.
The Dodgers were no joke either, with NL MVP Kirk Gibson powering their offense and a scary trio of Orel Hershiser, Tim Leary, and Tim Belcher at the top of their rotation. But they won six fewer games than the Mets, and the lineup overall wasn’t comparable.
But they were resilient. After the Mets had stunned LA in Game 1 with a three-run ninth-inning comeback, the Dodgers salvaged Game 2. Then after dropping Game 3 at Shea, Mike Scioscia stunned the Mets crowd with a game-tying homer off Doc Gooden in the ninth, leading the Dodgers to a 5-4 win in 12 innings in Game 4.
That win sparked a 7-4 win at Shea in Game 5, sending the Dodgers back to LA with a series lead with two games to play. The Mets forced a Game 7, but Hershiser shut down the Mets offense, sending the Dodgers to World Series against the Athletics.
And by the way, Gibson only slashed .154/.233/.385 in the NLCS and tore his hamstring in Game 4. Again, not a fond memory for Mets fans.
Now it’s time for a new story. The fourth time the Mets and Dodgers will face each other in the postseason. The Dodgers are only 6-9 against the Mets past September, but this team is stacked with talent.
Their one weak spot might be their starting pitching, but an offense of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, and Ohtani will alleviate.
And the Mets? They’re certainly talented as well. Pete Alonso‘s bat has emerged in October, and the slugger has a career .312 batting average with seven homers at Dodger Stadium. Lindor will also look to lead the Mets after his dramatic grand slam to end the Phillies season.
Did I mention Kodai Senga is also back and starting Game 1? This might be a team of destiny, but their talent on the field is undeniable. This series should be closer than most think.
The post A Look at the Mets and Dodgers History in the Postseason appeared first on Metsmerized Online.
