LOS ANGELES — Francisco Alvarez broke a scoring drought with a crucial double at the top of the 10th inning, marking his first run in four weeks. His contribution helped propel the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, even with Shohei Ohtani contributing both a home run and a game-tying sacrifice fly.
Francisco Lindor shined as well, opening with a leadoff homer and later securing an RBI single in the 10th. The Mets began this rematch of the National League Championship Series by claiming their eighth victory in nine games.
Ohtani added flair for the Dodgers by sending a 424-foot solo homer over the fences off Max Kranick in the seventh inning, marking his fifth homer in seven games. This tied him with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead with 23 homers. Then, in the ninth, Tommy Edman singled, stole second, and eventually scored through Ohtani’s impactful flyout. The sequence put pressure on Mets closer Edwin Díaz (3-0) as he experienced his first blown save of the season, having successfully converted his previous 14 opportunities.
After key contributions from Alvarez and Lindor, José Castillo started the 10th by walking Freddie Freeman and surrendering an RBI single to Andy Pages. Castillo managed to regain control by striking out Max Muncy, while Freeman advanced to third on a sacrifice fly. José Buttó, stepping in, ended the inning by capturing Edman’s sharp grounder and securing his first save of the year.
Paul Blackburn made a successful return to the majors, throwing five scoreless innings and striking out Ohtani twice. Blackburn, who hadn’t pitched since August due to injuries, played a solid game for the Mets. Meanwhile, Dustin May held his ground for the Dodgers, allowing six hits across six innings.
Lindor wasted no time, sending May’s second pitch into the stands for his 14th home run of the season, matching Ohtani for the league lead in leadoff homers with six.
A pivotal moment arrived when Alvarez snapped a streak of 57 at-bats without an RBI with his hit against struggling Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott (0-2). Lindor quickly capitalized, allowing pinch-runner Starling Marte to score just three pitches later.
A remarkable statistic emerged, showing the Mets have won their past 27 games when Lindor homers, marking the second-longest streak of its kind in major league history. The only longer streak belongs to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who won 29 games when Carl Furillo homered between 1951 and 1953.
In the upcoming matchup, Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 4.91 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season, taking on Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (4-4, 3.52 ERA).