Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered to send Shohei Ohtani to the World Series for the first time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets with a 10-5 win on Sunday night in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.
The Dodgers earned their record 25th NL pennant and first at home since 1988, when they defeated the Mets in seven games. They advanced to their 22nd World Series — 13th in Los Angeles — and first since 2020, when they defeated Tampa Bay during the pandemic-delayed season.
Next up for Ohtani and Co. are Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees, who are back in the World Series for the 41st time and the first in 15 years. Game 1 is Friday at Dodger Stadium, featuring Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) – MLB’s best home run hitters this season.
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It will be the twelfth time the legendary franchises meet in the World Series and the first in 43 years. The Yankees have defeated the Dodgers eight times, with the Dodgers’ two championships coming against the Bronx Bombers in 1981 and 1955.
Ohtani, playing his first season with the Dodgers after agreeing to a record-setting contract in free agency, had two hits and scored two runs in Game 6. He hit .364 with two home runs and six RBIs in the NLCS.
Not bad for his first postseason after spending six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or reached the playoffs during his tenure.
Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen struck out Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso with a swing in the eighth in his first two-inning outing since the 2021 NLCS.
The Dodgers briefly trailed 1-0 before cleaner Edman came big.
He drove in the Dodgers’ first four runs and his 11 RBIs in the NLCS tied a franchise record set by Corey Seager in 2020 against Atlanta. Edman joined the Dodgers at the July trade deadline from St. Louis.
The Dodgers eliminated the Mets on their second attempt in the series. They defeated New York 40-26 in the six games. None of the games were close and the Dodgers earned two shutouts.
The Mets came within two wins of reaching the World Series after a 22-33 start.
