By Beth Harris
LOS ANGELES – After spending the primary seven years of his big league profession within the East, Jack Flaherty got here home. He joined a winning Los Angeles Dodgers team and helped create a chunk of playoff history.
Flaherty combined a three-hitter and the Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers tied the postseason record of 33 consecutive scoreless innings by defeating the New York Mets 9-0 within the opening game of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night.
“As I was warming up, I saw some family members out there that I've gone to games with before, so you can just relax a little bit,” he said. “I felt like I tried too much in the last few big games. Just allow me to be myself and just go out and pitch and trust my stuff and trust the guys behind me.”
Los Angeles is eliminated a wild Kodai Senga built a six-run lead within the second inning heading into the fourth, tying the scoreless record set by Baltimore Orioles pitchers in the primary 4 games of the 1966 World Series against the Dodgers.
Supported by shouts of “MVP!” MVP!” Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a walk while scoring two runs and driving in one other.
Mookie Betts added a three-run double within the eighth, marking the biggest shutout margin of victory within the Dodgers' postseason history and in addition the Mets' most lopsided postseason shutout loss.
“Our energy started with Jack,” Betts said. “Jack really gave us everything today.”
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday afternoon.
Flaherty allowed two hits over seven innings within the Dodgers' first scoreless postseason start of greater than seven innings since Clayton Kershaw's eight innings within the 2020 NL Wild Card Series.
“It was just a pitching clinic,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought he did a great job of filling the strike zone with his complete mix. Once we got a lead, he did a great job of just going after the guys and attacking. For us to get seven innings in a long series was huge.”
Flaherty left to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 53,503. The 28-year-old right-hander from nearby Burbank returned home from Detroit on the July 30 trade deadline and was an integral a part of a rotation hit hard by injuries.
“He has an aura,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “He’s super competitive, super focused.”
Flaherty got a hug from Roberts after which the pitcher hugged his mother, who was sitting behind home plate. Some of his friends from their Little League days within the San Fernando Valley were also in attendance.
“This game is a lot of fun and I've been lucky enough to play it since I was a little kid,” Flaherty said. “No matter how much pressure there is, I just tell the boys that it will be fun. We have to remember that sometimes.”
Flaherty retired his first nine batters, extending the Dodgers' streak of consecutive retired batters to twenty-eight, before striking out Francisco Lindor to steer off the fourth. New York's only hits against him were two singles by Jesse Winker and Jose Iglesias within the fifth. Flaherty struck out six.
“He was getting ahead with his fastball, and then the slider, the breaking ball and the slow curve threw us off balance, but he was getting ahead and making throws,” rookie Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He tried to force us to pursue him, which is what we did the first time by order. Then it was just his turn.”
Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius each pitched one inning.
Lindor was 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout and Pete Alonso was hitless with a walk and a strikeout in three at-bats.
The Dodgers battled near elimination against San Diego and won the NL Division Series in five games, with shutouts in the ultimate two games.
They opened their quest for a record twenty fifth. NL pennant by chasing Senga after 1 1/3 innings of just his third start overall in a yr decimated by injuries. The Japanese right-hander walked 4 of his first eight batters in the primary inning, including three in a row in a 14-pitch span.
“He didn’t have it,” Mendoza said. “He didn’t have life on his fastball and had a lot of balls out of his hands, non-competitive pitches, especially the split. You could tell the balls were out of their hands the way they handled those throws.”
Senga walked the bases with one out in the primary game when only seven of his 23 pitches were thrown for strikes. Max Muncy hit a single up the center, hitting Betts and a limping Freddie Freeman, whose left foot touched the plate to guard his sprained right ankle. He stumbled into the arms of Betts, who was supporting the much taller and taller Freeman.
Ohtani chased Senga with an RBI single within the second and the Dodgers scored three runs within the fourth off reliever David Peterson, while Tommy Edman and Freeman had RBI singles.
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New York's Sean Manaea starts Game 2 after winning Game 3 of the NL Division Series against Philadelphia. It's the primary time the Dodgers have faced a lefty this postseason. The Dodgers haven’t said who will start a bullpen game for them.
Originally published:
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