The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the World Series after defeating the New York Mets 10-5 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night. They will face the New York Yankees in the World Series, which begins Friday. Following their victory in the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts sent a direct message to the fans in Los Angeles.
“You guys want a parade in Los Angeles?” Roberts addressed the home crowd. “Four more wins!”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have established themselves as the dominant power in Major League Baseball over the last eight years, with four World Series trips beginning with the tragic trip in 2017. Against all odds, their only championship during this stretch—the one that ended the 1988 curse—came in 2020.
Shohei Ohtani leads the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani led the injury-plagued Los Angeles Dodgers to baseball’s best regular-season record. Tommy Edman joined the team in late July and played a crucial role in their World Series run.
The high-spending Dodgers have had a typical year, regularly finding contributors when Shohei Ohtani isn’t dazzling with his power at the plate and quickness on the bases. Tommy Edman and Will Smith also homered, driving Ohtani to his World Series debut.
“I really feel like we finally arrived, and I finally arrived at this stage,” Ohtani explained through his translator. “A lot of the games we played were really tough and hard to win, and it was truly a team effort to get here.”
The Dodgers won their record 25th National League pennant, their fourth in eight years and first at home since defeating the Mets in a seven-game series in 1988. 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.
Faced off against the New York Yankees in the World Series
Roberts and the Dodgers will next face Aaron Judge and the Yankees, who are returning to the World Series for the 41st time and first in 15 years. This showdown, which begins at Dodger Stadium, features the league’s top two home run hitters: Judge (58) and Ohtani (54).
This is the franchises’ 12th World Series matchup, and their first in 43 years. The Yankees have defeated the Dodgers eight times, while the Dodgers won three championships against the Bronx Bombers in 1955, 1963, and 1981.
In his first season with the Dodgers, after signing a record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract as a free agent, Ohtani had two singles and scored two runs in Game 6. He batted.364 in the NLCS, with two home runs and six RBIs.
Ohtani spent his first six MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who did not have a winning record or make the playoffs during his tenure.
The Dodgers, who were eliminated in the Division Series the previous two years, spent a combined $1 billion last winter to clinch long-term contracts for Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with the goal of winning the franchise’s seventh World Series title.
The Dodgers, dealing with injuries to their starting rotation, depended on seven pitchers to defeat the Mets, who had the highest payroll in baseball at $332 million.
Los Angeles outscored New York 40-26 during the six-game series. The Mets were just two victories away from reaching the World Series after rallying from a 22-33 start to claim the National League’s last wild card spot.
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