How many more chapters can the New York Mets add to their storybook 2024 season?
After extending their season with one highlight after the next over the last two weeks, the Mets will meet their most arduous challenge to keep their dream run going when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
The best-of-seven series is set to begin with Game 1 in Los Angeles at 8:15 p.m. on Sunday in Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers won the season series, taking four out of the six matchups between the two teams, but they have not played each other since late May. This is a far different Mets team, which includes the spark of Jose Iglesias, rising impact of Mark Vientos and Kodai Senga fresh off injury.
These Dodgers haven’t had Clayton Kershaw or Tony Gonsolin, who could potentially make a return this series in some capacity. But what they lack in starting pitching prowess, they make up with one of the most explosive offenses in baseball. The core of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez helped produce the best team OPS and an MLB-best 98 wins in the regular season.
The Mets counter with the best record in baseball over the final four months, including the MVP candidacy of Francisco Lindor, along with a veteran starting rotation, led by Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana, that has been the most steady in baseball since the calendar turned to September.
A series between the Mets and Dodgers should have all the fireworks that any baseball fan could hope for in the NL Championship Series. Now how do we think it will play out?
Our prediction
Dodgers in 7
We were wrong to pick against the magical Mets in the last round, but the Dodgers feel like a different monster than the Phillies. It boils down to the Dodgers lineup, which boasts the firepower to wreak havoc against the best rotations. With their backs up against the wall, they feasted against Dylan Cease and beat up Michael King.
The Mets’ bullpen showed some cracks in the Wild Card round against the Brewers, leading some of the high-leverage arms to pack on the postseason miles heading into a best-of-seven series.
