LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jack Flaherty combined on a three-hitter and Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers tied the postseason record of 33 consecutive scoreless innings by routing the New York Mets 9-0 Sunday night in the NL Championship Series opener.
Los Angeles knocked out a wild Kodai Senga in the second inning, built a six-run lead by the fourth and matched the scoreless record set by Baltimore Orioles pitchers over the first four games of the 1966 World Series against the Dodgers.
Backed by chants of “MVP! MVP!" Shohei Ohtani was 2 for 4 with a walk while scoring two runs and driving in another.
Mookie Betts added a three-run double in the eighth in the largest shutout victory margin in Dodgers postseason history, also the Mets' most one-sided postseason shutout defeat.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Monday.
Flaherty allowed two hits over seven innings in the Dodgers' first scoreless postseason start of seven-plus innings since Clayton Kershaw's eight innings in the 2020 NL Wild Card Series.
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 at the July 30 trade deadline and has been a steadying presence in a rotation hard-hit by injuries.
Flaherty retired his first nine batters, extending the Dodgers streak of consecutive hitters retired to 28, before walking Francisco Lindor leading off the fourth. New York's only hits off him were a pair of singles by Jesse Winker and Jose Iglesias in the fifth. Flaherty struck out six.
Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius pitched an inning each.
Lindor was 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout and Pete Alonso went hitless in three at-bats with a walk and a strikeout.
The Dodgers rallied from the brink of elimination against San Diego to win the NL Division Series in five games with shutouts in the last two games.
They opened their pursuit of a record 25th NL pennant by chasing Senga after 1 1/3 innings of his just third overall start in a year decimated by injuries. The Japanese right-hander walked four of his first eight batters, including three in a row in a 14-pitch span in the first inning.
Senga walked the bases loaded with one out in the first, when just seven of his 23 pitches were thrown for strikes. Max Muncy singled up the middle, scoring Betts and a hobbled Freddie Freeman, who touched the plate with his left foot to protect his sprained right ankle. He staggered into the arms of Betts, who steadied the much bigger and taller Freeman.
Ohtani chased Senga with an RBI single in the second and the Dodgers tacked on three runs in the fourth off reliever David Peterson as Tommy Edman and Freeman had RBI singles.
UP NEXT
Mets Sean Manaea starts Game 2 after winning Game 3 of the NL Division Series against Philadelphia. It’ll be the first time the Dodgers face a lefty starter in this postseason.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Beth Harris, The Associated Press
