NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso golfed an early three-run homer and the New York Mets hammered an ineffective Jack Flaherty, extending the National League Championship Series with a 12-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 on Friday.
Starling Marte had three doubles, four hits and three RBIs for New York. Francisco Alvarez broke out of a slump with three hits — including an RBI single in a five-run third inning. Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker each laced an RBI triple.
After getting blown out in three of the first four games, including the past two nights at home, the wild-card Mets saved their season for the second time in these playoffs — both with the help of a three-run shot by Alonso. They trimmed their series deficit to 3-2 and sent the best-of-seven NLCS back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Sunday.
Sean Manaea is expected to start for New York on five days’ rest, while the Dodgers are likely to go with another bullpen game because of a thin rotation decimated by injuries.
With an opportunity to pitch his hometown team into the World Series, Flaherty flopped. After throwing seven shutout innings of two-hit ball in a Game 1 win, he fell behind 3-0 four batters in when Alonso launched a low slider 432 feet to center field for his fourth homer this postseason.
YANKEES 8, GUARDIANS 6
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase gave up two runs in the ninth inning and New York moved closer to another World Series, beating the Guardians to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single and New York scored its go-ahead run as shortstop Brayan Rocchio booted Alex Verdugo’s grounder for an error.
It was a messy ninth for Clase (0-2) as baseball’s best reliever altered for the second night in a row.
New York got three singles in the ninth off the right-hander, who gave up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning of Game 3 but got bailed out when the Guardians got two-run homers in the ninth and the 10th.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer and Juan Soto hit a two-run shot for the Yankees, who can advance to their 41st World Series with a win in Game 5 on Saturday night.
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