The National League Divisional Series gave us some excitement. With the Phillies bowing out really without a fight to the Mets, to the Dodgers and Padres going the distance. The divisional round gave the baseball world a lot to talk about. So let’s dive into what happened.
VS
Game 1
New York came into this series as the underdogs. The Phillies were not only expected to go on a deep run this post season, but some were predicting a World Series title season. The Mets came out of the Wild Card series, continuing the hot streak they are on taking Game 1 with authority with a big five run 8th inning to go up big and Philadelphia was never able to recover. Lead by their stars, they were able to just advance runners with some hits into the gaps and some smart sacrifice plays.
Mets Win 6-2 | Mets Lead Series 1-0
Game 2
Game 2 was a different story. New York was up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before Philadelphia would get on the board thanks to a Bryce Harper home run. They would cap off the inning with a Castellanos homer and head into the 7th tied at three. The Mets would add a run in the 7th, but the Phillies would get two runs off a Bryson Stott triple getting both Castellanos and Harper home.
Stott would eventually make it home off a Realmuto forced out, but Philadelphia would get their first lead of the night 6-4. It would not last long into the 9th as Mark Vientos would homer and bring himself and Lindor across the plate to tie the game at six, heading to the bottom of the inning. The Phillies would need one run and would get one run. Castellanos would single to deep left and Trea Turner would win the game.
Phillies Win 7-6 | Series Tied 1-1
Game 3
The series would switch to Queens as the Mets would look to bounce back after a last minute run by Turner in Game 2. New York would score early and would really keep tacking on runs all the way through the game. With them being up 6-0 heading into the top of the 8th, New York was feeling comfortable. Philly would get on the board with Sosa and Schwarber crossing the plate, but it would be too little too late, as the Mets would tack on another run in the bottom of the 8th to put the game away and have the Phillies facing elimination in Game 4.
Mets Win 7-2 | Mets Lead Series 2-1
Game 4
Philadelphia needs to win Game 4 to stay alive in these playoffs. Not something I think they thought they would be saying this early in the post season. The Phillies would get on the board in the 4th inning off of a Mark Vientos error, and Harper was able to score. New York was held off the score sheet until Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam to give the Mets a big lead 4-1. The Phillies would not be able to mount a comeback and would be sent home empty handed this year.
Mets Win 4-1 | Mets Win Series 3-1
VS
Game 1
Game 1 of this series was exactly what the baseball world expected. The Padres came out heavy with three runs in the top of the 1st. Shohei Ohtani showed up and showed up big in his postseason debut with a three run homer in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at three. San Diego would respond quickly with Merrill and Tatis crossing the plate to go up two.
The bottom of the 4th started with the Dodgers scoring off a wild pitch. Then Teoscar Hernandez singled to center to bring in Betts and Ohtani. Edman would add another run for LA in the bottom of the 5th and that would be all for the scoring. Each team locked it down defensively and the Dodgers took it 7-5.
Dodgers Win 7-5 | Dodgers Lead Series 1-0
Game 2
The next game the Padres would pummel the Dodgers in Game 2. Through two innings, San Diego was up 3-1. That is as close as the Dodgers would get with Padres putting up one in the 6th, three in the 8th, and three in the 9th. Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. would be the leader of the offense in this game, with them being involved in seven of the runs. The unfortunate story coming out of this game, was when the LA fans started throwing objects onto the field. Including a ball being thrown at Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar. Game 2 left a bad taste in the mouth of both the Dodgers and their fans as the series shifted to San Diego.
Padres Win 10-2 | Series Tied 1-1
Game 3
Game 3 was much closer. The offense of this game was limited to two innings really. The Dodgers getting on the board early in the first inning with a run, but that lead would last half an inning. The Padres would get the bats going and add six runs in the second inning. Now with LA feeling the pressure all of a sudden, they did respond with four runs in the top of the 3rd, but that is where their scoring would stall. End score being 6-5 and now the Dodgers are on the rope.
Padres Win 6-5 | Padres Lead Series 2-1
Game 4
With their back against the walls, not at home, the LA Dodgers knew they needed a big game from everyone. The stars showed up big the Dodgers, and they showed up often. By the time the 4th inning came around, LA was up 5-0. This win was a full team effort from LA, players like Will Smith, Gavin Lux, and Max Muncy really led the way, making a comeback by the Padres near impossible. The pitching by the bullpen, made San Diego’s night that much harder combining for the shutout.
Dodgers Win 8-0 | Series Tied 2-2
Game 5
Game 5 you knew was going to be a nail biter and it was. Kike Hernandez homering in the second put the Dodgers up by one. The pitching battle between Darvish and Yamamoto was much watch baseball. Yamamoto went five innings and gave up no runs and two hits. While Darvish went six and two thirds innings, giving up three hits and two runs. Both being home runs as the Dodgers would be up two in the bottom of the seventh. The bullpens would come in and neither would concede a run. Ending the game in a 2-0 thriller that would see the Dodgers advance to meet the Mets in the NLCS.
Dodgers Win 2-0 | Dodger Win Series 3-2
Both series would end up being very entertaining, with the Mets surprising everyone, while the Dodger and Padres was a heavy weight fight for the ages. The Mets and Dodgers will be quite the star studded series, and the MLB will be happy with two of the biggest markets being involved in the National League final.
When it comes to the Padres and the Phillies, you have to think both teams will reflect on why they lost. They both lost for different reasons. Phillies lost in surprising fashion with them just getting out gunned by the bats of the Mets. While the Padres could say that they went toe to toe with the leagues best, and it really came down to a flip of a coin. Their series really could have ended with them moving instead, that is how equally they were.
The NLCS will be fun to watch. Area 51 will be the place to be for all the playoff coverage, so keep it locked on the network.
