LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Mark Vientos smashed a grand slam and Francisco Lindor homered as well as the New York Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-3, to level their Major League Baseball playoff series at one game apiece.
Vientos’ four-run home run in a determined second inning at-bat helped the Mets rebound from a 9-0 drubbing in game one on Sunday in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
Lindor led off the game with a 395-foot home run off Dodgers hurler Ryan Brasier, ending the Dodgers pitching staff’s record-equalling streak of 33 scoreless innings.
Dodgers hurlers hadn’t surrendered a run since the second inning of game three of their division series against the San Diego Padres.
One inning later, Vientos got the better of Dodgers reliever Landon Knack, fouling off five pitches before crushing the ninth pitch he saw — a 95 mph fastball — over the center field seats for a grand slam home run that pushed the Mets’ lead to 6-0.
Starling Marte had opened the inning with a single off Knack and scored on Tyrone Taylor’s double that left runners at second and third. Lindor was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up Vientos.
The 24-year-old admitted he “took it personally” when the Dodgers walked Lindor to bring him to the plate but said he “wasn’t trying to do too much.”
The Mets will host Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.
“I think we’re in a great spot,” Vientos said.
“I like the momentum we got. I like the energy we brought in this day’s game and we’ve got to keep it going.”
Mets starter Sean Manaea gave up two hits over five innings with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Max Muncy hit a solo homer for Los Angeles in the fifth, but the Dodgers’ vaunted lineup was largely silenced. Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and two walks.
But the Dodgers put up two runs in the sixth after Manaea gave up back-to-back walks to Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez to open the inning.
When Freddie Freeman’s ground ball toward second hit the mound, New York’s Jose Iglesias couldn’t field it cleanly and the Dodgers had the bases loaded.
Phil Manton came in for Manaea and gave up a single to Tommy Edman that scored Betts and Hernandez.
The Mets added another run in the top of the ninth. The Dodgers had two runners aboard in the bottom of the inning before Mets closing pitcher Edwin Diaz struck out the last three batters he faced.
The winner of the series will advance to the World Series against either the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians, who opened their American League Championship Series (ALCS) Monday.
The Yankees, owners of 27 World Series titles, are chasing their first appearance in a World Series since they beat the Philadelphia Phillies for the crown in 2009.
The Guardians are in the ALCS for the first time since 2016, when they reached the World Series but fell to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. Cleveland hasn’t won it all since 1948.