Pete Alonso, Mets rout Dodgers to stay alive, send NLCS back to L.A.

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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.

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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.

Alonso, poised to become a prized free agent this fall, also connected on a go-ahead shot with the Mets facing elimination in Game 3 of their Wild Card Series in Milwaukee. That one was more dramatic, coming with New York trailing 2-0 and down to its final two outs in the ninth.

But once again, Alonso went deep to help extend his tenure in a Mets uniform.

Flaherty allowed eight runs and eight hits in three innings. He failed to strike out a batter for the first time since a September 2022 game with St. Louis against Pittsburgh.

After striking out 12 times Thursday night, the Mets did not whiff once in Game 5.

Handed an 8-1 lead, New York starter David Peterson was unable to make it through the fourth.

Dodgers rookie Andy Pages homered twice and drove in four runs. Mookie Betts went deep for the second consecutive game, helping Los Angeles cut an eight-run deficit to 10-6.

But then relievers Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz settled things down, and the Mets put this one away. Stanek worked a career-high 2 1/3 innings for the victory, and Díaz got six outs without permitting a run.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: All-Star 1B Freddie Freeman returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursday with a badly sprained right ankle that’s caused him to miss two games this postseason. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said there wasn’t much temptation to rest Freeman against a left-hander again and give him a string of days off in a row. “I think the one day was good,” Roberts said before the game. “Yes, another day would probably have been better, certainly. But I just feel that I want to put our best lineup out there today. I want to win tonight.”

Mets: Jeff McNeil had two sacrifice flies in his first playoff start, replacing slumping Jose Iglesias at second base. McNeil was added to the roster for the NLCS — he had been sidelined since Sept. 6 by a broken right wrist — and was hitless in three pinch-hitting appearances before Friday.

UP NEXT

Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA) is 2-0 with 2.65 ERA in three playoff starts, including a Game 2 victory at Dodger Stadium.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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