Mets stay alive against Dodgers, Yankees put Guardians on the brink

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 centre field for his fourth homer this postseason.

Alonso, poised to become a prized free agent this fall, also connected on a go-ahead shot in the first inning 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.

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

Clase falters again, Yankees put Guardians on the brink

Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase gave up two runs in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees moved closer to another World Series, beating the Guardians 8-6 on Friday night 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 on an error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who booted Alex Verdugo’s grounder.

It was a messy ninth for Clase (0-2) as baseball’s best reliever all season faltered 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 a pair of two-run homers in their final two at-bats.

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.

The Guardians are facing elimination in the postseason for the second time. They rallied in the ALDS to get past Detroit and now will have to win three straight — two at Yankee Stadium — to have any chance of ending their 76-year World Series drought.

For the second straight night, New York’s bullpen nearly blew a late lead. The Guardians scored three runs in the seventh, one in the eighth and threatened in the ninth, putting two runners on base.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to Tommy Kahnle for the last three outs and the right-hander was able to put away Cleveland, something New York’s relievers couldn’t do Thursday.