Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship
Francisco Lindor hit the go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning Wednesday for the Mets, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 to win their National League Division Series three games to one.
Lindor’s homer was just the latest dramatic moment for the surging Mets, who will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres in the NL Championship Series beginning Sunday on the road in a best-of-seven series.
Edwin Díaz struck out Kyle Schwarber with two runners aboard to end it as New York finished off the rival Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division Series, winning 3-1 to wrap up a postseason series at home for the first time in 24 years.
“I want to win it all – and ours will be a team that will forever be remembered,” Lindor said, speaking in the interview room with one of his young daughters on his lap drinking from a Gatorade bottle.
“This will be a team that comes every 10 years and eats for free everywhere they go – and I want to do that. But the job is not done.”
The Mets opened the season 0-5, were 11 games under .500 in early June and didn’t clinch the NL’s sixth seed until September 30.
The season-ending loss represents the latest October disappointment for the NL East-winning Phillies, who reached the World Series as the No. 6 seed in 2022 but lost in the NLCS last year before being eliminated in their first playoff series this year.
Meanwhile, Mookie Betts homered for the second straight night, Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI single and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday night to force a deciding Game 5 in their tense NL Division Series.
Will Smith and Gavin Lux each hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and now return home for the next matchup between the NL West rivals on Friday night.
The Padres won 10-2 at Dodger Stadium in Game 2 on Sunday night, when tempers flared on the field and in the stands .
The winner will have home-field advantage in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. (Reuters/AP)
