Heroes, zeros and the inside pitch from the Mets’ Game 3 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday:
Hero
Kiké Hernández, who hit .229 with a .654 OPS in the regular season, is Mr. October yet again.
His two-run homer against Reed Garrett in the sixth quieted most hopes of a Mets comeback, and his eighth-inning single provided another base runner ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s dinger.
Dodgers third baseman Kiké Hernandez celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning of the Mets’ 8-0 loss in Game 3 of the NLCS. Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesZero
Francisco Alvarez’s error led to the Dodgers’ first two (unearned) runs, and his offensive struggles continued most meaningfully with a bases-loaded strikeout in the second inning.
Unsung hero
Walker Buehler, who pitched to a 5.38 ERA in the regular season, was not overpowering but managed to hold the Mets scoreless for four innings.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler (21) throws in the second inning. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTFollow The Post’s coverage of the Mets’ playoff run:
- https://nypost.com/2024/10/15/sports/the-mets-fallback-options-with-crucial-kodai-senga-decision-looming/https://nypost.com/2024/10/16/sports/mets-let-home-crowd-down-with-nlcs-game-3-dud-vs-dodgers/https://nypost.com/2024/10/17/sports/mets-demolished-again-byas-playoff-magic-evaporates-to-put-season-on-the-brink/Was this the end of Pete Alonso’s Mets tenure?
- Vaccaro: This has to become the new standard for Mets
- Gutsy Mets lived on the edge too long
- Mets run out of playoff magic as Dodgers send them packing in crushing fashion
Stat: 8
Left on base by the Mets, who had their chances and whittled them all away.
Quote of the night
“As of right now, I’m going to continue to ride our guys. They got us here. They will continue to step up.”
— Carlos Mendoza, who could sit the likes of Francisco Alvarez, Jose Iglesias and J.D. Martinez and indicated he would not.
