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LOS ANGELES — Moments after the Mets and Dodgers finished a second straight extra-inning game in this major-market, megawatt series, and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was done reviewing all the defining moves and moments, he took a brief moment to treasure the intensity, the drama and the quality. 

“It’s the big leagues, right? You appreciate that when you have so many superstars performing at their best,” he said. 

Then, when a writer mentioned that the Dodgers had four Hall of Famers in their lineup Tuesday, Mendoza responded sharply. 

“We’ve got a few here, too,” he shot back. “We know they’re good. But we’re not going to back down.”