Shohei Ohtani has launched a monster three-run homer for the Los Angeles Dodgers that punctuated their 8-0 win over the New York Mets in game three of baseball’s National League Championship Series.
Kike Hernandez also unleashed a two-run shot to make it 4-0 in the sixth inning and waved to the crowd at Citi Field in Queens that he had just quietened.
The Dodgers rebounded from a loss at home and grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by pitching their fourth shutout in the last five playoff games.
They also blanked the Mets 9-0 in game one.
Ohtani connected in the eighth, a 410-foot moon shot that soared into the second deck in right field and barely stayed fair above the foul pole.
Max Muncy heaped more misery on the Mets pitchers by going deep in the ninth for his 13th career post-season homer, tying Corey Seager and Justin Turner for the franchise record. Muncy also connected in game two.
A fired-up Walker Buehler struck out Mets star Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the third to leave the bases loaded. The Dodgers also had five stingy innings from their hard-throwing bullpen.
Buehler, who struck out six in his four innings, combined with four relievers on a four-hitter.
Game four is on Friday (AEDT), again in Queens, with $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to start for LA against veteran left-hander Jose Quintana.
The Cleveland Guardians badly need a win, also on Friday, when they host the New York Yankees in game three of the American League Championship Series.
The Yankees lead the ALCS 2-0. The two series are best-of-seven, with the winners meeting to decide the World Series champions.
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