The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the National League Championship Series 2-1 against the New York Mets. Despite being shut out in Game 1, the Mets bounced back in Game 2 with early home runs from Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos to even the series. After a day off on Tuesday, the series resumed at Citi Field on Wednesday, where the Dodgers blanked the Mets to reclaim the lead.
The Mets eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series and the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series to get here. The Dodgers went through the Padres in the NLDS after receiving a bye in the first round as the NL’s top seed. The NLCS is a best-of-seven series and the winner advances to the World Series to face either the Yankees or Guardians.
Explore the full 2024 MLB playoff schedule. Here is the NLCS schedule for the Dodgers vs. Mets:
| Date | Start time/score | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Sun., Oct. 13 | LAD 9, NYM 0 | FOX, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 2 | Mon., Oct. 14 | NYM 7, LAD 3 | FOX, FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 3 | Weds., Oct. 16 | LAD 8, NYM 0 | FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 4 | Thurs., Oct. 17 | 8:08 p.m. ET | FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 5 | Fri., Oct. 18 | 5:08 p.m. ET | FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 6 (if necessary) | Sun., Oct. 20 | 8:08 p.m. ET | FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
| Game 7 (if necessary) | Mon., Oct. 21 | 8:08 p.m. ET | FOX, FS1, Fubo (Try for free) |
Where to watch Game 4
Date: Thursday, Oct. 17 | Time: 8:08 p.m. ET
Location: Citi Field (New York)
TV channel: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
Probable pitchers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) vs. LHP José Quintana (NYM)
Odds: LAD -135, NYM +115, O/U: 7.0
Here now is what you need to know about each team in the NLCS:
NLCS storylines
Mets: The Miracle Mets finally got a breather after a whirlwind two weeks leading up to the NLCS. They played a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta immediately after the regular season, staged a dramatic ninth-inning comeback in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, and pulled off another late rally in Game 4 of the NLDS to oust the Phillies. The Mets certainly earned their three-day break between the NLDS and NLCS. They’ve exuded major Team of Destiny vibes recently, though those can change quickly. New York boasts a deep and clutch lineup and a formidable veteran rotation. While the bullpen has been shaky at times, especially with closer Edwin Díaz showing signs of fatigue, the Mets have been baseball’s hottest team since early June.
Dodgers: The Dodgers have had their troubles in the early rounds of the playoffs in recent years, including a loss to the Padres in the NLDS in 2022. Los Angeles won 111 games that regular season. This time around, they had the best record in baseball with 98 wins and through the second inning in Game 3, it looked like the Padres were going to bury them again. Then they held the San Diego scoreless the rest of the series and advanced. The Dodgers bring to the NLCS a high-octane offense that ranked first in the NL in OPS and home runs and second in runs scored. They have the most prolific all-around offensive player in Shohei Ohtani in addition to fellow former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. The supporting cast is strong, led by Teoscar Hernández. The bullpen is extremely talented, as we saw in Games 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the NLDS. The question will be the rotation. It is still banged up and looks to have just three members in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler. Still, the Dodgers have battled injuries all season and have been among the best teams throughout.