Mets achieve rare MLB postseason feat in impressive NLCS Game 5 win over Dodgers

NEW YORK –The NLCS returns to Los Angeles. Friday night at Citi Field, the Mets extended its season with a victory in game five against the Dodgers (NY 12, LA 6). The Mets scored eight runs in the first three innings and mainly did a lot of bullpen work until the end. The Dodgers still lead the series 3-2, but the Mets are not going away quietly.

Remarkably, the Mets did not strike out once in Game 5. They scored 12 runs on 14 hits and five walks (and three hit batters) and sent 44 batters to the plate, but did not strike out. The Mets are the first team to not strike out in a playoff game since the Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series. The Halos sent 40 batters to the plate in that 11-10 victory over the Giants.

Game 5 was only the third playoff game in the expansion era (since 1961) in which a team did not strike out. Here is the list:

There were three no-outs in the 1960 World Series between the Yankees and Pirates, just to give you an idea of ​​how times have changed. Game 5 was the 11th game without a strikeout in postseason history.

The league average during the regular season was a strikeout in 22.4% of plate appearances this year, and it’s been hovering at that level for three years now. In the postseason, the strikeout rate has climbed to 23.4% as teams shorten their pitching staffs and use their best relievers. The Mets had a perfect average 22.4% strikeout rate in 2024.

Send 44 batters to the plate and you’d expect 10 strikeouts based on New York’s regular season average. Instead, they pulled no plugs. Jack Flaherty didn’t have much and long man Brent Honeywell isn’t a dud with a bat, which contributed to the Mets not striking out but giving hitters credit. They were relentless in a must-win match.

Game 6 will be played Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. A Dodgers victory sends them to the World Series. A Mets win gives us a Game 7 on Monday.