Dodgers beat Mets to take 2-1 lead in NLCS

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a three-run shot in the top of the eighth inning of Game 3 of the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) National League Championship Series against the New York Mets on Wednesday to give the Dodgers a 7-0 lead. The Dodgers went on to win the game 8-0 and take a 2-1 series lead.

In the top of the eighth inning, with a 4-0 lead and runners on first and second, Ohtani, the team’s first designated hitter, hit a 143-miles-per-hour cut fastball from the Mets’ right-handed reliever Tyler Megill over the right-field fence for a 125-meter home run. The batter’s last homerun in this year’s postseason was seven games ago in Game 1 of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres on October 6. “The most important thing is that he’s built some confidence,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani’s three-run homer.

Game 4 between the two teams is scheduled for 9:08 a.m. on Friday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers and Jose Quintana of the Mets will start pitchers.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com