2024 National League Championship Series

2024 National League Championship Series
2024 National League Championship Series
Dates	October 13–21
Umpires	Jordan Baker, Marvin Hudson, Nic Lentz, Bill Miller (crew chief), Mike Muchlinski, David Rackley, Jeremie Rehak
Broadcast
Television	Fox (Games 1–2); FS1 (Games 2–4)
TV announcers	Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, and Tom Verducci
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Jon Sciambi and Doug Glanville
NLDS	New York Mets over Philadelphia Phillies (3–1); Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego Padres (3–2);

The 2024 National League Championship Series will be the best-of-seven playoff between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2024 World Series.

The series will begin on October 13 with a potential Game 7 scheduled for October 21. Fox and FS1 will televise the games in the U.S.^[1]^[2]

Background

The Los Angeles Dodgers qualified for the postseason as the National League West division winner and the league's top seed. They clinched a playoff berth for the 12th consecutive season, which remains the longest active playoff streak in major North American professional sports.^[3] The Dodgers clinched the National League West division for the third consecutive season and the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. In the Division Series, they defeated their intrastate division rival San Diego Padres in five games to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2021 and the seventh time in 12 years (2013, 2016–2018, 2020–2021, and 2024). Their series win against San Diego in the NLDS was the first time that a higher-seeded team won that round in the NL since the Dodgers and Braves both did on the same day in 2020. This is Los Angeles' 16th overall NLCS appearance, which leads the league.

The New York Mets qualified for the postseason as the sixth seed wild card entrant. They clinched a playoff berth for the second time in the past three seasons on September 30 via a first doubleheader victory against the Atlanta Braves to clinched the sixth seed via a doubleheader split on the same day. In the Wild Card Series, they defeated the National League Central champion and third-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in three games, highlighted by Pete Alonso's clutch go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth in a winner-take-all Game 3. In the Division Series, they defeated the National League East champion and second-seeded Philadelphia Phillies in four games, highlighted by Francisco Lindor's go-ahead grand slam in Game 4 in the sixth for the Mets to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2015 when they most recently won the pennant. The Mets are 64–37 since Grimace, a character from McDonaldland, threw out the first pitch on June 12, with the media, fans, and even the team using it as a rallying cry.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] This is the Mets' ninth appearance in the National League Championship Series. This is the third straight year that the sixth-seeded team advanced to the NLCS, with the 2022 Phillies and the 2023 Diamondbacks both accomplishing this feat and also the third straight year a sub 90–win team has made the NLCS. Additionally, with the New York Yankees having clinched an ALCS berth the night after, this is the farthest that both New York teams in Major League Baseball have gone in the postseason since 2000, which was when the Yankees beat the Mets in the World Series in five games.

This series will mark the fourth postseason meeting between the Dodgers and the Mets. This NLCS will mark a rematch of the 1988 NLCS, which the Dodgers won in seven games en route to their World Series title. The other previous postseason meetings were in the 2006 NLDS and most recently the 2015 NLDS, both of which the Mets won, sweeping the former series and winning the latter in five games. The Dodgers won the 2024 regular season series against the Mets, 4–2.

Summary

Series tied, 0–0.

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	October 13	New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium	5:15 pm PDT	-^[8]
2	October 14	New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium	1:08 pm PDT	-
3	October 16	Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets	Citi Field	8:08 pm EDT	-
4	October 17	Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets	Citi Field	8:08 pm EDT	-
5	October 18†	Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets	Citi Field	5:08 pm EDT	-
6	October 20†	New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium	8:08 pm EDT	-
7	October 21†	New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium	8:08 pm EDT	-

† If necessary

Game summaries

Game 1

October 13, 2024 5:15 pm (PDT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Los Angeles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Starting pitchers: NYM: Kodai Senga (0–0) LAD: Jack Flaherty (0–0) Boxscore

Game 2

October 14, 2024 1:08 pm (PDT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Los Angeles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Starting pitchers: NYM: Sean Manaea (0–0) LAD: TBD Boxscore

Game 3

October 16, 2024 8:08 pm (EDT) at Citi Field in Queens, New York
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
New York	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Starting pitchers: LAD: TBD NYM: TBD Boxscore

Game 4

October 17, 2024 8:08 pm (EDT) at Citi Field in Queens, New York
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Los Angeles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
New York	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Starting pitchers: LAD: TBD NYM: TBD Boxscore

References

^ Foster, Jason (August 1, 2024). "Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series". MLB.com. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
^ Snyder, Matt (August 1, 2024). "MLB releases 2024 playoffs schedule: Dates for every postseason series, plus why the World Series could move". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
^ Anderson, R.J.; Axisa, Mike (September 19, 2024). "Dodgers, Guardians clinch playoff berths: Both teams vying for best record in respective leagues". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ "Mets fans freak out as Grimace joins subway ride to Citi Field". NBC New York. October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
^ "Grimace arrives at Citi Field for Game 3 of the NLDS between Mets and Phillies". sny.tv. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
^ Post, J.J. (October 8, 2024). "Unconventional good luck charm Grimace arrives for Mets' NLDS game on custom train". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
^ Drellich, Evan. "How the Mets and McDonald's are capitalizing on the 'Grimace effect'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
^ "Mets at Dodgers Preview". MLB.com. October 13, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.

External links

Major League Baseball postseason schedule

[1] Foster, Jason (August 1, 2024). "Postseason schedule announced; flexible start date for World Series". MLB.com. Retrieved August 24, 2024.

[2] Snyder, Matt (August 1, 2024). "MLB releases 2024 playoffs schedule: Dates for every postseason series, plus why the World Series could move". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 24, 2024.

[3] Anderson, R.J.; Axisa, Mike (September 19, 2024). "Dodgers, Guardians clinch playoff berths: Both teams vying for best record in respective leagues". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 19, 2024.

[4] "Mets fans freak out as Grimace joins subway ride to Citi Field". NBC New York. October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.

[5] "Grimace arrives at Citi Field for Game 3 of the NLDS between Mets and Phillies". sny.tv. Retrieved October 10, 2024.

[6] Post, J.J. (October 8, 2024). "Unconventional good luck charm Grimace arrives for Mets' NLDS game on custom train". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 10, 2024.

[7] Drellich, Evan. "How the Mets and McDonald's are capitalizing on the 'Grimace effect'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2024.

[8] "Mets at Dodgers Preview". MLB.com. October 13, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.

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