3 minute read
Francisco Lindor's grand slam home run was the difference as the New York Mets progressed to the NLCS for the first time since 2015.
Francisco Lindor's grand slam home run has shot the New York Mets into their first National League Championship Series since 2015.
They will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres, whose division series is tied at two games all.
The Dodgers kept their major league baseball season alive and forced the deciding game five when they mauled the Padres 8-0 in the last of Thursday's games (AEDT).
The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on the back of Giancarlo Stanton's home run to take a 2-1 lead in their American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Likewise, Detroit are one win away from the ALCS after they shut out the Cleveland Guardians for the second-straight game of their series.
The Tigers' bullpen was kept busy, with six pitchers used in the 3-0 win.
In New York, the Mets had left the bases loaded twice through five frustrating innings and trailed 1-0.
After Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman left the bases juiced again with one out in the sixth, Lindor launched his rightfield bomb off Carlos Estevez.
David Peterson, the Mets' third pitcher on Wednesday, earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Edwin Diaz notched the save by working around a pair of walks in the ninth and Hoffman was the losing pitcher.
Facing elimination from a third-straight division series, the Dodgers took the lead in the first inning at San Diego on a solo home run from Mookie Betts.
Willie Smith hit a two-run homer in the third and Gavin Lux added another solo shot in the seventh. The Dodgers also worked their bullpen, sending seven pitchers to the mound as Evan Phillips earned the win for his 1 1/3 innings.
The Dodgers will host the Padres on Friday to decide who plays the Mets.
In Kansas City, Stanton hit a 417-foot solo home run to break the eighth-inning deadlock, capping his outstanding game that featured three for five, two RBI and a stolen base.
It was Stanton's 12th post-season homer.
Royals left-hander Kris Bubic had not allowed a run in his previous three innings before Stanton's game-defining shot.
Yankees reliever Luke Weaver closed the game with the last five outs for the save, as Tommy Kahnle was credited the win for his 1 1/3 innings in relief. New York kept the Royals scoreless after the fifth inning.
Detroit shone at home, restricting Cleveland to six hits and two walks as Riley Greene, Mattt Vierling and Spencer Torkelson drove in a run apiece.
Reliever Brant Hurter picked up the win as the Tigers progressed to one win away from their first ALCS since 2013.
That's the longest championship series drought of the seven teams left in contention, with the two winners to meet in the World Series.