San Diego, CA
Dodgers bats stay hot in another blowout win over Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS, LA leads 3-1.
Winning a baseball game in the playoffs is extremely difficult. Just ask the other 26 teams in Major League Baseball that are home watching the last four left standing.
But winning a baseball game in the playoffs without your all-star first baseman, starting second baseman, and shortstop, against the hottest pitcher in the postseason is even more difficult.
Mission Impossible?
Not for the arm-flailing, sunflower seed throwing, home run hitting Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts both homered in Game 4, and the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets in blowout fashion, 10-2, on Thursday night at Citi Field. Los Angeles leads the series 3-1, and are now one win away from reaching their first World Series since 2020.
“It feels good,” said Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts of being one win away from the Fall Classic. “I like the us-against-the-world attitude that our guys have taken on. I think that’s kind of ironic with the Dodgers, but I like that. But I’m very excited to be in this position and I just want to keep our guys hungry and focused and not let these guys back in the series.”
On paper, Game 4 looked like a mismatch for the Dodgers. No Freddie Freeman or Gavin Lux, instead they had Andy Pages, hitting .167 in center, Chris Taylor, who hadn’t recorded a hit this postseason at second, and Tommy Edman batting cleanup.
When was the last time you saw a 5’8”, 180-pound, shortstop in the four-hole?
But none of that mattered for the Dodgers on Thursday. It was simply business as usual.
“I feel proud that we can hang our hat on the fact that there’s never been an excuse all year for our club as far as winning the division and winning 11 games in October, “said Roberts. “To not have Freddie start a playoff game, there was still no excuse. We were expecting to win this game tonight. It’s that next-guy-up mentality. It’s the fight that I’ve seen in these guys.”
The business of baseball is one Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, knows well. He likes to construct his roster with as much versatility and flexibility as possible. He’s got more Swiss Army knives at his disposable than the entire population of Switzerland.
When the Dodgers were sputtering in mid-April, losers of seven of nine, Friedman called up Pages from Triple-A Oklahoma City to provide a spark. They went on to win their next six.
At the trade deadline he acquired Edman, a player he’d always coveted, despite the fact the utility player had not played a single game all season. Once he made his season debut on Aug. 19, the Dodgers went on to win 9 of their next 11.
Freidman didn’t even re-sign Kiké Hernandez until the final day of February, and he’s arguably been the Dodgers best player in the postseason.
“We’ve seen it a lot this year with the next-man-up mentality,” said Friedman of how his team has been able to step up this postseason despite all the injuries. “We saw it in the last round. We’ve had a lot of different things go on and guys have elevated their game and stepped up.”
All of them contributed to the victory in Game 4, but it was the Dodgers other two former MVPs that shouldered the load.
Betts and Ohtani combined to go 5-for-9 with two home runs, three walks, five RBI, and seven runs scored.
“We knew with Freddie [Freeman] being out we had to take care of business,” said Betts to MLB Network of the dynamic duo of he and Ohtani at the top of the lineup. “But it’s not just me and Sho, it’s the rest of the guys too. All of us have to step up.”
Mets’ starter Jose Quintana, who hadn’t allowed an earned run in six of his last seven starts, including back-to-back shutout appearances in the postseason, lasted just two pitches before he allowed an earned run in Game 4.
“They forced Quintana to come in on the strike zone,” said Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza of the Dodgers approach at the plate. “And when he did, they made him pay.”
Ohtani greeted Quintana with a leadoff homer into the Mets’ bullpen, his first hit of the postseason without a runner on base.
SHOHEI OHTANI LEADOFF TANK
WELCOME TO #NLCS GAME 4 pic.twitter.com/LrUwXWpqMo
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
“The focus has been pretty much the same regardless of the situation if there’s runners on or not,” said Ohtani through a translator. “I kind of stick to the same plan, the same approach.”
The Mets’ responded in the bottom half of the inning, when their hottest hitter, Mark Vientos, homered into the Dodgers bullpen to provide the punch back that New York needed.
MARK VIENTOS! WE ARE TIED! pic.twitter.com/t70FJvkwf9
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
Edman, who knocked in three runs total, put the Boys in Blue back in front with a two-out, RBI double in the top of the third. Hernández followed with an RBI single.
Tommy Edman delivers for the @Dodgers 😤 #NLCS pic.twitter.com/YiFKbZcvkv
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
“I haven’t hit cleanup a lot in my life, and to do that in this lineup is pretty crazy. I just did my job today, had some good at-bats, and had a couple opportunities to get some runners in, and I cashed them in,” said Edman.
After that it was all Betts ,as he brought home two with a double in the fourth, and belted his third home run of the postseason with a blast in the sixth that silenced the raucous and ruthless crowd.
MOOKIE BETTS!
HE’S 3-FOR-4 WITH 4 RBI TONIGHT! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/tzFS5KHPEz
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
“I felt pretty good,” said Betts of his performance at the plate in Game 4. “It’s good to feel good. It’s good to help the team. Pitching did amazing. It was fun.”
Max Muncy, who replaced Freeman at first base, remained locked in at the plate. He broke the single postseason record for reaching base safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances.
Max Muncy has now reached base in 12 straight plate appearances 😤
He’s tied with Reggie Jackson for the most consecutive #Postseason plate appearances reaching safely. pic.twitter.com/6zdDXRWuSz
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
“I wasn’t even aware of that stat,” said a surprised Muncy when told of his record. “The biggest thing to me is that it means I’m getting base for my teammates and giving them a chance to drive me in and creating traffic out there for the opposing team.”
The hero of Game 5 of the NLDS, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, delivered another solid performance, allowing just two runs on four hits, with one walk and eight strikeouts in four and one-third innings.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto closes out his night by striking out Francisco Lindor 😤 #NLCS pic.twitter.com/SWtecYh1Xh
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
For the second straight game, the Mets were haunted by missed opportunities. They nearly stranded the bases loaded in the third, but a manager’s challenge overturned an inning-ending double play. Instead they stranded runners at the corners.
The Mets again loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but were incapable of scratching a run across against the Dodgers bullpen. In total, the Mets were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
“They have executed and we haven’t,” said Mets’ MVP Francisco Lindor of their struggled with runners in scoring position. “I came up with bases loaded and didn’t come through. Today we had people on base multiple times and we didn’t come through. You have to execute with people on base.”
The Mets inability to get the big hit when they needed turned the boisterous sellout crowd of 43,882 into a venomous viper pit. They turned on their team, grunting, groaning, booing, and moaning until they headed for the exits in the bottom of the seventh inning.
After dispatching of the pesky Padres in the NLDS, the Dodgers appear to be firing on all cylinders in the NLCS. That bodes well for Game 5, so does the fact that right-hander Jack Flaherty, who threw seven shutout innings in Game 1, is expected to start on Friday.
“I think that Padres series was good for us,” said Chris Taylor. “It woke us up and got us in the right mindset right away. I really think this team has found another gear in the postseason and we’re showing it. We’re hungry.”
The Dodgers have now won five straight games at Citi Field dating back to the regular season. They need just one more win here to advance to their fourth World Series in eight years. But as the Dodgers know well, the potential clinching one is always the most difficult.
A suspect was arrested this week in connection with the slaying of an 18-year-old Navy man who was gunned down last summer near Petco Park.
Ta’Kari Terell Benness, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on suspicion of fatally shooting Albert Soto of Queens, New York, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Two young men died in two separate shootings over the holiday weekend. One relates to a series of shootings in Chicano Park. The other death is a Navy Sailor. NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry has the details.
Patrol officers responding to reports of gunfire found Soto mortally wounded at the intersection of F Street and Ninth Avenue shortly before 1 a.m. Aug. 31, SDPD Lt. Lou Maggi said.
The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.
An 18-year-old servicemember was killed and four people wanted in connection with his death are on the run. NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry reports.
On the night of his death, Soto and some friends of his got into a confrontation with four men inside a downtown San Diego nightclub, according to police. The groups eventually left the venue via separate exits, but continued arguing outside intermittently for about a half-hour, until the fatal gunfire erupted.
The shooter and his cohorts then ran off, Maggi said.
Operations Specialist Seaman Apprentice Soto, a New York native who was assigned to USS Pinckney at Naval Base San Diego, had reported to San Diego for military service in April, six months after enlisting, according to the Navy.
(NEXSTAR) – Universal Orlando announced on Thursday that Epic Universe, its newest theme park, will officially open on May 22, 2025.
The theme park will feature more than 50 attractions, as well as entertainment, dining and shopping options across five “expansive worlds,” Universal Orlando Resort said in a news release.
Celestial Park, which is the theme park’s main “world,” will feature gardens and fountains. From the central park, guests will travel through “portals” to each of the other four worlds: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic; Super Nintendo World; How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk; and Dark Universe.
“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe next year,” said Karen Irwin, President and COO of Universal Orlando Resort. “With the addition of this spectacular new theme park, our guests will embark on an unforgettable vacation experience with a week’s worth of thrills that will be nothing short of epic! Our Universe will never be the same.”
Universal Orlando also announced ticket packages and multi-day tickets will go on sale Oct. 22. Additional tickets will go on sale at a later date. Reservations for Universal Helios Grand Hotel will also open on Oct. 22 for stays beginning May 22, 2025.
Earlier this year, Universal Orlando unveiled more details about the theme park’s separate lands.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic will be the latest addition to Universal’s Harry Potter-themed lands, after those at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. This newest “world” will feature a “different era of the wizarding world in an all-new land that blends 1920s wizarding Paris from Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films with the iconic British Ministry of Magic from the ‘Harry Potter’ series,” Universal Orlando said in a news release.
Super Nintendo World, meanwhile, will offer guests the chance to travel through a green pipe to join the world of Mario and Luigi. How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, which is based on the “How to Train Your Dragon” film franchise, will house several rides, including one promising to give visitors a “dragon’s eye view” of the area. And the Dark Universe world will feature “the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein to the shadowy landscape where monsters roam in a world of myth and mystery,” Universal Orlando said in a news release.
Celestial Park, the main hub, won’t be without its own attractions, either. Some of the attractions include a grand carousel and the Starfall Racers dual-launch racing coaster, with a top speed of 62 mph along 5,000 feet of track.
An East County city could soon become the new hotspot for nightlife. After banning new bars for decades in downtown El Cajon, city leaders are considering changing zoning laws that could help transform it into an entertainment district.
That’s because while the seasonal Wednesday car show and other events get people revved up to come to downtown El Cajon, when they roll out for the night, residents say downtown is: “D-E-A-D,” said one resident who frequents the area.
Michelle Metschel is among the city councilmembers looking to make El Cajon lit again.
“We used to have clubs and go from one club to the next, it was fun,” said Councilmember Metschel. “We have nothing for 21-41-year-olds and I’d like to bring some of that excitement back.”
Restaurants and brewpubs like Creative Creature have been replaced. Signs of restaurants to come or vacant storefronts now dot Main Street.
Metschel lamented the limited possibilities last Friday night after leaving an event with her husband.
“There wasn’t any place for us to go and listen to music, have a cocktail or two, so it’s disappointing. We went home, changed clothes and watched Netflix,” said Metschel.
New bars have effectively been banned from opening in downtown El Cajon for nearly 30 years, because things had gotten too rowdy.
Zoning laws now require all new bars to be one thousand feet from an existing bar. La Fiesta is one of only two on Main Street.
Residents like Paloma Cortez and her kids say they look for nightlife in other cities.
“El Cajon is a place for old people, because we don’t have no place for fun. When they want something fun, they go to Tijuana or San Diego,” Cortez said.
During a recent city council meeting, members gave the green light to consider easing alcohol zoning restrictions and creating an entertainment district with more bars and restaurants.
Now it’s up to the planning commission to draft recommendations to give to the council.
While she waits, Metschel’s been polling people on the street and has a few of her own suggestions.
“I’m putting a challenge out there, Sam the Cooking Guy. You know you want to put a little taco place out here, maybe a tiny comedy club.”
Councilmember Phil Ortiz said the City of El Cajon has methods of regulating and policing the bars to make sure things won’t get out of hand again.
Although councilmembers agree on the idea of relaxing laws to bring more businesses downtown, it’s still months away from happening.
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