Jisun Song
On October 15 (KST), the Los Angeles Dodgers faced off against the New York Mets in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) at Dodger Stadium. Due to a string of injuries to their starting pitchers, the Dodgers were forced to rely on a bullpen day, a strategy that had previously worked well for them. However, this time the results were less than ideal, as the Dodgers fell 7-3 to the Mets.
With several of their top starters, including Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and Bobby Miller, sidelined by injuries, the Dodgers had few reliable options to start. Currently, only Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, and Jack Flaherty remain as consistent starters. Consequently, a bullpen game became necessary. In a similar situation during Game 4 of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers successfully shut out the Padres 8-0 with a flawless bullpen performance, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
However, Game 2 of the NLCS against the Mets did not follow the same script. The Dodgers' pitching staff faltered early, and the offense couldn’t recover from the deficit, leading to a 7-3 loss. The series is now tied at 1-1, with Game 3 set to take place at Citi Field in New York, where the Mets will host three consecutive games starting on October 17.
The Dodgers began the game with opener Ryan Brasier, who quickly ran into trouble. In the first inning, Francisco Lindor launched a solo home run, giving the Mets an early 1-0 lead. Brasier finished his outing with 1 inning pitched and 1 run allowed, a sign that the Dodgers were in for a tough night. For the bullpen day to succeed, the team needed to take an early lead, but falling behind complicated their strategy and made it harder to deploy their best relievers later in the game.
Next up for the Dodgers was Landon Knack, who had seen time as a starter during the regular season. The plan was to use Brasier as the opener and Knack as the bulk pitcher, but Knack struggled to keep the Mets’ offense in check. In the second inning, he gave up five runs, allowing the game to slip away from the Dodgers.
Knack allowed a leadoff single to Starling Marte, followed by a walk to Jesse Winker. He managed to get José Iglesias to pop out to second base, but then surrendered a run-scoring double to Tyrone Taylor. After retiring Francisco Álvarez on a flyout, Knack intentionally walked Lindor to load the bases. At this point, it seemed like a good time for the Dodgers to make a pitching change, especially with Knack already showing signs of fatigue. However, the Dodgers' bench decided to stick with him, hoping he could get one more out to escape the inning with minimal damage.
This decision would prove costly. Instead of limiting the damage, Knack allowed the inning to unravel, giving up more runs and effectively sealing the game in the Mets' favor. By the time the Dodgers finally made a change, it was too late to salvage the inning, and they trailed by a significant margin.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later addressed the decision, explaining, “We felt Landon could get through the inning with one more out, but it just didn’t go our way. Sometimes, you make those decisions based on feel, and tonight it didn’t work out.”
Despite the early struggles on the mound, the Dodgers’ offense tried to rally, but it was too little, too late. The team couldn’t overcome the Mets' strong pitching and the early deficit, ultimately falling 7-3.
As the series shifts to New York for Games 3 through 5, the Dodgers will need to regroup and rely on their remaining healthy starters to regain control of the series. With the series tied 1-1, the next few games at Citi Field will be critical in determining which team advances to the World Series.
With several of their top starters, including Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and Bobby Miller, sidelined by injuries, the Dodgers had few reliable options to start. Currently, only Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, and Jack Flaherty remain as consistent starters. Consequently, a bullpen game became necessary. In a similar situation during Game 4 of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers successfully shut out the Padres 8-0 with a flawless bullpen performance, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
However, Game 2 of the NLCS against the Mets did not follow the same script. The Dodgers' pitching staff faltered early, and the offense couldn’t recover from the deficit, leading to a 7-3 loss. The series is now tied at 1-1, with Game 3 set to take place at Citi Field in New York, where the Mets will host three consecutive games starting on October 17.
The Dodgers began the game with opener Ryan Brasier, who quickly ran into trouble. In the first inning, Francisco Lindor launched a solo home run, giving the Mets an early 1-0 lead. Brasier finished his outing with 1 inning pitched and 1 run allowed, a sign that the Dodgers were in for a tough night. For the bullpen day to succeed, the team needed to take an early lead, but falling behind complicated their strategy and made it harder to deploy their best relievers later in the game.
Next up for the Dodgers was Landon Knack, who had seen time as a starter during the regular season. The plan was to use Brasier as the opener and Knack as the bulk pitcher, but Knack struggled to keep the Mets’ offense in check. In the second inning, he gave up five runs, allowing the game to slip away from the Dodgers.
Knack allowed a leadoff single to Starling Marte, followed by a walk to Jesse Winker. He managed to get José Iglesias to pop out to second base, but then surrendered a run-scoring double to Tyrone Taylor. After retiring Francisco Álvarez on a flyout, Knack intentionally walked Lindor to load the bases. At this point, it seemed like a good time for the Dodgers to make a pitching change, especially with Knack already showing signs of fatigue. However, the Dodgers' bench decided to stick with him, hoping he could get one more out to escape the inning with minimal damage.
This decision would prove costly. Instead of limiting the damage, Knack allowed the inning to unravel, giving up more runs and effectively sealing the game in the Mets' favor. By the time the Dodgers finally made a change, it was too late to salvage the inning, and they trailed by a significant margin.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later addressed the decision, explaining, “We felt Landon could get through the inning with one more out, but it just didn’t go our way. Sometimes, you make those decisions based on feel, and tonight it didn’t work out.”
Despite the early struggles on the mound, the Dodgers’ offense tried to rally, but it was too little, too late. The team couldn’t overcome the Mets' strong pitching and the early deficit, ultimately falling 7-3.
As the series shifts to New York for Games 3 through 5, the Dodgers will need to regroup and rely on their remaining healthy starters to regain control of the series. With the series tied 1-1, the next few games at Citi Field will be critical in determining which team advances to the World Series.
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