The Mets joined the Cubs in the National League Championship Series after beating the Dodgers 3-2 in Game 5 of the NL Division Series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
The game was billed as a historic pitchers' duel between the Mets' Jacob deGrom and the Dodgers' Zack Greinke, but each starter had a rough first inning before settling down. Daniel Murphy then emerged as a Game 5 hero by clubbing a solo homer off Greinke in the sixth to give the Mets a lead that stood up.
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After Noah Syndergaard pitched a scoreless inning in his first career major league relief appearance, Mets closer Jeurys Familia shut down the Dodgers for the final six outs to preserve the club's first win in a series-deciding postseason game since Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.
Here are our five takeaways from Game 5:
1. If there was an MVP award for the series, it would go to Murphy. As if homering off Clayton Kershaw twice already wasn't enough, Murphy further proved his value by going deep off Greinke to put the Mets up for good Thursday. Involved in all three of the Mets' runs in Game 5 — scoring one, driving in the other two — Murphy finished the series batting .333 with three homers, five RBIs, five runs scored and a stolen base.
2. The Dodgers had their chances. DeGrom allowed just two runs in six innings, but it could have been a lot worse. The Dodgers were 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position for the night. Kike Hernandez left four runners on base, while Yasmani Grandal and Corey Seager each stranded three.
3. Murphy's heads-up baserunning kept the Mets alive. After advancing to second base on a Lucas Duda walk in the fourth, Murphy kept on running and stole third after noticing nobody was covering the bag because the LA infield had shifted for Duda. The clever play paid off as Murphy scored on a sacrifice fly by the next batter, Travis d'Arnaud, to tie the game 2-2.
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4. The Dodgers' postseason woes continue. Three straight NL West Division titles; three consecutive seasons losing in the NLDS. Despite a payroll north of $300 million, the Dodgers disappointed once again. Although Kershaw and Greinke carried LA to a 92-70 regular-season record, the team's stagnant play in September, its mediocre bullpen and the third-oldest lineup in the majors have us wondering if a roster revamp is in store. It will likely start with Greinke, who has can opt out of his six-year, $147 million contract this offseason.
5. The Mets were able to advance despite Matt Harvey only pitching once. A lot had been made in recent weeks about Harvey's rising innings count in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, but the Mets were able to advance while using Harvey for just five innings. With Syndergaard pitching on Thursday, Harvey will start Game 1 against the Cubs, thus bringing back the innings controversy should the Mets need him to take the hill for a second time in the series. They certainly have the depth to get by without him.
What's next: The Mets will host Game 1 of the best-of-seven NLCS against the Cubs on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, TBS). Left-hander Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Cubs, who went 7-0 against the Mets in the regular season and outscored New>