NEW YORK – The New York Mets, 11 games under .500 in late May, turned their season around after adopting an against-the-world mentality.

The attitude was best summed up by designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who said the best way to silence the critics who didn’t believe in the Mets was to “let’s go (stink) together. Let’s go have fun (stink ).”

However, the Mets’ Cinderella run through the playoffs is now about to end thanks to the equally courageous Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers will try to capture the National League pennant and the Mets will try to avoid elimination Friday afternoon in Game 5 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

Right-hander Jack Flaherty (1-1, 2.92 ERA this postseason) is scheduled to play in Los Angeles against New York left-hander David Peterson (1-0, 2.08).

The Dodgers posted a 10-2 victory in Game 4 on Thursday night, as Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and Mookie Betts finished 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs.

The lopsided victory continued a brutal eight-day stretch for the Dodgers, who have reached the playoffs in each of the last 12 years but have won the World Series just once in that span — after the pandemic-shortened season 2020.

The Dodgers appeared to be on the brink of another early elimination as they fell behind the Padres 2–1 in a five-game NL Division Series. However, Los Angeles defeated San Diego 10-0 while winning its last two games.

The Dodgers have posted three losses to the Mets, whom they defeated 30-9 in the NLCS while taking a 3-1 lead. Los Angeles is hitting .259 to New York’s .212, and the Dodgers have drawn 31 walks to New York’s 17.

“I like the us-against-the-world battle that our guys have taken on,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that’s kind of ironic with the Dodgers, but I like it.”

The Mets may not be in an enviable position, but they have thrived in challenging situations all season. New York had the best record in the Majors after May 29 (67-40), clinched the playoffs in the penultimate game of the season and was two outs away from elimination in Game 3 of an NL wild-card series against the Milwaukee Brewers before Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer in a 4-3 victory.

Only eight teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in an LCS since the best-of-seven format was adopted in 1985. The last team to do this was the 2020 Dodgers, who toppled the Atlanta Braves.

“The only word I can think of (for) the 2024 Mets — other than Grimace — is resilience,” Alonso said, referring to the fast-food mascot whose first pitch at Citi Field coincided with the start of the summer surge in New York. . “That’s just who we are. We have fun, we enjoy the moment. But at the end of the day, we’re a resilient bunch and we respond in a very positive way.”

Flaherty got the win in Game 1 on Sunday, when he allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 9-0 victory. He is 2-4 with a 3.38 ERA in seven postseason games (six starts) dating back to 2019.

This will be the first playoff start for Peterson, who last pitched in Game 1, when he gave up three runs (two earned) in 2 1/3 innings. He is 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA and one save in six playoff games dating back to 2022.

Flaherty made his only regular season start against the Mets on June 13, 2019, when he was ruled out after allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings to the St. Louis Cardinals in their 5-4, 10- victory in an inning.

Peterson is 1-0 with a 5.74 ERA in four regular season games (three starts) against the Dodgers. He did not factor into the decision on May 29, after giving up three runs (two earned) over five innings in the Dodgers’ 10–3 win.

–Jerry Beach, field level media