LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers and Padres will play in Game 5 on Friday night to decide the National League Division Series, the third playoff meeting in five years between the two division rivals. Friday’s winner will play again on Sunday, hosting the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS.

The Mets defeated the Phillies on Wednesday in Game 4 of the NLDS at Citi Field thanks to MVP candidate Francisco Lindor hitting a grand slam. New York, which had to play a doubleheader on Monday, September 30, to close the regular season qualify for the playoffs and spent 16 days on the road before winning both home games this week.

In the three years of the current 12-team, three-game, wild-card postseason format, the sixth seed in the National League has advanced to the NLCS three times. The Padres beat the Mets and Dodgers in 2022, and the D-backs beat the Brewers and Dodgers in the first two rounds in 2023 before the Mets beat Milwaukee and Philadelphia this year.

As such, the Dodgers-Padres NLDS winner will have home field advantage in the National League Championship Series, which begins Sunday, at Dodger Stadium or Petco Park.

Game times have not yet been announced, but there will be two LCS games on Monday, October 14 and Thursday, October 17, with the possibility of two games on Friday, October 18 and Monday, October 21 should each series last longer.

The entirety of the NLCS will be broadcast on Fox Sports, with the combination of Fox and FS1 to be finalized once the full schedule is announced.