The Los Angeles Dodgers showcased their dominance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets with a resounding 10-2 victory. While Shohei Ohtani‘s leadoff laser beam, Mookie Betts’ four hits, and Tommy Edman’s unexpected performance as cleanup hitter were notable highlights, the real issue lies in how the Dodgers wear down opposing pitchers with their patient approach.
During the regular season, no National League team was better at taking balls and swinging at strikes than the Dodgers. Now, they have taken it to another level in a record-setting NLCS against the Mets. The team had a clear plan going into Thursday’s game: don’t give in to nibbling. They knew that Mets starter Jose Quintana would be precise around the strike zone, so they focused on not chasing his pitches.
The result was an impressive nine walks during the game, bringing their total to 31 walks so far in this series – a record for any stretch of four games in one postseason or multiple postseasons. This also marks a dubious record for the Mets as they issued 31 walks over four postseason games.
Furthermore, this is now the Dodgers’ fourth consecutive postseason game with at least seven walks – another record. Their disciplined approach paid off not only by tiring out Mets pitchers but also by scoring 12 runs from those free baserunners.
It comes as no surprise that no NL lineup walked more than the Dodgers during the regular season (602 times) while also showing discipline by chasing only 25.7 percent of pitches outside of their strike zone – tied with Milwaukee Brewers for best mark in the league.
On top of that, no NL pitching staff issued more walks during regular season than the Mets (586 runners on base). The combination of talent and patience throughout L.A.’s lineup makes them an incredibly formidable opponent.
As Game 4 demonstrated once again, every player on this deep Dodgers roster contributes to their success. With one more victory needed to secure a spot in World Series, it seems like they are finding their stride and bonding together as a team when it matters most.