Dodgers play in the World Series against the Yankees after defeating the Mets to close out the NLCS

LOS ANGELES – Tommy Edman and Will Smith sent Shohei Ohtani to his first World Series with a home run, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night.

The Dodgers captured their record-tying 25th NL pennant and first at home since 1988 when they defeated the Mets in seven games. They advanced to their 22nd World Series – the 13th in Los Angeles – and first since 2020, when they beat Tampa Bay during the pandemic-delayed season.

Next up for Ohtani and Co. is Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees, who are in the World Series for the 41st time and first in 15 years. Game 1 is Friday at Dodger Stadium and features Judge (58) and Ohtani (54) – MLB's leading home run hitters this season.

It will be the twelfth time the storied franchises have met in the World Series and the first in 43 years. The Yankees have beaten the Dodgers eight times, while the Dodgers won two championships against the Bronx Bombers in 1981 and 1955.

Ohtani, playing his first season with the Dodgers after agreeing to a record-breaking contract in free agency, had two hits and scored two runs in Game 6. He posted a .364 batting average with two home runs and six RBIs in the NLCS.

Not bad for his first postseason after spending six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the playoffs during his tenure.

Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen struck out Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso in the eighth in his first two-inning game since the 2021 NLCS.

The Dodgers briefly trailed 1-0 before cleanup hitter Edman came up big.

He drove in the Dodgers' first four runs and his 11 RBIs in the NLCS tied a franchise record set by Corey Seager against Atlanta in 2020. Edman was traded from St. Louis to the Dodgers at the July trade deadline.

The Dodgers eliminated the Mets on their second attempt in the series. They outscored New York 40-26 in the six games. None of the games were close, the Dodgers suffered two shutouts.

After a 22-33 start, the Mets were just two wins away from reaching the World Series.

The Dodgers led 2-1 in the first on Edman's double in the left corner off Sean Manaea, who scored Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, who each scored one hit. Hernández went 0-18 in the NLCS. Manaea needed 34 pitches to get through the first round.

Facing two hits in the third, Edman sent a 406-foot shot to left-center for a two-run drive. A walk to Max Muncy and two outs later, Smith hit a 416-foot home run off Phil Maton, extending the lead to 6-1.

The Mets cut their deficit to 6-3 in the fourth. With two outs, Vientos hit a two-run home run – his fifth of the postseason – off Ryan Brasier. Vientos' first career grand slam marked the Mets' series-tying victory in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.

New York twice failed to make money with the bases loaded. Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, Jesse Winker flied out Evan Phillips to end the inning. After a run in the third, the Mets loaded the bases against Anthony Banda, only for Jeff McNeil to retire with a swing strikeout.