The Dodgers announced Valenzuela died in a Los Angeles hospital but gave no details. Valenzuela, who won one Cy Young Award and finished in the top five in voting three other times, had been a Spanish-language announcer on Dodgers games for more than two decades before leaving the booth earlier this month "to focus on his health."

Valenzuela pitched for the Dodgers from 1980-90, then had stints with the then-California Angels (1991), Baltimore Orioles (1993), Philadelphia Phillies (1994), San Diego Padres (1995-97) and St. Louis Cardinals (1997). He finished with a 173-153 record, a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts in 2,930 innings over 453 games (424 starts).

"On behalf of the Dodger organization, we profoundly mourn the passing of Fernando," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said in a statement. "He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes. He galvanized the fan base with the Fernandomania season of 1981 and has remained close to our hearts ever since, not only as a player but also as a broadcaster. He has left us all too soon. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Linda and his family."

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, "Fernando Valenzuela was one of the most impactful players of his generation. ... Following his memorable career, Fernando was an outstanding ambassador for baseball. He consistently supported the growth of the game through the World Baseball Classic and at MLB events across his home country. ...

"Fernando will always remain a beloved figure in Dodger history and a special source of pride for the millions of Latino fans he inspired."

A portly Mexican-born left-hander with a funky pitching delivery, Valenzuela became a celebrity on both sides of the United States-Mexico border in 1981. He drew the Opening Day start and fired a shutout against the Houston Astros.

By mid-May, Valenzuela was 8-0 with a 0.50 ERA, five shutouts and eight complete games through eight starts. He ended the year 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and eight shutouts in 25 starts, and he became the first -- and still only -- pitcher ever to win the Rookie of Year and Cy Young awards in the same season.

Valenzuela's appearances drew huge crowds around the majors as fans flocked to see him.

Capping off a magical season, Valenzuela went 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in five postseason starts, leading the Dodgers to a World Series championship.

He was an All-Star in each of his first six full major league seasons, and he threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 29, 1990.

Manfred announced that MLB would honor Valenzuela's memory during the World Series, which starts Friday when the Dodgers host the New York Yankees -- a rematch of the 1981 Series in which Valenzuela starred.

He will match up against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole -- both of them former Los Angeles-area high school stars.

The Dodgers will go with right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 on Saturday. According to manager Dave Roberts, right-hander Walker Buehler also will draw a start for Los Angeles, in either Game 3 or Game 4 at New York, with the other of those two contests becoming a bullpen game for the Dodgers.

Flaherty, 29, gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks in three innings during a loss to the New York Mets in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday. In his prior two playoff starts this year, he yielded four runs in 5 1/3 innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NL Division Series, then tossed seven shutout innings for a victory in Game 1 of the NLCS.

"Jack's been really good for us, that last start withstanding," Roberts said Tuesday.

The manager added about Flaherty and Yamamoto, "I think if you're looking at kind of both those pitchers and what the potential World Series could look like, just giving both those guys the best opportunity to participate, to pitch, and put them in the best spots possible, as far as days of rest and things like that."

Flaherty was acquired by the Dodgers in a July trade with the Detroit Tigers. He went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for Los Angeles, capping a year in which he finished 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts.

Yamamoto is 1-0 with a 5.11 ERA in three playoff starts. He didn't pitch beyond five innings in any of those outings, and five innings was also his maximum in four September starts after he returned from a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for three months.

Buehler is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA through two postseason starts. He gave up six runs in five innings during a Game 3 loss to the Padres in the NLDS, then blanked the Mets for four innings in Game 3 of the NLCS.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been slowed in the postseason by a right ankle sprain that kept him out of two games, plans to be in the lineup for the World Series opener. He is batting .219 with no homers and one RBI through eight playoff games.

"I don't think there's any question on anybody's mind that I won't be in the lineup for Game 1," Freeman said Tuesday.

The two sister networks are averaging 4,728,000 viewers per game, up 33 percent from this point last year and their best MLB postseason since 2017.

They averaged 5,627,000 viewers for the National League Championship Series between the victorious Dodgers and the New York Mets, which went six games. That's a 20 percent boost from the 2023 NLCS (Phillies-Diamondbacks) and 21 percent better than in 2022 (Phillies-Padres).

That also marks the best ratings for an NLCS since 2019, when the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals averaged 5,834,000 on Fox/FS1.

The Dodgers' clinching Game 6 on Sunday drew 6.27 million viewers to FS1 -- the third-largest TV audience of this postseason. The Dodgers-Mets Game 1 attracted 8.26 million, and Dodgers-Padres Game 5 of the NLDS drew 7.34 million.

The entire MLB postseason -- including the wild-card round, the league division series and the LCS -- is up 5 percent across all viewing platforms compared to this point last season. The NLCS and ALCS (five games), shown on Fox, FS1, TBS and truTV, averaged 5.32 million viewers, a 2 percent increase from 2023, which featured two seven-game series.

On the American League side, the TBS family of networks showed the ALCS between the triumphant Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, as well as the ALDS between the Yankees and Kansas City Royals. Those ratings were up 9 percent over the same rounds in 2023.

Perezchica was the Diamondbacks' third-base coach for eight seasons under manager Torey Lovullo, while also serving as the club's infield instructor.

Before joining the coaching staff, he served served in Arizona's organization for 14 seasons in various roles.

Perezchica, 58, played in 69 major league games over four seasons for the San Francisco Giants (1988, 1990-91) and Cleveland Indians (1991-92). He was a .228 hitter with five RBI over 101 at-bats.

MLB had recommending changing the grass field at Sacramento's Triple-A ballpark to an artificial one since it will get use nearly every day by the A's, as well as the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate.

Also of concern are temperatures that consistently soar over 100 degrees in the summer.

But the grass field will remain after a review by the MLB players' union.

"In light of the players' clear preference for natural grass, and after weighing with the MLBPA the potential risks and benefits of maintaining natural grass versus replacing the playing surface with synthetic turf, all the parties are aligned in moving forward with a natural grass field for Opening Day 2025," an MLB spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.

Also expected for the Sacramento ballpark in 2025 are expanded dugouts, renovated bullpens and an upgrade in the batter's eye beyond the center field wall, according to the report.

The A's could be in Sacramento for as many as three seasons in advance of what is expected to be a move to Las Vegas in 2028.

The Sacramento stadium opened in 2000 and has a capacity of 14,014, which includes seating on the grass berm beyond the right-field wall. The A's were the only major league club to draw under 1 million fans in 2024 and had an average of 11,386 per game.

The team revealed that more coaching staff additions on manager Oliver Marmol's staff will be made as the offseason progresses.

The Cardinals are coming off a season when they went 83-79 to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. They finished tied for second in the National League Central but were six games off the pace in the wild-card chase.

The club also revealed that Willie McGee will transition from a major league coach to a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.

According to The Athletic, first-base coach Stubby Clapp and third-base coach Ron Warner are set to return in 2025.

Brown, 53, was the bench coach for the Seattle Mariners last season after serving as the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins in 2023.

Jay, 39, played six of his 12 major league seasons with the Cardinals and was a career .283 hitter with 37 home runs and 341 RBIs in 1,201 games for seven different clubs from 2010-21. Jay was the first-base coach for the Marlins the past two seasons.

Borgschulte, 33, spent the past three seasons as a co-hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles.

He previously spent three seasons as a hitting coach in the Twins organization at Triple-A St. Paul (2021), High-A Fort Myers (2019) and the Gulf Coastal League (2018).

In 2024, Borgschulte helped Baltimore finish second in the majors in home runs (235), third in slugging percentage (.435), extra-base hits (530) and total bases (2,424), and fourth in runs scored (786).

The Twins parted ways with hitting coaches Rudy Hernandez and David Popkins and assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon earlier this month following the team's late-season hitting slump.

Minnesota (82-80) had the second-worst batting average in the majors in September at .218 (Kansas City Royals, .203).

The surgery was performed by Dr. Wouter Schievink on Oct. 11 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Blackburn, 30, landed on the 15-day injured list with a bruised hand on Aug. 25. The Mets shut him down in mid-September after the leak was discovered. At the time, the team said it didn't believe it to be a long-term problem.

The Mets acquired Blackburn from the Oakland A's at the trade deadline. He posted a 4-2 record with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts this season with Oakland before going 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA in five starts with New York.

Blackburn is 22-28 with a 4.85 ERA in 86 career games (82 starts) for the A's and Mets.

Ohtani and the Dodgers are the favorites to claim the 2024 World Series and the likely National League MVP is driving many of those opinions.

"I really feel like we finally arrived, I finally arrived at this stage," Ohtani said as the Dodgers stomped past the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series. "A lot of the games we played were really tough and hard to win. And it was truly a team effort to get here."

Team effort, sure. But at the top of the lineup and the No. 1 reason the Dodgers are on the doorstep of the title is No. 17.

Here are the 17 most telling numbers behind the success of Ohtani and the Dodgers courtesy of Inside Edge:

Ohtani ...

--Has an OPS of 1.130 against RHP since last season -- best in MLB

--Had an OPS of 1.915 when ahead in the count in the 2024 season -- best in NL

--Had an OBP of .390 during the 2024 season -- best in NL

--Is batting .490 in hitter's counts since the 2022 season -- best in MLB

--Has an OBP of .436 when facing the starting pitcher for the 3rd time in a game since the 2022 season -- tied for best in MLB

--Is slugging .727 on breaking pitches against RHP since the 2022 season -- best in MLB

--Is slugging .982 over the last 14 days of the regular season -- best in MLB

--Is slugging .752 when facing the starting pitcher for the 3rd time in a game since the 2022 season -- best in MLB

--Is slugging .759 with two-strikes over the last 14 days of the regular season -- best in MLB

--Had an OPS of .985 on the road during the 2024 season -- best in NL

--Slugged .719 on non-fastballs during the 2024 season -- best in MLB

--Slugged .654 with bases empty in the 2024 season -- best in MLB

--Had an OPS of 1.722 in innings 7-9 over the last 14 days of the regular season -- best in MLB

--Has an OPS of 1.065 at home since last season -- second in MLB

--Has an OPS of 1.050 since last season -- second in MLB

--Is slugging .643 with runners on base since the 2022 season -- second in MLB

--Slugged .935 in non-two strike counts in 2024 -- second in MLB

Cortes has not pitched in the postseason because of an elbow flexor strain, last taking the mound Sept. 18 in the regular season when he pitched six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees have not finalized their World Series rotation, but Gerrit Cole is expected to start in Game 1. The Southern California native was 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 regular-season starts and gave up one run over six innings to earn a win at Los Angeles in 2023.

Cortes threw a live batting practice session and will have another one this week before the club leaves to the West Coast.

"He is scheduled to throw another live (Tuesday)," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "So if everything goes well there, I would say there is a decent chance that he could be on the roster, yes."

Cortes, 29, went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) this season, while showing flashes of the form that carried him to a 12-4 record with a 2.44 ERA in 2022, when he finished eighth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

The Cuba native has two appearances against the Dodgers, including one this season when he gave up four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings while taking the loss in a 11-3 Yankees defeat on June 8 at home.

In three career postseason starts, all in the 2022 playoffs, Cortes is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA and seven strikeouts and seven walks in 12 innings.

With Sunday night's 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, Los Angeles punched its ticket to the Fall Classic for the fourth time in eight years.

And even though the Dodgers have just one title during that dominant run, sportsbooks are more than happy to side with them as they prepare to face the Yankees. New York hasn't been in the World Series since 2009.

BetMGM has Los Angeles as a -135 favorite to go all the way, with FanDuel (-128) and DraftKings (-120) also under the impression that the Yankees will have to wait a little bit longer for their 28th championship.

Fans should be expecting a competitive series, as all three sportsbooks have over 5.5 games being played listed at -200. Odds for a Game 7 are +190 at DraftKings and FanDuel, while BetMGM has over 6.5 games being played at +200.

The Yankees will be trying to avoid the same fate as the crosstown rival Mets after getting by the Guardians rather handedly in the American League Championship Series. Cleveland kept each game close, but New York took the series 4-1.

Game 1 of the Fall Classic is scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles.

BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings are all expecting the Yankees to cover their +1.5 spread, putting New York at -225, -205 and -192, respectively. The Dodgers are, however, the favorites on the moneyline (-135 at BetMGM and DraftKings, -130 at FanDuel).

Will Smith added a two-run home run as the Dodgers earned a matchup with the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic, which begins on Friday in Los Angeles. It will be the Dodgers' fourth World Series appearance in the past eight seasons.

In a bullpen game, seven Dodgers pitchers gave up 11 hits and struck out nine. Ben Casparius (1-0) went 1 1/3 innings to earn the win, and Blake Treinen pitched the final two innings for his third save of the playoffs.

Edman had 11 RBIs in six games against the Mets to tie Corey Seager's franchise record for RBIs in a single NLCS, a mark set in 2020.

Mark Vientos hit a two-run home run for the Mets, while Sean Manaea (2-1) gave up five runs on six hits over two-plus innings. The Mets fell two victories short of a Subway Series after securing a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season and getting past the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs.

The Mets had an early 1-0 lead after Pete Alonso hit a blooper over the mound for a run-scoring infield single in the first inning.

The Dodgers responded in their half of the first when Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez singled before Edman doubled them home for a 2-1 lead.

Los Angeles made it 6-1 in the third inning when Edman hit a two-run home run off Manaea and Smith hit a two-run shot off Phil Maton.

The Mets got within 6-3 in the fourth inning when Vientos greeted right-hander Ryan Brasier with a two-run home run for his fifth long ball of the postseason.

Los Angeles added a run in the sixth inning on Ohtani's RBI bloop single to center field. The Mets got the run back on a sacrifice fly from Francisco Alvarez. The Dodgers poured it on in the eighth inning with an RBI double from Mookie Betts, a sacrifice fly from Hernandez and an RBI single from Enrique Hernandez.

Jeff McNeil had a run-scoring single in the ninth inning for the Mets.

New York had its chances but left the bases loaded in the third inning, when McNeil struck out, and in the sixth, when Jesse Winker hit a lazy flyout to left. The visitors left 13 runners on base in the game and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth inning for the Yankees, who won Game 5 of the American League Championship Series after trailing through the first five innings and never taking the lead until Soto's heroics. Soto had three hits while teammate Gleyber Torres had two.

In the 10th, Soto hit four consecutive foul balls against Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis (1-1) before smashing a 1-2 fastball over the wall in right-center field. It was his second home run in two games and third of the series.

Stanton hit home runs in three consecutive games and had four in the series. Four New York relievers held Cleveland scoreless over the final 5 1/3 innings with Luke Weaver (1-0) pitching the last two innings to earn the win.

Bo Naylor doubled home brother Josh Naylor to give the Guardians a lead in the second inning, and Steven Kwan added an RBI single in the fifth. Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee held New York scoreless until Stanton hit his two-run homer with two outs in the sixth.

Torres led off the game with a single but was thrown out at home trying to score from first on a Soto double.

Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Josh Naylor singled with one out and scored on Bo Naylor's two-out double that came on the 10th pitch of the at-bat against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon.

It was the first time a brother drove in a brother in a postseason game since the 2001 AL Division Series when the Oakland Athletics' Jeremy Giambi brought home Jason Giambi.

The Guardians got to Rodon again in the fifth inning for a 2-0 lead when Kwan's two-out single knocked in Andres Gimenez, who had doubled.

The Yankees opened the sixth with singles from Torres and Soto before Aaron Judge grounded into a double play. Stanton followed by working the count full before crushing a game-tying home run to left center with a 117.5 mph exit velocity.

After Weaver pitched a perfect ninth inning, he worked around Kyle Manzardo's one-out single in the 10th, getting Jose Ramirez to line out to center and getting Lane Thomas to fly out to Soto in right field to end the game.

The Rays are expected to need a venue for home games, at least for the early part of the 2025 schedule, after Hurricane Milton destroyed the Teflon roof of their home stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Oct. 9.

Montreal was speculated as a potential site of games after the Rays floated a plan in recent years to play some of their home games in the city's Olympic Stadium, which was previously the home of the Montreal Expos. But the venue will not be in operation for three years as its previously retractable roof is repaired.

Durham Bulls Athletic Park is the current home to the Rays' Triple-A affiliate but will not be able to host the Rays due to scheduling and logistical challenges.

The Rays' current stadium opened in 1990 and has been the team's home since the franchise played its first game in 1998.

The club is planning to move to a $1.3 billion ballpark on the same site, but it won't be built before 2028.

Alternative options for the Rays if they are displaced for the early part of the 2025 season could include several spring training venues: St. Petersburg's Al Lang Stadium, Clearwater's BayCare Ballpark, Dunedin's TD Ballpark and Tampa's Steinbrenner Field.

Other options included sharing the home ballparks of the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves, while the Oakland Coliseum also could be in consideration after the Athletics departed the ballpark at the end of this past season.

Cleveland almost did, though. It managed to crawl out of a four-run hole that it had fallen into in the sixth inning, drawing even at 6 when Game 3 hero David Fry singled home a run in the home half of the eighth.

But this time there would be no fairy-tale ending for the Guardians, who saw New York strike for a pair of runs in the top of the ninth before silencing Cleveland in the bottom of the frame for an 8-6 win and a 3-1 edge in the ALCS.

The Yankees' resiliency on Friday also caught the eye of bookmakers, with BetMGM now listing New York as a -105 favorite to win the World Series. The Yankees had entered the day at +145, good for the second-shortest odds behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (-135).

Los Angeles moved to +110 after getting roughed up by the Mets on Friday, 12-6, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Still, the Dodgers hold a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven set, which is headed back out to the West Coast for Game 6 on Sunday.

BetMGM believes there isn't much hope for the Guardians, who are +1000 underdogs in the ALCS and sit at +2500 in the World Series race.

The Mets are +400 to complete a comeback in the NLCS, with their championship odds at +900.

Should the Yankees defeat Cleveland in Game 5 on Saturday, they would be headed to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto and Austin Wells hit home runs for the Yankees, who had to deal with another Guardians comeback in the late innings but avenged their heartbreaking Game 3 defeat.

After he was added to the Yankees' ALCS roster on Friday as an injury replacement, right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. (1-0) allowed a run in the eighth as Cleveland tied the score at 6-all. But he still earned the win, and Tommy Kahnle logged a scoreless ninth for his first save of the postseason.

Josh Naylor had two hits and three RBIs while Jose Ramirez had two hits and two RBIs for the Guardians, who lost for the seventh time in 10 games against New York during the regular season and the playoffs.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase (0-2), who had 47 saves in the regular season, gave up both Yankees runs in the ninth inning on three hits and one walk to absorb the loss.

Game 5 is set for Saturday in Cleveland.

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead six pitches into the game when Torres singled on Gavin Williams' first pitch of the game and Soto followed with a home run to center. It was Soto's second homer of the playoffs.

The Guardians answered quickly, as Steven Kwan led off the bottom of the first with a walk and later scored on a Ramirez sacrifice fly.

New York took a 3-1 lead in the second inning on Wells' solo home run before Cleveland got the run back in the third on an RBI single from Naylor.

The Yankees took a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning when Soto walked, Aaron Judge singled and Stanton blasted a three-run home run to left-center field off Cade Smith. It was Stanton's second home run in two games, his third of the ALCS and fourth of the postseason.

The Guardians pulled within a run at 6-5 in the seventh inning on Ramirez's one-out RBI double and Naylor's two-run double.

Cleveland tied the game at 6 in the ninth inning when David Fry hit a comebacker to Leiter, who knocked the ball down and chased it into foul territory, then flipped it to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who was unable to handle the throw, allowing Bo Naylor to score.

In the Yankees' half of the ninth inning, Rizzo and Anthony Volpe singled. Verdugo's roller to shortstop was bobbled by Brayan Rocchio for an error and a 7-6 lead. Torres followed with an RBI single.

The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series three games to two. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday night in Los Angeles.

Alonso's homer off Jack Flaherty (1-2) provided a much-needed first punch for the Mets, who lost 10-2 in Game 4 Thursday night and were outscored 30-9 in the first four games of the series.

New York appeared on its way to an easy win when it extended its lead to 8-1 in the third, when Starling Marte (two-RBI double), Francisco Alvarez (single), Francisco Lindor (triple) and Brandon Nimmo (single) drove in runs.

But the Dodgers inched back against starter David Peterson and relievers Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek (1-0). Rookie center fielder Andy Pages hit the first of his two homers, a solo shot, in the fourth before Jesse Winker laced an RBI triple and scored on Jeff McNeil's sacrifice fly in the bottom half to put the Mets up 10-2.

Pages hit a three-run homer in the fifth and Mookie Betts led off the sixth with a round-tripper before Stanek and Edwin Diaz finally cooled off the Dodgers by retiring 12 of the final 13 batters. Diaz got the last six outs in a non-save situation.

Stanek earned the win after tossing 2 1/3 innings -- his longest outing in 430 big-league appearances, counting the playoffs.

The Mets added insurance on another sacrifice fly by McNeil in the sixth and an RBI single by Marte in the eighth. Marte tied a postseason franchise record with four hits.

Peterson, making his first start since Sept. 29, allowed two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three over 3 2/3 innings.

Flaherty gave up eight runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out none over three innings.

Leiter will take the bullpen spot of right-hander Ian Hamilton, who came away with a left calf injury in Game 3 against the Cleveland Guardians. Hamilton will miss the ALCS and is not eligible to return on a potential World Series roster.

Leiter, 33, was 2-1 with a 4.98 ERA in 21 relief appearances for the Yankees after he was acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. He was a combined 4-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 60 relief appearances for both teams this season.

Leiter, whose father Mark Leiter and uncle Al Leiter were longtime major league pitchers, has never appeared in a playoff game over five seasons. He is 10-22 with a 4.56 ERA and seven saves in 211 career appearances (15 starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies (2017-18), Toronto Blue Jays (2018), Cubs (2022-24) and Yankees.

Hamilton, 29, was 0-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 35 relief appearances this season. He is 4-5 with a 3.34 ERA and three saves in 89 career appearances (three starts) over five seasons for the Chicago White Sox (2018, 2020), Minnesota Twins (2022) and Yankees (2023-24).

Hamilton was injured covering first base in the sixth inning during the Yankees' dramatic 7-5 loss to the Guardians on Thursday.

The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and will attempt to clinch the pennant and a trip to the World Series on Friday afternoon, when the teams are scheduled to play Game 5 in New York.

The Mets, who will be playing an elimination game for the second time this month, have been outscored 30-9 in the NLCS.

The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani homered on the second pitch of the game and walked in each of his next three plate appearances - all of which led to rally-extending hits by Betts. The former American League MVP singled and later scored the final run of a two-run third-inning rally before lacing a two-run double in the fourth to extend the Dodgers' lead to 5-2.

Betts added insurance in the sixth, when he greeted Phil Maton with a homer to left.

Tommy Edman put the Dodgers ahead for good with a two-out RBI double in the third. Enrique Hernandez followed with a run-scoring single. Edman had a two-run double in the eighth, when Will Smith added an RBI single.

Max Muncy, who started at first base with Freddie Freeman out due to a sore right ankle, walked in his first three plate appearances before singling in the seventh. It was the 12th straight plate appearance in which he had reached base, tying Reggie Jackson's postseason record. Muncy struck out in the eighth.

Evan Phillips (2-0), the second of four Dodgers pitchers, earned the win by tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He relieved starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who gave up two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 4 2/3 innings.

Mark Vientos homered in the first inning and Brandon Nimmo legged out the back end of a potential double-play grounder in the third inning for the Mets, who finished 4-for-22 with runners on base and left the bases loaded twice.

Jose Quintana (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two.

Bo Naylor led off the 10th inning with a single for Cleveland and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Brayan Rocchio. Steven Kwan grounded out before Fry hit his dramatic, game-winning home run into the seats in left-center on a 1-2 sinker from Clay Holmes (2-1).

Noel's pinch-hit homer in the ninth came after the Yankees appeared to administer a decisive blow when Aaron Judge hit a game-tying two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning and Giancarlo Stanton followed with a go-ahead homer for a 4-3 lead.

Cleveland right-hander Pedro Avila (1-0) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to earn the win.

The result cut the Guardians' deficit in the series to 2-1. Game 4 is set for Friday at Cleveland.

New York first appeared headed for defeat before Judge and Stanton hit home runs against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase for a 4-3 lead. They added a run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Gleyber Torres.

Yankees closer Luke Weaver was one out away from the save in the ninth inning after getting Josh Naylor to ground into a double play. Lane Thomas fought back from an 0-2 count to double off the top of the wall in left-center and Noel hit a towering pinch-hit home run to left for a 5-5 tie.

Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run home run for the Guardians, while left-hander Matthew Boyd gave up one run over five innings. Clase had his fourth blown save in the regular season and postseason combined after 47 regular-season saves.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Anthony Volpe walked and Alex Verdugo doubled against Boyd to put runners on second and third. Volpe scored on Jose Trevino's single to right field.

After Trevino was caught stealing, Boyd retired the last 10 Yankees batters he faced.

The Guardians moved out in front 2-1 in the third inning when Rocchio led off with a single and Manzardo homered to right field. It was the rookie's first career postseason home run and sixth since he returned from a minor league demotion on Sept. 1.

With New York's Tim Mayza on the mound in the sixth inning, Thomas stole third base and scored on a single by Andres Gimenez for a 3-1 lead.

The Yankees' Juan Soto walked with two outs in the eighth inning against Hunter Gaddis before Clase was called on for a four-out save. After he went deep an MLB-leading 58 times in the regular season, Judge homered on a 1-2 count before Stanton blasted his own home run to right-center on a 1-2 count for the 4-3 lead.