NEW YORK — By the time Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers were already in control.
Once the ball left his bat, Game 3 of the National League Championship Series was all but over.
Ohtani’s three-run homer ensured another rout was on, and the top-seeded Dodgers pulled away for an 8-0 victory over the sixth-seeded New York Mets that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Kiké Hernández hit a two-run shot to make it 4-0 in the sixth with his 15th career postseason homer and waved to the Citi Field crowd he quieted. Los Angeles rebounded from a loss at home two days earlier by pitching its fourth shutout in the past five playoff games.
“These guys are locked in. And they understand they have a job to do to prevent runs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I think we’re playing good defense, too.”