As the clock approached midnight, New York tied it with three runs in the ninth off closer Tanner Scott. Jeff McNeil laced a two-run triple and Tyrone Taylor followed with an RBI single to make it 5-all, sending hardy fans left in a crowd of 40,449 into a frenzy after they waited out a 98-minute rain delay in the third.
But the Mets squandered chance after chance to win over the final five innings — sometimes with their best hitters at the plate — and Los Angeles finally broke through in the 13th against Huascar Brazobán (3-1), the ninth New York pitcher.
Automatic runner Will Smith scored from second on the double by Hernández, who also had an early two-run single. Hernández scrambled to third on Hyeseong Kim’s single and came home on Andy Pages’ sacrifice fly to make it 7-5.
Luis García (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings for the win, raising his arms on the mound when center fielder Tommy Edman made a sliding catch at 12:56 a.m. for the final out of a game that took 4 hours, 8 minutes – not including the rain delay.
Moments later, a message on the giant videoboard reminded fans to stick around for the fireworks show that followed.
Smith, Pages and Max Muncy each had an RBI single for the Dodgers, who won the 2024 NLCS in six games on the way to their eighth World Series title. Los Angeles is 20-5 at Citi Field since 2017, including the postseason.
Brett Baty homered for the Mets, who have lost six of eight. Pete Alonso was gifted a sacrifice fly on an unusual play in the fourth.
It appeared Hernández threw out Starling Marte at the plate with a strong peg from right field, but third base umpire Tripp Gibson called obstruction on Muncy at third base for blocking Marte’s view of Hernández making the catch.
Clayton Kershaw’s second start for the Dodgers this season since coming off the injured list was cut short by the rain delay in the top of the third.
Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña stranded the potential winning run at third base in the ninth and 11th.
Scott was handed his fourth blown save in 14 chances this season.
Dodgers RHP Tony Gonsolin (2-0, 4.05 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season Saturday night against LHP David Peterson (2-2, 2.86).
