Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to the World Series.
Ohtani, along with Tommy Edman and Will Smith, propelled the Dodgers to a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night, securing their record 25th NL pennant.
“I feel like we finally arrived,” Ohtani said through a translator. “It was a team effort to get here.”
The Dodgers, who have baseball’s best record, face the New York Yankees in the World Series starting Friday.
Edman homered and drove in four runs, earning NLCS MVP honors. Ohtani had two hits and scored twice.
“We wouldn’t be here without him,” third baseman Max Muncy said.
The Dodgers spent $1 billion last winter to sign Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, seeking their eighth World Series title.
Rookie Ben Casparius got the win, and Blake Treinen earned the save.
The Dodgers trailed briefly before Edman’s two-run double gave them the lead. Smith and Edman homered in a four-run third.
“This season’s theme has been different guys stepping up,” Ohtani said.
The Mets, with baseball’s largest payroll ($332 million), stranded the bases loaded twice.
“This should be our expectation every year: playing deep into October,” first-year manager Carlos Mendoza said.