Los Angeles Dodgers seal first World Series berth since 2020 - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered to send Shohei Ohtani into the World Series for the first time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night.

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

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

It'll be the 12th time the storied franchises meet in the World Series and the first in 43 years. The Yankees have beaten the Dodgers eight times, while the Dodgers' three championships against the Bronx Bombers came in 1981, 1963 and 1955.

«It's what everybody wants, right?» Dodgers star Mookie Betts said in his postgame, on-field interview, when asked about the World Series matchup with the Yankees.

The Dodgers were installed as small favorites over the Yankees in the World Series on Sunday at U.S. sportsbooks. Los Angeles opened at -125 at ESPN BET, with the Yankees listed as +105 underdogs.

«It's the place that I've dreamt of playing all my life,» Ohtani said of the World Series, when asked during his postgame, on-field interview.

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 hit .364 with two homers and six RBIs in the NLCS.