LOS ANGELES — If the New York Mets have proven anything this year, it’s their remarkable resilience.

“It’s been tough for us all year, ups and downs, a lot of adversity,” first-year coach Carlos Mendoza said Monday at Dodger Stadium. “Not only do we have really good people, but they’re not afraid to call each other when they need to and when they need to. We continue to find ways to get the work done.”

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They found a way Monday, bouncing back from a 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opening game of the National League Championship Series on Sunday. The Mets appeared undaunted and solved another Dodgers bullpen game, winning Game 2 7-3 after taking an early 6-0 lead. The NLCS now travels to New York for three games at Citi Field.

Once again, the stars shined for the Mets. Francisco Lindor opened the game with a home run in the eighth pitch off opener Ryan Brasier, the first of five Dodger pitchers. That immediately ended LA’s 33-inning shutout streak. When Lindor’s pitch reappeared in the order in the next inning against Landon Knack with runners on second and third, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took no chances and intentionally let him walk to load the bases.

Mark Vientos, the next man up, responded with a grand slam that opened the game.

“They continue to believe,” Mendoza added of his club. “And they know that after a bad game there’s always a chance the next day.”

It’s familiar stuff. Lindor’s ninth inning, two-run homer at Atlanta in the first game of a makeup doubleheader on the final day of the regular season put them in the playoffs. The Wild Card Mets defeated the NL East victorious Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of their NL Division Series at Citi Field when Lindor hit a grand slam.

He deserves every part of the 10-year, $341 million contract Steve Cohen gave him immediately after purchasing the team in 2020. Lindor and the Mets are making a habit of bouncing back when least expected.

“We don’t stay in the past, that’s what helped us,” Lindor said. “Nobody really thinks about what could happen or what happened before. We’ll just stay in the moment.”

With the series tied 1-1, it will be Walker Buehler for the Dodgers versus Luis Severino for the Mets on Wednesday in New York.

Meanwhile, the crosstown Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, meaning the dream of the first Subway Series in 24 years is still very much alive.

While the Yankees entered this season with high hopes, the Mets were actually in a rebuilding year. They struggled early in the season, going 22-33 on May 29, but finished with a 63-35 record. To secure a Wild Card spot, they had to win 20 of their last 29 games, a rapid pace.

That’s pressure, Lindor said, but added: “Pressure is a blessing.”

Of course, the Mets are paid like a group that should compete. At $350.3 million, they have the highest payroll in Major League Baseball and face the No. 2 Dodgers at $340 million. The Americans are in third place with $314.7 million.

The Mets aren’t like their brothers from the Bronx, trying to win their 28th World Series, but for the first time since 2009. That’s a lifetime for the Yankees.

The Mets, on the other hand, have only won it all twice in their history, in 1969 and 1986. The other four teams in their own division have won the World Series at least once since the Mets last made it.

Against the Dodgers, they appear to have the edge in healthy starting pitching. They’ll have a strong arm to start every game in New York, while the Dodgers, with only three viable starters, will have to rely on another bullpen-by-committee game at some point.

That worked well against the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the Division Series, when eight relievers threw seven-hit scoreless ball. “It’s all great when guys throw up zeros,” Roberts said.

But this type of game is all about the sum of its parts, and when some fail, like Brasier and Knack, the entire strategy collapses.

The Mets took full advantage of this and have an interesting three games in New York.

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