LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shohei Ohtani led the injury-plagued Los Angeles Dodgers to the best record in baseball during the regular season. Tommy Edman joined the team in late July and helped them reach the World Series.

It’s been such a year for the big-spending Dodgers. If Ohtani isn’t outstanding with his power and ability on the basepaths, someone else will step in.

Edman and Will Smith met to say goodbye Ohtani is participating in the World Series for the first timeand the Dodgers defeated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night. Los Angeles opens the World Series against the New York Yankees on Friday.

“I really feel like we’ve finally arrived, I’ve finally gotten to this point,” Ohtani said through a translator. “A lot of the games we played were really tough and hard to win and it was really a team effort to get here.”

The Dodgers won their record 25th NL pennant, their fourth in eight years, and won at home for the first time since beating the Mets in seven games in 1988. They advanced to their 22nd World Series – the 13th in Los Angeles – and first since 2020 when they Beat Tampa Bay during the season delayed by the pandemic.

“Every year I go to spring training and ask myself how we can get a baseball team ready because we have so many talented players,” said backup Evan Phillips. “I wouldn’t say we expected injuries, but we did plan for several players to contribute throughout the year.”

Next up for Ohtani and Co. is Aaron Judge and them Yankeesin the World Series for the 41st time and first time in 15 years. The matchup, which begins at Dodger Stadium, pits the top two home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54).

“It’s kind of what people wanted, what we all wanted,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “It will be a battle between two good teams, many long flights across the country.”

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

“It’s the place I’ve dreamed of my whole life,” Ohtani said, “and it’s my next goal to finally get on that stage, play there and hopefully win.”

Playing his first season with the Dodgers after agreeing to a Record $700 million, 10-year contract As a free agent, Ohtani had two hits and scored two runs in Game 6. He batted .364 with two home runs and six RBIs in the NLCS.

“The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani said. “And I also imagined that I would get this far with the contract I signed.”

Ohtani spent his first six MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the playoffs during his tenure.

“We wouldn’t be here without him,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “We suffered a lot of injuries and there was a good period during the regular season where he single-handedly carried us.”

The Dodgers, who had been eliminated from the Division Series the previous two years, spent a total of $1 billion last winter to sign Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to lucrative long-term contracts in hopes of winning an eighth World Series title to win the franchise.

Rookie Ben Casparius got four outs for the win and Blake Treinen got the save in his first two-inning outing since the 2021 NLCS.

Los Angeles trailed after Pete Alonso’s run-scoring single against starter Michael Kopech.

Edman gave the Dodgers the lead for good with a two-run double in the bottom half off Sean Manaea, who singled in Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, who both singled. Hernández managed a 0:18 slip.

Edman drove in the Dodgers’ first four runs and his 11 RBIs in the NLCS tied a franchise record set by Corey Seager against Atlanta in 2020. Edman, who won the NLCS MVP Award, was traded from St. Louis to the Dodgers at the July trade deadline.

“I think the common theme this season was that a lot of people brought out different people over the course of the season,” Ohtani said.

Edman sent a 406-foot shot to left center for a two-run home run in a four-run third that included Smith’s 416-foot drive to center off Phil Maton that pushed the lead to 6-1 expanded.

“I never thought he would reach fourth in a postseason game after taking over,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Edman. “But I trust him. The boys trust him. He made great defensive plays for us and scored big goals.”

Vientos hit his fifth home run of the season, a two-run drive in the fourth by Ryan Brasier that cut the deficit to 6-3 in the fourth.

The Dodgers, whose starting lineup was decimated by injuries, used seven pitchers to defeat the Mets, whose $332 million payroll was the highest in baseball.

New York stranded the bases twice, when Anthony Banda struck out Jeff McNeil in the third and when Jesse Winker struck out Phillips in the sixth.

Los Angeles defeated New York 40:26 in the six games. The Mets were just two wins away from reaching the World Series after surviving a 22-33 start to secure the NL’s final wild card.

“That should be our expectations every year, we should play well into October,” first-year coach Carlos Mendoza said.

Manaea lasted just two innings, allowing five runs and six hits. Alonso had two hits and a run scored in what could be his final game for the Mets. The first baseman is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

“I love this team. I love this organization. “This fan base has treated not only myself but also my family so, so well,” Alonso said.

The sellout crowd of 52,674 included Tom Hanks, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Magic Johnson, Rob Lowe, Josh Groban, Jenny McCarthy and Vanessa Bryant.

TRAINER ROOM

Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman was sidelined for the third time of the postseason with a sprained right ankle. He also missed Game 4 of the NLCS and Game 4 of the NLDS.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb