Mets Split in LA, But Take the Season Series from the Champs
Offense Keeps Swinging, Even When the Game Doesn’t
Pete Alonso might as well be swinging Brandon Nimmo’s sledgehammer the way he’s obliterating baseballs. The Mets’ first baseman launched three home runs in the series—two on Wednesday night and another on Thursday afternoon—bringing his league-leading RBI total to 54 and inching him one homer shy of tying David Wright for second-most in franchise history.
Pete Alonso moves one step closer to being the Mets’ all-time home run leader 🤩 pic.twitter.com/mp2uqAul3i
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 5, 2025
Francisco Lindor stayed hot, opening Game 1 with his sixth leadoff home run of the year (flashbacks of Game 2/2024 NLCS), now just one shy of tying the franchise record. He added another RBI single in extras to help secure the opener, drew walks, ripped singles, and set the tone all series long before suffering a broken pinky toe after a nasty HBP from Tony Gonsolin in Game 3. Trying to avoid an IL stint, he is considered day-to-day.
LEADOFF LINDOR pic.twitter.com/y93do7rPVc
— We Gotta Believe (@GottaBelievePod) June 3, 2025
Juan Soto made noise with a two-run homer in Game 2 (and a dugout water bottle flip), but even louder was his defense—most notably a Gold Glove-caliber grab over the wall to rob Will Smith in a tight spot. He worked counts, forced walks, and came up clutch in both halves of the game.
Juan Soto owns the Dodgers lol
pic.twitter.com/jhvnncLM22— Mets’d Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) June 4, 2025
OH, WOW!
Juan Soto makes the catch against the side wall in foul ground! pic.twitter.com/jEYilbl1Th
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 4, 2025
See More: Juan Soto looks like a happy Met to me
Brandon Nimmo added a leadoff homer of his own on Thursday and was a disruptive force all week—reaching base, creating havoc, and making smart plays despite one brutal misread in the field that cost the Mets a walk-off.
Brandon Nimmo launches a solo home run just over the right-center field wall! 💣 pic.twitter.com/V53doOh7tW
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 5, 2025
And then there’s Starling Marte, who kept grinding out timely hits (a big home run) and pressured defenses into mistakes, including a steal and an alert run scored on Nimmo’s infield single in Game 2.
FROM SANTOOOO DOMINGOOOOOO!
STARLING MARTE AND BRANDON NIMMO GO BACK-TO-BACK! pic.twitter.com/NSsoysd1qV
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 5, 2025
Pitching: Bumps, Gems, and Gut Checks
Game 1: Paul Blackburn’s Return
In his first start in 10 months, Blackburn didn’t flinch—shutting out the Dodgers over five innings with just three hits and a walk. He outdueled Dustin May (who got rocked by the Mets’ lineup) and handled Shohei Ohtani in all three at-bats. It was a clean, efficient, gutsy debut for “Pauly Be Nasty.”
Paul Blackburn with a spectacular return & 2025 debut
5 IP 3 H 0 R 1 BB 3 K
Limited to 77 pitches (49 strikes)
His first start in 283 days
— Hagen Snell (@HagenSnellBB) June 3, 2025
Game 2: Megill Rights the Ship
Tylor Megill was one pitch away from getting run off the mound in the first after allowing four runs—but then proceeded to spin five scoreless, striking out seven, and keep the Mets alive despite the linescore. Not bad for a guy who started the night a bit uneasy.
Tylor Megill retired 16 of the final 17 Dodgers he faced and threw 105 pitches in his outing pic.twitter.com/Bu2kEMKnwM
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 4, 2025
Reed Garrett wriggled out of an eighth-inning nightmare in that game (2) with one of the most dramatic jams of the year—K’ing Freddie Freeman, trapping Ohtani in a rundown, and striking out Smith to end it.
Reed Garrett remains nails for the Mets. Despite letting his first two men reach base tonight, Garrett retired the next three — including huge strikeouts of Freddie Freeman and Will Smith — to preserve a one-run lead.
Garrett’s ERA is 0.68. He’s a bona fide All-Star candidate. pic.twitter.com/kJpYYoIeaC
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 4, 2025
He wasn’t as sharp in Game 4, but Thursday’s blown save came after a leadoff walk, an errant throw home from Brett Baty, and Michael Conforto finally catching up to a pitch. However, he has been undeniably clutch and dominant for the Mets thus far.
Game 3: Canning Shoves
Griffin Canning looked like an ace-in-waiting. Six innings, one walk, seven punchouts, and three soft singles allowed. The Dodgers couldn’t string together anything against him. He made smart pitch choices and lived on the edges.
Griffin Canning has his 7th start of allowing 1 run or fewer this season 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/tFCP5Y4vyV
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2025
José Castillo did his job in relief—worked out of trouble in the seventh and put up another scoreless eighth. The Mets didn’t even need Edwin Díaz to close that one out after Pete Alonso’s moonshot in the top of the eighth made it 6-0.
Jose Castillo in his first 6.1 innings pitched this year for the D-Backs: 11.37 ERA
Jose Castillo in his last 6 innings pitched this year for the Mets: 0.00 ERA
Lab is cooking. pic.twitter.com/vtrf6U1WG3
— Ben Yoel (@Ben_Yoel) June 5, 2025
Game 4: Peterson Hangs Tough Again
David Peterson gave the Mets everything they needed—again. Seven innings, six strikeouts, one rough third inning, and another gutsy hold-down after that. It was his second seven-inning outing against the Dodgers this season, and he walked off the mound after a dramatic eight-pitch strikeout of supposedly “league-feared” Ohtani, who can’t seem to figure out this Mets’ pitching staff.
David Peterson went 7 innings today in Los Angeles 💪 pic.twitter.com/Bgr5cMuloZ
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 5, 2025
The Relief
Edwin Díaz recorded his first blown save of the season in Game 1—giving up the tying sac fly—but struck out Teoscar Hernández to hold the line. And when extra innings came around, José Buttó finished it off with ice in his veins, calmly retiring two of the Dodgers’ best hitters in a hostile tenth inning.
Buttó came back again in Game 2 and almost got them out of another mess until that Nimmo misplay sent Dodger Stadium into stunned silence.
Huascar Brazobán had an electric ninth in Game 2 (after) giving up the game-tying homer, striking out three straight to send it to extras. And though he got the no-decision, his rebound mid-inning was textbook toughness.
Mets Win the Season Set—And That Matters
Let’s not bury the lede here. I mean, the Mets just won the season series against the defending World Series champions. That’s not nothing. That’s home-field advantage in October if the paths cross again.
New York took two out of three in Queens, then split the series in one of the hardest parks in baseball out in LA.
There were missed opportunities, blown saves, and enough stranded runners to populate a small town. But there were also big moments, big swings, and big arms when it mattered most. The Mets were in every single game.
There’s still plenty to clean up. But this Mets team is competing—brawling, clawing, and showing up on big stages.
