CNN
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For the third time in four games, the Los Angeles Dodgers sluggers proved alive and well.

The Dodgers beat the New York Mets 10-2 on the road and took a commanding 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series on Thursday night.

A raucous New York crowd packed into Citi Field as members of the 2000 NL pennant team Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura threw out the first pitch.

That excitement was quickly silenced, however, as superstar Shohei Ohtani wasted no time in getting the Dodgers on the field, hitting a leadoff home run to quickly corner the Mets.

It was the slugger's second straight game with a home run and the first home run given up by Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana since August 20.

Los Angeles' lead didn't last long, however, as the Mets' third baseman responded with a solo shot of his own, tying the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning.

Early in the third, Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman, who had beaten the baseball's coverage all season, came through again with an RBI double to retake the lead. Kiké Hernández would make another attempt, giving Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.

Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo hit a fielder's choice that would score a run but also get two outs. The next batter, Starling Marte, would then strike out to end the inning and Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto would continue to limit the damage. The 26-year-old Japanese rookie phenom went 4.1 innings, striking out eight batters and giving up just two runs.

As in every game, the Dodgers had a reaction to every run their opponents would score. Mookie Betts doubled to left field, allowing Ohtani and Chris Taylor to score and extend the lead to 5-2. Betts later added a two-run home run in the sixth inning to make the game 7-2.

The Mets had more chances to make up the deficit, but left the bases loaded again in the sixth inning.

It was a historic night for the Dodgers' Max Muncy. The 34-year-old extended his streak of consecutive postseason plate appearances and safely reached base on 12, tying Reggie Jackson for the most plates of all time. However, the streak ended in the eighth inning after a strikeout.

After the game, Muncy told Fox Sports 1 that he was “unaware” of the record he set on Thursday.

“That’s pretty cool,” Muncy said. “The biggest thing for me is getting on base for my teammates, giving them a chance to drive me in and just create traffic for the opposing team out there.”

Los Angeles added three runs in the eighth and pitcher Edgardo Henriquez finished the game, securing the 10-2 victory and putting the Mets on the brink of elimination.

Mets coach Carlos Mendoza said Ohtani's leadoff home run “set the tone for the game” but downplayed that it caused them to lose the game.

“The solo shot couldn’t have defeated us,” Mendoza told reporters. “Yeah, it was pretty impressive, but not just Ohtani, you have to watch out for the other guys behind him too.

“But yes, when he goes into the game first and scores like that, it’s obviously a good feeling for them. We knew it wouldn’t beat us, but we couldn’t just stop it.”

The Dodgers are now just one win away from advancing to the team's first World Series appearance since 2020, when they won the seventh title in franchise history.

Betts said it's hard to keep calm when the team is so close to reaching the Fall Classic.

“I think I've tried to deal with these emotions many times. I think you just ride her. You just let those emotions guide you,” Betts said.

“It's difficult. Like I said, I was trying to stay on the keel and all those things. At a time like this, that doesn't really work, so you just have to jump on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride.”

Game 5 is scheduled for Friday at 5:08 p.m. ET.