NEW YORK – For days, the top of the walls in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field have been covered with a tarp. The white plastic is rolled up and tied behind the television monitors, waiting to act as protection against potential damage from beer and champagne. It was already in place before the Los Angeles Dodgers arrived this week and has seemed to attract them ever since.

Now the party could start on Friday evening.

The Dodgers defeated the New York Mets by 10 points in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in this National League Championship Series. One win separates them from returning to the World Series, despite playing shorthanded.

Before Thursday's brawl, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called Freddie Freeman. His first baseman has been in excruciating pain for weeks, and the brisk New York climate has done little to help. Roberts told his star to sit down and wait for a big spot. So Freeman retreated to the cage and swung. He pitched for most of the first two innings of the night, but stopped when the Dodgers pulled away again.

Freeman's bat wouldn't be necessary. The Dodgers still pushed Jose Quintana to his limits. Before he stepped to the plate for the first at-bat of the night, Shohei Ohtani received instructions from Freeman.

“Freddie spoke to me to make sure I joined the party sooner rather than later,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.

Ohtani did just that, sending the second sinker he saw into the Mets bullpen. He pointed in Freeman's direction in the dugout after throwing his bat. The presumptive National League MVP hit better pitches out of the ballpark this season, and that center-cutting push allowed his bat to reach a blistering 117.8 miles per hour.

Later, Ohtani sparked another surge off Quintana by drawing a walk and scoring on a double by Tommy Edman as part of a two-run third. When Chris Taylor hit an infield single in the fourth and Ohtani drew another walk to end Quintana's night, Mookie Betts took over the former MVP mantle and the starring role. His double in the corner brought a pair; Quintana recorded just 10 outs and allowed five runs.

The Dodgers' plan of attack was simple to implement, but difficult to execute. Quintana excelled during the National League Division Series by getting the Philadelphia Phillies to chase outside the strike zone.

“We had a plan tonight: Don’t give in to the fight with Quintana,” Freeman said. “Let him keep the ball over the plate.”

“He's a guy who has a lot of success by making you swing in his seats,” Edman said. “That plays to our strengths.”

Patience does not have to be synonymous with tentativeness. The Dodgers issued four walks against Quintana and nine total on the night.

“Tonight was a battle to see who would give in first,” Max Muncy explained. “He wanted to get us to pursue him. We wanted to get him to throw strikes. And it was all about who would be more stubborn. And I feel like we were able to survive it.

“It’s about being aggressive with balls in the zone. Do not accept balls in the zone. And don't swing out of the zone. And I think that's just a deeper understanding for us, understanding who we are as a team and what certain balls we can and can't hit. And we had a whole line-up that could get into it.”

Patience has been a theme for the Dodgers in this NLCS. They drew 31 walks, the most by any team over a four-game stretch in a postseason, putting pressure on a Mets pitching staff that didn't seem up to the task.

And yet they imposed penalties. Taking to task the underbelly of New York's pitching staff, Betts greeted Phil Maton with a powerful swing on a sweeper that swept right over the middle of the plate. Betts stood admiring his work when a two-run shot flew into the seats, bouncing down the first-base line before making its trip around the base paths.

“I think I've tried to deal with those emotions many times,” said Betts, whose early struggles gave way to postseason triumphs. His OPS this October is .964. “I think you just ride her. You just live from these emotions. … I tried to stay balanced and all those things. At a time like this, that doesn’t really work, so you just have to jump on the rollercoaster and enjoy the ride.”

Freeman didn't have to attack. The other two MVPs in the lineup, Ohtani and Betts, combined to go 5-for-9 and reached base eight times while driving in five runs, including a home run each. Contributions spanned the entire cast. Muncy continued his postseason scoring streak, scoring his first four goals and setting an all-time mark with 12 consecutive plate appearances dating back safely to Game 2 on Monday. Every Dodger in the lineup reached base at least once.

“There are no heroes in this clubhouse,” Teoscar Hernández said. “If they don’t recommend you just go on base to get the next man up.”

The flood of runs provided some cushion for the Dodgers' continued outstanding pitching. Yoshinobu Yamamoto scored eight hits and used his slider more than ever before this season. Elsewhere, Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen shut down the only threats the Mets could muster against them in the middle innings.

The Dodgers have outscored the Mets 30-9 in four games. A week after exhausting every avenue to come back and beat the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were barely tested. One more win and they have their first National League pennant since 2020 and fourth in the last eight years.

The Dodgers' annual trips in October have made the gap between pennants, not to mention series wins in recent years, feel like a chasm. Roberts has repeatedly said that something is different this time.

“I kind of like the us-against-the-world attitude that our guys have taken,” Roberts said. “I think it’s kind of ironic with the Dodgers, but I like that.”

“Usually we are the world,” Roberts admitted a minute later. On Thursday evening they played against world champions again.

Do it again and they're back in the World Series.

“We’re close,” Edman said. “We can definitely feel it.”

I'm about to drop the tarp.

(Photo of the celebrating Dodgers: Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)