The best-of-seven National League Championship Series begins Sunday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, with the winner earning a spot in the World Series.

The NL West champion Dodgers defeated the rival San Diego Padres in the NLDS, overcoming a 2-1 series deficit. Their pitchers threw 24 consecutive scoreless innings, ending the series. With Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers enter 2024 as championship favorites and are in the NLCS for the sixth time since 2016.

The Mets had a rocky road to their first NLCS since 2015, bottoming out at 11 games under .500 in early June before a turnaround over the summer. New York had a flair for the dramatic, pulling off impressive comeback victories to clinch a playoff spot and then win the NL Wild Card Series, ultimately defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in a wild NLDS between teams that had never met in the postseason.

Jack Flaherty starts Game 1 for the Dodgers while Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets.

Follow us for updates on Sunday's game:

The Dodgers pitchers have been scoreless in 30 innings

Jack Flaherty has thrown six shutout innings for the Dodgers, whose pitchers have now combined to hold their opponents without a run for 30 innings since Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres.

Los Angeles leads the Mets 6-0 in the seventh inning.

The Dodgers add three more: 6-0 through four

With one out in the bottom of the fourth quarter, Tommy Edman's RBI single off David Peterson made it 4-0. Shohei Ohtani followed with an RBI double to right center to extend Los Angeles' lead to 5-0. With two outs, Freddie Freeman hit a single to left field, scoring Ohtani for the Dodgers' sixth run.

Ohtani's two run-scoring hits are a good sign after he went 2-for-15 in his last four NLDS games against the Padres.

Mets went hitless until the fourth

Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty didn't allow a baserunner through the first three innings, but issued two walks early in the fourth inning, ultimately stranding the pair as the Mets missed a scoring opportunity.

Left-hander David Peterson came into the game to reach the final out in the third inning and returns to start the fourth for the Mets.

Shohei Ohtani RBI single makes it 3-0

After Gavin Lux walked and Tommy Edman knocked him over, Shohei Ohtani delivered an RBI single, extending the Dodgers' lead to 3-0.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza then pulled Kodai Senga and brought Reed Garrett out of the bullpen. The right-hander retired Mookie Betts and then Ohtani was thrown out trying to reach second to end the inning.

The Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in the first inning

After retiring leadoff man Shohei Ohtani, Mets starter Kodai Senga walked three batters in a row to load the bases with one out, throwing only three of his first 16 pitches for strikes.

Senga got Will Smith to fly out to center – he didn't hit deep enough to score Mookie Betts – but Max Muncy made him pay with a two-run single up the middle with two outs. After a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, Senga got Enrique Hernández out for the third time and minimized the damage.

NLCS Game 1 is underway in Los Angeles

Jack Flaherty, the Dodgers' starter, walked the Mets early in the 2024 National League Championship Series: a groundout by Francisco Lindor, a strikeout by Mark Vientos and a lineout by Brandon Nimmo.

The Dodgers' pitchers have now gone 25 innings without allowing a run.

Acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline, Flaherty posted a 6-2 record with a 3.58 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for the Dodgers.

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Dodgers NLCS roster

LOS ANGELES – Backup Alex Vesia and shortstop Miguel Rojas were left off the NLCS roster on Sunday.

Veisa was sidelined with a right intercostal injury, but Dodgers president Andrew Friedman told reporters that the team was “hopeful” that Vesia could be available for the World Series if the team advanced.

Dodgers pitcher Brent Honeywell was named to the NLCS squad in Vesia's place. Honeywell was placed on the injured list in late September after breaking the fingernail on the middle finger of his right hand.

Rojas will be unavailable due to a torn adductor muscle that forced him to miss the final two games of the NLDS. Kevin Kiermaier was added to the roster to add depth to the outfield, and Tommy Edman is expected to replace Rojas at shortstop

–James H. Williams

Mets NLCS roster: Jeff McNeil added, Ottavino out

LOS ANGELES – The New York Mets enter their National League Championship Series against the Dodgers fully healthy.

The Mets announced second baseman Jeff McNeil as a notable addition to their NLCS roster after missing more than a month with a broken wrist. To make room for McNeil, the Mets removed right-hander Adam Ottavino for the best-of-seven series against the Dodgers.

McNeil hasn't played since September 6, when he was ruled out of a game against the Reds after being hit in the right arm. Before the injury, McNeil was at his best in the second half, batting .289 with a .923 OPS, including seven home runs, 12 doubles, 20 RBI and 22 runs scored in 41 games after the All-Star break.

–Andrew Tredinnick, NorthJersey.com

Mets lineup for Game 1

1. Francisco Lindor (S) SS

2. Mark Vientos (R) 3B

3. Brandon Nimmo (L) LF

4. Pete Alonso (R) 1B

5. Starling Marte (R) RF

6. Jesse Winker (L) DH

7. Jose Iglesias (R) 2B

8. Tyrone Taylor (R) CF

9. Francisco Alvarez (R) C

Dodgers lineup

1. Shohei Ohtani (left) DH

2. Mookie Betts (R) RF

3. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B

4. Teoscar Hernández (R) LF

5. Will Smith (R) C

6. Max Muncy (L) 3B

7. Enrique Hernández (R) CF

8. Gavin Lux (L) 2B

9. Tommy Edman (S) SS

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers vs. Mets live score updates: Los Angeles ahead in NLCS Game 1