Hernández sends Dodgers past Mets 7-5 in 13 innings in wild and rainy NLCS rematch

NEW YORK (AP) — Teoscar Hernández led off the 13th inning with an RBI double and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the New York Mets 7-5 in a wild rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series on a rainy Friday night at Citi Field.

As the clock approached midnight, New York tied it with three runs in the ninth off closer Tanner Scott. Jeff McNeil laced a two-run triple and Tyrone Taylor followed with an RBI single to make it 5-all, sending hardy fans left in a crowd of 40,449 into a frenzy after they waited out a 98-minute rain delay in the third.

But the Mets squandered chance after chance to win over the final five innings — sometimes with their best hitters at the plate — and Los Angeles finally broke through in the 13th against Huascar Brazobán (3-1), the ninth New York pitcher.

Automatic runner Will Smith scored from second on the double by Hernández, who also had an early two-run single. Hernández scrambled to third on Hyeseong Kim's single and came home on Andy Pages’ sacrifice fly to make it 7-5.

Luis García (2-0) pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings for the win, raising his arms on the mound when center fielder Tommy Edman made a sliding catch at 12:56 a.m. for the final out of a game that took 4 hours, 8 minutes — not including the rain delay.

Moments later, a message on the giant videoboard reminded fans to stick around for the fireworks show that followed.

Smith, Pages and Max Muncy each had an RBI single for the Dodgers, who won the 2024 NLCS in six games on the way to their eighth World Series title. Los Angeles is 20-5 at Citi Field since 2017, including the postseason.

Brett Baty homered for the Mets, who have lost six of eight, and Pete Alonso was gifted a sacrifice fly on an unusual play in the fourth.

It appeared Hernández threw out Starling Marte at the plate with a strong peg from right field, but umpire Tripp Gibson called obstruction on Muncy at third base for blocking Marte’s view of Hernández making the catch.

Clayton Kershaw’s second start for the Dodgers this season since coming off the injured list was cut short by the rain delay in the top of the third.

Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña stranded the potential winning run at third base in the ninth and 11th. Alonso flied out to the center-field warning track with two runners aboard to conclude the 10th. And with the Dodgers employing a five-man infield after a pair of intentional walks, García got Luis Torrens to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the 12th.

Scott was handed his fourth blown save in 14 chances this season.

Dodgers RHP Tony Gonsolin (2-0, 4.05 ERA) makes his fifth start of the season Saturday night against LHP David Peterson (2-2, 2.86).

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

Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reacts after defeating the New York Mets during the 13th inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Grounds crew members cover the field during the third inning of a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Mets' Starling Marte, second from right, scores against Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith, right, on a sacrifice fly hit by Pete Alonso during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández, right, reacts after scoring on a single hit by Andy Pages with Michael Conforto, left, during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, May 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)