The New York Mets are fighting off elimination by doing something that hasn't been done in 22 years of history

The New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 12-6 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field on Friday afternoon.

With the win, the Mets avoided elimination for at least another day. They now trail the best-of-seven series 3-2. The Dodgers are one win away from their first World Series appearance since 2020.

The Mets scored 14 hits in the win, including a big three-run home run from Pete Alonso, but they also did something we haven't seen in baseball in 22 years.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs on social media:

The Mets are the first team to not be eliminated in a postseason game since the Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series

The eleventh such postseason appearance overall and the third in the expansion era (1961)

Jack Flaherty and two other Los Angeles relievers simply couldn't miss the bats on Friday. Flaherty lasted just three innings and gave up eight earned runs.

It sounds cliché, but just putting the ball in play has huge benefits. In baseball today, teams generally sacrifice contact for damage, but the Mets proved you don't have to do that in this game. There was traffic on the bases all afternoon and they forced the Dodgers to make plays, which is a good recipe for success.

On Saturday, the two teams will travel across the country for Game 6, which will be played in Los Angeles on Sunday night at 8:08 p.m. ET.

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