LOS ANGELES – The Mets came to Dodger Stadium, one of the most perfect places on the planet with its breathtaking San Gabriel Mountains, manicured turf of glorious green and beautiful California color scheme, and they played their ugliest game in weeks, if not months.

The team that seemed to be able to do no wrong forever did nothing right.

The magical Mets became must-see television on this wonderful, unforgettable journey. But in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series here, unless you were wearing Dodger blue in the Mets' 9-0 loss, it was better to look the other way.

Mets fans who made the trek from the Big Apple serenaded owner Steve Cohen before the game. “Uncle Steve,” they shouted.

In the end all we heard was “Fredd-ie, Fredd-ie.” And later “MVP”. It wasn't for Francisco Lindor.

This was a party and the Mets were left off the invite list.

Mets flash starter Kodai Senga is famous for his trick pitch, the ghost fork, which supposedly disappears. But this time the trick was on the Mets. It was Senga who didn't show up.

With just 7 ¹/₃ innings on his 2024 roster, Senga was neither ready nor prepared, and his pitching looked more like an end-of-season call-up than a coveted international signing and ace for 2023. He threw 30 pitches, 20 of which were balls . In modern parlance, he put himself in perspective.

The Mets' nonstop lineup finally stopped. They managed just two hits against Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty, who spared their overloaded shut-down bullpen with seven scoreless innings, extending the Dodgers' NL record streak for a postseason to 31 such innings.

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The one frame that started promisingly for the Mets with two straight hits was undermined when Jesse Winker was caught between second and third after Jose Iglesias gave up a single of his own. The Mets just weren't themselves.

The Dodgers are coming off a hard-fought, sometimes hellish series in which the Padres, a division rival they hate 90 miles to the south, narrowly survived. This must have felt like amateur hour to her. They took an easy 1-0 lead in this NLCS.

Senga never gave the Mets a chance. Now we have to ask why the Mets gave him that chance (or, frankly, the one in Game 1 of the Division Series against Philly).

These Mets with mojo have hit about 1,000 in their decisions over the last few days. But in Game 1, they took a crazy chance and performed poorly.

David Peterson probably should have gotten the nod for Game 1 (although he also allowed three runs after entering the game). He's the Mets' best pitcher during this amazing run, better even than Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, and he deserves more than just a cleanup job in center.

For the referee, Senga only posed a challenge as he was unable to locate the attack zone almost from the start. Three straight walks in the first inning led to two runs when Max Muncy lined Senga's 21st pitch – and only the sixth strike! – to midfield and scored the first two runs. Senga fell behind 3-0 in the second when Shohei Ohtani, who was coming off a 2-for-18 stretch with 10 strikeouts, hit Gavin Lux, who also walked, with a single.

It's really understandable that he was wrong. While it was nice that the Mets finally had two days off, Senga only had two days all year – and it showed.

Senga wasn't expected to pitch more than three or four innings, but since the Mets didn't pitch until the second inning, they actually had to approach a bullpen game. This is really a Dodgers thing now.

The Mets should have a major rotation advantage as most of the Dodgers' starters are currently on the injured list, including Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Gavin Stone, among others. Meanwhile, Flaherty looked extremely healthy for the Mets' hitters who did next to nothing.

If you recall, the Yankees backed away from a potential Flaherty trade out of concern for his lower back. So help the Yankees let him wear Dodger blue for his hometown team.

Game 1 was absolutely unforgettable. And the Mets are exactly the team that can do exactly what is preferable in this case.

These Mets specialize in comebacks, and this time they can show off their resilience in a seven-game series, which is what we've come to expect. They came back in games like no one in history.

These Mets have overcome all odds to get where they are. But it feels like they've made progress in class now. While the Dodgers have about half of their $300 million-plus payroll on the injured list, they start with an unmatched star trio and finish games with a fairly secure bullpen.

The Dodgers' rotation remains questionable at this point. But they have Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman. That's three former MVPs and also one guaranteed future MVP.

This certainly won't be easy. But if anyone can do it, it's these Mets. They just have to forget that.