The Los Angeles Dodgers gave the 2024 New York Mets life on Friday night. You never give the 2024 New York Mets life.

A dominant 12-6 Mets victory at Citi Field sends the series back to Los Angeles with the Dodgers up 3-2. The first team to four wins. The World Series is still very much within reach for the Dodgers, but no team has scrapped and clawed harder in the face of adversity this season than the Mets. This New York squad has built its reputation on overcoming long odds. Letting them live to fight another day stings.

Game 5 could’ve been the killing blow, delivered by Los Angeles’ best (healthy) ace and the MLB’s most potent offense. Instead, we have more baseball to watch and plenty of time for the Mets to come back and make history with another improbable run.

Here are the Dodgers who deserve the most blame for a deflating and disheartening Game 5.

3. Dave Roberts left the Dodgers exposed when he didn’t have to

It’s only natural to blame the manager when a team performs so poorly. The Dodgers weren’t sharp in any facet on Friday. The offense came alive in spots, but Dave Roberts’ management of the bullpen in a pivotal game was utterly egregious. In fact, if the Mets come back to win this series, we could point to Roberts’ Game 5 decision-making as a critical turning point.

The issue? He kept Jack Flaherty on the mound for three innings. In those three innings, Flaherty coughed up eight earned runs on eight hits and four walks. It was a brutal meltdown from a pitcher with a troubling history of October stumbles.

Flaherty was okay through two innings. He gave up a three-run bomb to Pete Alonso in the opening frame, but made it through the second inning unscathed. Fine, you keep him in and see if he settles down. But, as soon as Flaherty walked the first two batters he faced in that third frame, it should’ve been curtains. Instead, Roberts kept his starter in the game through the entirety of a five-run Mets barrage. Flaherty left the game with the Dodgers in an 8-1 hole. It was already over.

Why did Roberts take so long to pull the plug? Because the Dodgers have a bullpen game planned in Game 6. He wanted to save bullets. With how well Los Angeles’ bats performed the rest of the way, however, the Dodgers probably could’ve won this game with a quicker turn to the bullpen. That would’ve ended the series. No need for a bullpen game.

Roberts let Flaherty’s spiral drag on for strategic purposes, but it was a cowardly strategy that probably cost LA the game. Now it could cost them the series. Oh well.

2. Jack Flaherty was not his best when the Dodgers needed him most

With a chance to end New York’s magical run and put the bow on a dominant series victory, Jack Flaherty fell completely flat. Again, three innings, eight hits, four walks, eight runs. That just won’t cut it. Ever.

Flaherty’s storybook run with his hometown team ended in a blaze of terror on Friday. Gone are the days of feel-good tales about Flaherty’s childhood in LA and his love for the city. Now he’s public enemy No. 1, and it won’t get better if the Mets extend this series any further. Flaherty lost all goodwill in a single three-inning stretch. His leash has never been shorter — at least with the Dodgers fanbase.

Sometimes your best pitcher just doesn’t have it. Flaherty was good up to this point in October and he is osentsibly the best option for a beat-up Dodgers rotation. But, Friday’s performance made a lot of baseball fans flashback to last October, when Flaherty bombed in the Orioles’ Wild Card loss. He has been excellent in the regular season, but Flaherty’s playoffs track record is decidedly mixed.

This will be a permanent blemish on Flaherty’s resume. He won’t live this down for a while, unless he puts on an absolute masterclass in the World Series. Let’s see if the Dodgers can even get there first, though. This loss leaves LA in a compromised position, and it comes almost entirely down to Flaherty’s ineffectiveness on the mound.

1. Freddie Freeman laid an ill-timed goose egg for the Dodgers

Freddie Freeman is as postseason-proven as anybody on the Dodgers roster, but the All-Star first baseman was M.I.A. on Friday night. He went a cold 0-for-5 at the plate, which is bad enough on its own. It’s even worse when one swing of the bat could’ve shifted the entire game in Los Angeles’ favor.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, Freeman took a strike three looking on the outside. A homer would’ve made it a two-run game. Just passing the baton would’ve set up a potential two-out rally. We can’t place too much blame on one single batter, but Freeman fumbled every opportunity to give the Dodgers’ offense that extra push in Game 5. Now, the Mets — a longstanding Freeman enemy — live on.

Freeman has dealt with an injury this series and he’s due for better nights, but it’s hard to concoct a more catastrophic hitting performance at such a critical juncture. Few are better at putting the bat on the ball than Freeman, but he just couldn’t find his swing tonight.

The Dodgers received plenty of production from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, not to mention almost-hero Andy Pages in the No. 9 spot. Instead of talking about a heroic Dodgers comeback, however, we’re talking about a disappointing loss. In large part due to Freeman’s frigid evening.