Kiké Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani show up Mets with clutch October moments for Dodgers

Grimace? The Playoff Pumpkin? OMG? None of that was enough to contain the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night during Game 3 of the NLCS. Perhaps a guest appearance from the Hawk Tuah girl could've tipped the scales in the New York Mets' favor.

Though Walker Buehler only logged four innings of work, he induced a record 18 swings and misses and didn't allow a run. The Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead while he was on the mound and then extended it to 4-0 in the sixth after manager Dave Roberts went to the bullpen.

And who else than Kiké Hernandez to deliver another clutch moment? The October machine slugged a two-run homer off Mets reliever Reed Garrett to build on his postseason resume. On a 1-2 count with two outs, Hernandez sent one out 378 feet to left-center field on a cold night in Queens.

The production he's been providing for the Dodgers at the bottom of the lineup will end up being one of the biggest difference makers this postseason. And, of course, we can't forget about the vintage showboating from the Dodgers legend.

Kiké Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani lift Dodgers with massive home runs in NLCS Game 3

The Mets continued to put traffic on the bases, but they couldn't cash in. They would later regret that dearly when Hernandez logged his second hit of the night to extend the eighth inning for LA and turn the lineup over.

That set the stage for Shohei Ohtani, who's been stuck in an 0-for-22 slump before his fifth at-bat of the night. His 0-for-19 stretch heading into Game 3 actually prompted reporters to ask manager Dave Roberts if he'd consider moving Ohtani down in the lineup.

The answer was obviously "no" and Ohtani promptly ended that discussion with a three-run homer off Tylor Megill to silence Citi Field.

That made it a 7-0 game, allowing Roberts to take his foot off the gas pedal with his relievers. That'll help the bullpen in a massive way for the remainder of the series, especially with this stretch of three straight games and Roberts leaning on his relievers for all nine innings in some matchups.

Another rout helped the Dodgers rest some of their high-leverage arms as they prepare for chilly Thursday and Friday evenings in Queens before heading back to LA (if necessary). These teams have traded blowouts so far, but LA setting the tone like this on the road to regain home field advantage might be the moment everyone looks back on after this series concludes.