NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Harvey limited Chicago to four hits over 7 2-3 innings, Daniel Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud homered off Jon Lester and the New York Mets beat the Cubs 4-2 Saturday night in the opener of the NL Championship Series.
Harvey allowed two runs and struck out nine, leaving after Kyle Schwarber’s 459-foot home run. Jeurys Familia finished for the save, with Murphy making a diving stop at second base for the final out.
Murphy put the Mets ahead in the first, matching a team record by homering in his third straight postseason game. Starlin Castro tied the score in the fifth with an RBI double over center fielder Juan Lagares, but Curtis Granderson’s RBI single gave the Mets a 2-1 lead in the bottom half.
D’Arnaud homered in the sixth, a drive that clanked off the celebratory home run apple behind the center-field wall, and Granderson made it 4-2 with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly that chased Lester.
Major league wins leader Jake Arrieta starts for the Cubs on Sunday night against rookie Noah Syndergaard.
