Betts praises resilient Dodgers: 'When the lights turn on, we showed up'

Mookie Betts is proud of his Los Angeles Dodgers for their battle to their first NLCS since 2021.

"We went through a lot of injuries, a lot of ups and a lot of downs," he said, per FOX Sports: MLB. "But we fight and we keep going. We got champagne on us right now."

The Dodgers won Friday night's do-or-die Game 5 against the San Diego Padres by a 2-0 margin. Los Angeles' pitching staff, led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, held the vaunted San Diego lineup scoreless for the second straight game.

It wasn't all smooth sailing, though: The Padres had the Dodgers on the ropes on Tuesday after pulling ahead 2-1 in the series.

Los Angeles responded with a blowout Game 4 victory before ultimately finishing the job to set up a matchup with the New York Mets.

"They really tested us all year," Betts said of the Padres. "They beat us in the season series, but you get down to the nitty-gritty, and we've got a bunch of grinders."

He added: "When the lights turn on, we showed up."

Betts, who struggled mightily in Los Angeles' disastrous NLDS sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, admitted to feeling an increased sense of urgency to perform.

"I think you try and keep each year each year, but you also keep tabs," he said. "Especially for myself, I played terrible last year and I wanted to do my part to help us win, and I did a little something."

NLCS Game 1 between the Dodgers and Mets is scheduled for Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET.