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Backstory of how Mets, Dodgers did the impossible: 5 stud aces

LOS ANGELES — Logan White calls it “the four-two rule.”

“For every four pitchers you draft,” the Padres’ senior adviser said this week, “two will break down.”

Even in this age of reduced offense, the quest to find a top-flight starting pitcher remains arguably the game’s top challenge. Because the number of arm injuries shows little sign of abating. Because the ever-improving field of statistical analysis gives teams more and more insight on mound opponents.

You wouldn’t know of such tough odds, though, if your introduction to baseball came in this Mets-Dodgers National League Division Series, which starts Friday at Dodger Stadium.