NEW YORK — A bad night for the Mets became much, much worse as Shohei Ohtani sent a ball into orbit.

The superstar slugger punctuated the Dodgers’ 8-0 win in NLCS Game 3 with an exclamation point on Wednesday when he pummeled a belt-high cutter from Tylor Megill well above the right-field foul pole and halfway up Citi Field’s second deck.

When the 397-foot, three-run home run finally landed, the Dodgers’ 4-0 lead became a seven-run advantage, prompting fans from a sold-out crowd to head toward the exits as Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Indeed, Ohtani had arrived in Queens.

The mesmerizing moonshot — which boasted an exit velocity of 115.9 mph — ended a six-game homerless drought for Ohtani, who improved to 7 for 9 with runners on base in these playoffs, compared to 0 for 22 with the bases empty.

It’s a statistical quirk commanding enough attention that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about moving Ohtani out of the leadoff spot before Game 3.

“Early on — it’s just funny how things change — where there was a lot of concern about Shohei not being able to get hits with the runners in scoring position,” Roberts said Tuesday during a workout at Citi Field.

“And now we’re all trying to find ways that [we] have to get guys on base so he can hit, right? I kind of find that comical.”

It was the second home run of the playoffs for Ohtani, who is in the first season of a 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money.

The two-way sensation, who did not pitch this year as he recovers from elbow surgery, is expected to win his third MVP Award after hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases for the first 50-50 season in MLB history.

He is now hitting .226 in his first postseason.

“Regardless of however they are pitching to me, my plan is to stay with the same approach, as much as possible and not really be too focused on how they attack me,” Ohtani said through an interpreter during Tuesday’s workout.

“In terms of the lineup, that is not my job to consider. I’m going to be as flexible as possible regardless of any situation or anywhere in the lineup that I am placed in.”

Ohtani, 30, finished 1 for 4 with a walk on Wednesday and is now 3 for 11 with four RBI in the series.

His home-run heroics capped a night in which the Mets’ offense was far less potent.

The Mets went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight baserunners.

They repeatedly squandered scoring opportunities against a Dodgers starter, Walker Buehler, who spiraled to a 1-6 record and a 5.38 ERA in the regular season, then surrendered six runs to the Padres in last week’s NLDS Game 3.

The Mets totaled six baserunners against the right-hander in the first three innings, during which they made Buehler labor to 73 pitches.

That included loading the bases with one out in the second inning, but – with the Dodgers leading 2-0 – Buehler froze Francisco Alvarez with a third-strike fastball, then punched out a swinging Francisco Lindor with a 3-2 knucklecurve.

Alvarez went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and is now hitting .143 in the playoffs.

In the third inning, Buehler struck out J.D. Martinez to escape a two-on, two-out jam.

And with the Mets trailing 4-0 in the sixth inning, Jose Iglesias grounded into a double play with two on and one out, despite going up 3-1 in the count against reliever Ryan Brasier.

The Mets went 0-for 3 with runners in scoring position in Sunday’s 9-0 loss at Dodger Stadium in Game 1, then went 4 for 12 in their 7-3 win there in Monday’s Game 2.

They’ve left 23 men on base through three games in the series.

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