The Boston Red Sox comfortably defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday night to clinch the team’s fourth World Series title in the past 15 years, and the first for the franchise since 2013.
The Red Sox won the series four games to one, pushing their postseason record to 11-3. Each of their playoff opponents won just a single game against the dominant Boston team.
Price Delivers, Pearce Gets MVP Honors
On Sunday, the Red Sox received yet another strong performance from David Price, the starting pitcher who had famously struggled in the playoffs throughout his career. Prince went seven innings, allowing only a single run on a first-inning David Freese home run on the way to collecting his second win of the World Series.
“Seeing all these grown men over there, just acting like kids, that’s what it’s all about,” Price said during the championship celebration. “This is why I came to Boston.”
Despite the two wins, Price didn’t earn the World Series MVP award. That honor instead went to Steve Pearce, who homered twice in Sunday night’s win. He finished the series with three home runs and eight RBIs.
“You know, baseball is a funny game,” the 35-year-old Pearce said after the win. “You never know where the game will take you. And I’ve gone through a lot in my life or in my career to be here, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
With his performance on Sunday, Pearce became just the three player aged 35 or older to hit multiple home runs in a World Series game, joining Babe Ruth and Ted Kluszewski on that exclusive list.
Dodgers Again Come Up Short in World Series
Clayton Kershaw took the loss for the Dodgers, allowing four runs in seven innings, with all of those runs coming on homers. The start was in many ways a microcosm of Kershaw’s postseason career: while he has still been a workhorse for Los Angeles in the playoffs, he hasn’t been the all-world ace they’ve had in the regular season throughout his career.
“It just hurts worse when you make it all the way and get second place,” Kershaw told reporters afterwards. This is the second straight year that the Dodgers reached the World Series only to come up short in the end.
Though it will be little consolation for players and fans, they can at least know that they lost to an all-time great team this year. Boston won 108 games in the regular season, and combined with the playoffs, finished the year with a 119-57 record.
“This is the greatest Red Sox team in history,” Boston owner John Henry said when receiving the World Series trophy.
While the season only ended a few hours ago, betting odds are already available on the 2019 World Series.
It comes as little surprise that the Red Sox are at the top of the list. Both Boston and the Houston Astros are 6/1 co-favorites to win the title next year, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Dodgers and the New York Yankees follow close behind at 7/1, with the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians each listed at 10/1.