As sports fans know, Los Angeles and Boston have battled for NBA supremacy on several occasions. The two cities will square off again beginning Tuesday, but instead of the Lakers and Celtics fighting for a championship, it’ll be the Dodgers and Red Sox vying for a World Series title. At the outset of the 2018 MLB season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see either of these teams in this position. Nearly seven months later, however, it’s fair to say the clubs took wildly different paths to arrive at this point.
The Red Sox were dominant from the jump, winning 17 of their first 19 games, and they didn’t let up much en route to a league-best 108-54 record. The club finished with the sport’s second-best run differential in the process (plus-229), thanks largely to a Mookie Betts– and J.D. Martinez-led attack which crossed home plate more than any other offense. Despite being an AL MVP front-runner, Betts’ production has fallen flat this postseason (.578 OPS in 44 plate appearances), making it all the more impressive that the Red Sox went 7-2 against the majors’ only other 100-win teams – the Yankees and Astros – in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Earning a playoff berth was never in doubt for the Red Sox, but the Dodgers were in peril at multiple points during the regular season. The team was supposed to roll after winning an NL pennant last year and losing a seven-game classic to the Astros in the World Series. Instead, the Dodgers began the season in catastrophic fashion, winning just 16 of their first 42 games – a stretch in which they saw star shortstop Corey Seager undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Things were so dire for the club in mid-May that I polled MLBTR readers on whether the Dodgers would even make the playoffs. Nearly 65 percent of voters said they wouldn’t. But manager Dave Roberts never wavered during the Dodgers’ horrific start, declaring: “When it’s all said and done, the Dodgers will be at the top of the division.”
The Dodgers ultimately did rally to win the NL West for a sixth straight year, but they were in third place in the division as late as September. They also needed to win a Game 163 versus the Rockies to settle it, and after cruising past the Braves in a four-game NLDS, they went the distance against the Brewers in a seven-game NLCS. To this point, the Dodgers own a 99-75 record (92-71 during the regular season), which pales in comparison to the Red Sox’s mark. But they did run away with the NL’s regular-season run differential title (plus-194), giving them a 102-61 Pythagorean record which is right in line with Boston’s (103-59). They also led the majors in position player fWAR and wRC+, and topped the NL in pitcher fWAR and runs scored. All of those numbers help illustrate that the Dodgers are where they belong, despite their trying regular season.
Looking beyond the stats, this series has no shortage of interesting storylines. It begins in the dugout, with Roberts (an ex-Boston player) versus rookie manager Alex Cora, a third-round draft pick of the Dodgers in 1996 who was a member of the team from ’98-2004. Both managers had signature moments in those teams’ uniforms – Roberts served as a playoff hero for the curse-breaking Red Sox in 2004, the same year Cora capped off an 18-pitch at-bat with a home run.
On the field, a pair of the most dominant lefties ever – Boston’s Chris Sale and LA’s Clayton Kershaw – could match up on multiple occasions, and they’re supported by bullpens that feature all-time great closers (the Red Sox’s Craig Kimbrel and the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen). Those pitchers will contend with offenses which possess transcendent hitters, including Betts and Martinez on the Boston side and LA’s Justin Turner and Manny Machado – a longtime Oriole who has spent almost all of his career in the Red Sox’s division. Machado, whom the Dodgers acquired over the summer in response to Seager’s injury, hasn’t hidden his disdain for the Red Sox in the past.
With Machado on the verge of becoming one of the most sought-after free agents ever, this series may be his last in a Dodgers uniform. As his Dodgers tenure potentially winds down, perhaps Machado will help deliver the franchise’s first World Series title since 1988. On the other side, the Red Sox will attempt to take home their fourth championship since Roberts contributed to their cause a decade and a half ago. Which team do you expect to end up as the last one standing in 2018?
(poll link for app users)
the first sentence is wrong, the Celtics and Lakers last met in the finals in 2008, not the 80’s.
But I’m picking the Sox in 6
The first word in your reply isn’t capitalized.
Neither is ‘finals’ and the Lakers and Celtics actually last met in 2010 lol
2010
Does it still count that I caught the typo?
No it does not count. It actually never did.
2010 too.
I’ll be watching the shopping channel, nothing worth watching for the next week!!
Will you take the rest of the trolls with you please?
I took a poll and could not find a LAD or Sox fan who is upset that NYY fans won’t be watching.
I’d turn off the shopping channel and get to Costco for a 24 pack of Kirkland tissue boxes.
I find the shopping channel too action packed. I will be busy watching paint dry during the World Series. I would wish both could lose but that would take too much time. Sox in 4 but who cares?
Not the Brewers
This post endorsed by the “Save starting pitching from extinction foundation.”
I’m fairly certain the “Bullpening wins the post season association” is no where to be found.
Uhm if Jeffress doesn’t implode in this series they probably win it…
Hahaha. I love playing the if game. Face it…in a season defined by a six-week stretch of unsustainable performance and fortune, Milwaukee still failed to even get to the WS. Stop and let that settle in and then realize all those max-out failed SPs will be in the rotation next year down at least 5 mph from the postseason. Recipe for disaster.
Thats the whole point. With bullpening your bound to find soemone who doesn’t have it. Counsell made it that Jeffress was his only option in game 2 and 7 at those times
Counsel just kept going back to him. It was maddening.
That’s not true. If everybody pitches to their potential they win. Same thing could have happened to Sale, Kershaw, Chacin, etc. Anybody could have a bad game at any time. Bullpening is not what cost the Brewers this series.
And if the queen had balls she’d be King
Counsell was exposed for being the terrible manager that he is. Wow.
Uhm if Counsell let a starting pitcher go more than two innings Jeffress may not be needed to blow games as often and they win the pennant with a chance to win the world series. I guess bullpening was a bad idea!
Oh JD bullpening absolutely caused them the series.
The more pitchers you bring in for no reason, the more pitchers you take out for no reason, the more pitchers you use, the better chance that one or more people do not “have it” that game and blow it.
You see you claim but “if everybody pitches to their potential they win”.
Thats the point if why its such a bad idea!! You are using too many pitchers when you do not have to and they all must pitch to their potential to win and the more you use the more you increase the chances that they do not all have it.
But thats just the thing. Chacin didn’t necessarily have a bad game. He got pulled immediately. As soon as Hader left 3 runs scored.
When you possess a nuclear weapon in the bullpen why would you choose to drop it before the real war starts. What were you trying to end Mr Counsell?
The Brewers SP had an ERA way lower than their BP. Problem is that BP was so dominant in the regular season that CC didn’t trust his SP. The BP threw way more innings than the SP in this series.
Where are the Brewer fans now?
Still laughing at the Cubs
Scheming how to get some of that excess Cardinal pitching for next season.
Lakers and Celtics met in Finals in 2008 and 2010. But still crazy that the Dodgers and Red Sox last played each other in the World Series in 1916!
They weren`t even known as the Dodgers then either. They were the Robins.
Zach Wheat was a beast that season too!
Why is that crazy?
As a Yankee’s fan, I look forward to this as much as a Patriots-Cowboys Super Bowl. Sigh.
That’s the equivalent of the Yankees – Phillies 2009 World Series as a Mets fan
Or as a fan of any other team besides the Yankees and Phillies.
Haha, true that!
Cowboys, Yankees, Lakers, and Red wings! Let’s go!
Manchester United
You’d rather have had A’s vs. Brewers? It may not make New Yorkers happy, but television loves matchups like this.
I think most people would have preferred to see someone new.
I preferred Astros vs Brewers in WS. Time for flyover country to get some TV recognition but the right and left coasters would ignore it anyway.
Yankees fans should never complain
Milwaukee….no wait. They’re now a perfect 0-50 in franchise history. In a season where absolutely everything fell their way over the last six weeks of the season, they STILL lost. Good luck replicating what was an incredible run of blind luck.
What? They were the best team in their division. Hardly any “blind luck” involved.
He’s probably one of those Cubs fans that can’t accept they don’t have a dynasty and are just bitter they watched two opposing teams celebrate on their field twice in two days. They went from the best record in the NL to out of the postseason in the span of less than 48 hours.
Put up your NL Central banner and pretend it means something. Brewers fans love changing the goal posts and loved giving numbers. 98 years, 102 years, 108 years…that was funny stuff. How about this number….0-50. NEVER won a championship.
Go ahead and think Milwaukee is a young team in a rebuild. It’s not….it’s much older than you think and regression is going to be delicious.
You’re afully angry for an internet thread. Better watch that blood pressure, that’ll kill ya.
I actually don’t care much about the Brewers. I just can’t stand Cubs fans. Do you really think Milwaukee is still in a rebuild? Did you see all the trades they made or the acquisitions in the off-season? They are in the middle of their peak, unlike the Cubs which will be back in third place next season.
Cubs are actually looking pretty good next year.
Lester, Darvish, Chatwood, and Bryant have gotten worse. Baez still can’t hit a curveball but bless his heart he tries. Morrow proved he’s still injury prone.
Good news is Heyward is a league average hitter for the first time in 3 years.
Love that the Cubs bit the bag but the two teams that got to celebrate in the visitors clubhouse at Wrigley were cheated. About as big as an oversized closet while the mightly Cubs wander around in a 30K sq ft cubhouse and even have a party room.
They were in second and third the entire season until the last few days.
Ok? They were still the best team in the NL. I don’t understand how that was “blind luck”.
Excuse me it appears like the Dodgers are (not were) the best team in the NL this year
You know what I meant.
Exactly. Not lucky. They simply choked.
Wrong..
Seattle Pilots doesn’t count. They’re 0-49. Don’t be so harsh.
I need a write in option
As a Yankee fan I actually want the Red Sox to win. The Dodgers might win though because their pitching is great and Cody Ballinger and Chris Taylor are great hitters. The Red Sox’s offense sometimes disappears in big situations
So in other words raytown either team can win
National league all the way,
I wish I could agree being a Cardinals fan but I draw the line at seeing the Dodgers or Cubs win anything. The Brewers were my last hope so watching the paint dry will serve as my entertainment this week.
The rare instance of when one player really does make a difference. The Sox have Mookie; the Dodgers don’t. Sox in 6 or 7.
You’re right, look at Trout! One player is not making a difference, even Bonds at his peak couldn’t win a championship. It’ll come down to timely hitting from the line up and big pitches in key situations as it always does. Betts could hit .125 and the Sox could still win and he could hit .444 and they could loose.
But what if he hits .444 AND they’re all homeruns? Lols.
Nobody thinks that that is impossible……look, it’s a pretty evenly matched series; pluses and minuses everywhere on both sides…..just think Sox have more guys likely to influence the outcome (don’t sleep on Steve Pearce, with all those LA lefties)….could go either way….
Blake Swihart
World Series MVP!!!
….on his way o the Cobblestone of Cooperstown……..
Really a player with 8 hits in the playoffs? Unless a guy is scortching hot 2011 Freese, 2017 Springer 1 guy cant make a diffrence. And mookie certainly isn’t scortching at the moment
Freese is not allowed to get too hot. A dinger and a double gets him pulled from the game. for MUNCY???
It will be a really good series of two pretty evenly-matched teams. Red Sox o; utscored their opponents by 229 runs, dodgers by almost 200; if David Price’s last start wasn’t just good luck but rather an indication he’s put things together somehow that’s a huge plus; ditto Kershaw. Both teams have terrific offenses and just so-so bullpens, although the Dodgers bullpen was pretty good in the NLCS. I have no rooting interest in the series but I like both teams and the way they use information very much. I think it will be a good series entertaining baseball and the Dodgers win.
What will the ratings be vs an average NFL game?
TV ratings? Does anyone in 2018 still care about TV ratings? There are only like a dozen other ways to watch a baseball game these days than on TV,
“Does anyone in 2018 still care about TV ratings?” Well let’s see, all professional leagues, Advertisers, just to name a few. Streaming services are counted into TV ratings..so yes there also. It doesn’t matter how you watch in 2018, because it’s counted in the ratings.
Yes TV ratings matter to MLB executives and team owners.
Players too care. They get their cut and paid their world series shares from playoff profit including TV money.
What’s your point? I only care about my ratings.
Sorry should’ve thrown in any NBA game involving Lebron, Warriors, or the Celtics.
Great. A battle of 2 200 million payroll teams. Just buy a championship! Yes, I’m a Brewers fan
your still right. first year I dont even care to watch. its insane. at least the cap will tighten in coming years and with TV cash the bottom will catch up some
They do not have a salary cap to tighten so good luck tightening it.
Ya, Heavyweight Bouts are boring. Who wants to see that!
Sour grapes. Brewers were more talented despite the smaller payroll so that excuse does not work Brewer fans. If Brewer fans need to assign blame then look no further than Craig Counsell who managed the Brewers to the loss of all hope.
Are you related to Eileen?
Actually the Dodgers payroll this season was $199,547.
I doubt that figure is official. They made holding payroll under $197M a high priority right from the start. No way they exceeded it by $2.5M and made the entire exercise pointless.
To be fair, almost all the contenders thus year were built with talent of similar ratios, FA, Trades, Homegrown, etc.
I think the Red Sox did spend a little more on the FA market than most and the Dodgers used their farm to make more trades (of course, they have used more money to build a deeper farm system), but money doesn’t always guarantee consistent success, just look at the Mets & Angels.
Plenty of big markets out there, but haven’t seen a Dynasty since the Yankees were the only big spender. The small markets will always have smaller windows; might just have to accept it.
Even if I wasn’t a Red Sox fan, I would still choose them just for the simple fact that I cannot stand Machado nor Puig!!!!
Machado will be aiming for Betts or J.D. in hopes of an injury.
HAHA I love it. Can’t wait til Machado is a Yankee triggering all you soft liberal red sox fans on the reg
Machado, in my view, has reduced his value with one foot slide intent on injury and grabbing for guys junk on 2B slides. His pretty hair doo is the envy of several other blonde head Latins. I would hope not to see him on my favorite team. Puig has actually improved his image since his first year. Now he is just a plain buffoon instead of a jackass.
If Sale and Price are on, the Sox win pretty easily. Else, it’s a close series and a few key plays will determine the outcome.
Sale is only going 4 or 5 innings. They have to hope Barnes and Kelly are in top form.
Sale goes at LEAST 6 innings, 1 or fewer runs, and 10+ Ks!
Dodgers. If you dislike any of their players; ignore your hate (Machado, Puig etc..) and focus on Kershaw.
Isn’t Kershaw overdue to win his 1st ring?
Also NYY fan who doesn’t want BOS
Boston in 6
-5-
Dodgers are criminally underrated in the poll. They matchup well against Sox
I wouldn’t say “criminally underrated”….they just snuck in winning their division….And you can throw most of the stats out, like you usually can…Sox were coasting the last 2 months of the season…..doesn’t do much for the counting stats….Dodgers have a lineup full of 3-outcome guys, Sox a bit more versatile….Dodgers have better pitching, Sox better defense…..they’re equal in a lot of ways, neither outcome surprises me…..
Yes but no one likes Machado so we’re just going to hope that the dodgers have no chance and call it a day.
The Dodgers are not the favorite v. The 108 win Boston Red Sox and to suggest that makes the Dodgers even underrated, let alone “criminally” underrated is absurd.
The MVP of the NLCS for the Dodgers should be Craig Counsell for his constant bonehead managerial moves. Wow is he a bad manager.
He overmanaged, but even I would have been in favor of Hader starting game 7. It made too much sense, I don’t know why he went Chacin. Hader on 3 days rest probably meant 3-4 innings, possibly even 5 or 6 depending on pitch count.
I wonder if the Brewers re-sign Moose. I am a Dodger fan. They are good. Pitching makes me nervous and the reliance on the homer to win, I can’t call it. The series will be a dogfight.
Let’s hope that Manny keeps showing his true colors and watch him lose millions what a joke as a person
For those who are complaining about “big payroll” teams, consider that the Sox commit more of their revenue to payroll (51%, per Forbes and Cot’s) than any team in MLB (233/453). The Dodgers? A paltry 36%( 187/522). The Rays and Reds (for example)? 32% (76/233 for both).
Yes, the Sox make a lot of money, and everybody knows that every MLB team lies about revenue. But just from the available numbers, we see Sox ownership is just more committed to winning than any other team. I can’t see any criticism for that.
People love billionaires hoarding the money and think being the top payroll is bad
It’s only bad when the Yankees have the top payroll, right?
More committed than any other team? I don’t think that’s true at all. Do you know these owners personally? Do you know how bad they want to win? I don’t think you do so I wouldn’t making a stupid commit speculating on how bad someone wants to win or someone’s lack of wanting to win when you really have no idea if someone wants to win more than someone else. I get it, you’re a Red Sox fan and you love that your team spends to win. I’m a Dodgers fan and after the McCourts I really appreciate these new owners spending to win as well but I wouldn’t ever say we want to win more than others because we spend more than they do or another team wants to win more than us because they spend more than us. Just isn’t accurate.
I’m well aware that while the Sox probably don’t have any debt (if they do, it’s for tax purposes) since the franchise has tripled (a bit more, actually) in value since John Henry bought the team. And that the Dodgers, since MLB was in heat go rid of McCourt, we’re bought with a load of debt.
But attacks on the Sox because they spend on payroll are just silly. Other teams have greater revenue; they don’t spend on product on the field. It’s rather self explanatory. ALL teams spend less of their total revenue than the Sox do.
And my comment wasn’t directed to the Dodgers; more to the “small market” whiners who cry poverty. If the Rays (e.g.) had spent 51% of their revenue on payroll, it would 118M, and with those additions, they may have very well won the division. (And I truly doubt they have any debt either).
I certainly didn’t mean to criticize the Dodgers, who are a first-rate organization; no one doubts it. Neither team got to the WS because of money only; the Killer-B’s on the Sox could all be on the Reds if they scouted properly, and Max Muncy and Walker Buehler could both be Royals.
It takes more than money……
Looks like bigpapi4ever might have been on to something…
I cheer for the only Canadian team, but I want the Red Sox to win. Their players are very interesting (Betts, JD, Kinsler, and Pearce who is one of my favourite players. I do not like LA with Machado and Puig. But i do give them credit from being on the brink multiple times during the season.
Go Boston! Go AL! The real baseball league.
Why is the AL the “real” league?
The NL is eventually going to have a DH. Your time is limited.. Awful watching a pitcher swing a bat.. You want Bumgarner to hit? Then put him at DH.
NEVER!
Yeah it’s hard to have to hire a manager who actually has to make tough decisions on the pitcher batting, double switches, etc. It is what made the game not creating a position for old farts who can’t play the field. What’s next, designated runners for the old DHers with bad wheels.
What the hell are you talking about the AL being the “Real”.baseball league? The AL is the league that added the DH to their league so that they could continue to roll out players that couldn’t play in the field anymore.. So I don’t they would be considered the real league.
And every other baseball league in the world followed suit. Only the NL is still paying pitchers to come up at bat. I refuse to call that joke “hitting”.
This reminds me of the 1904 Giants who proclaimed they were playing in the only major league and refused to play in the WS after the Red Sox had won in 1903.
In the first season of the DH, 1973, many of the first DHs were former NL players who could no longer field their position:
Tommy Davis
Orlando Cepeda
Frank Howard
Jim Ray Hart
Ollie Brown
Deron Johnson
Hal McRae
Alex Johnson
It wont be easy for LA to match the Red Sox offense
I dont really care who wins. And I dont like either team. My wish for the World Series is that Dodgers and Red Sox fans have to listen to Tim McCarver call every game.
Amen. Except add in Buck and Arod for added torture.
Yes!
Damn… I feel bad that you don’t have anyone to root for in the Series, but do you have to wish THAT much evil on the rest of us?!?!?
Whichever team does a better job in overcoming their “formerly dominant but currently failing” closer should win the series…
Life long, die hard Dodgers fan and I just can’t see them beating the Red Sox. That’s a hell of a team they have. I feel like we have the bats to keep us in the game but our starting pitching has been shaky. Ryu hasn’t looked like himself, Buehler had a good game yesterday but not great and was helped out a lot. Kershaw looked good besides one game and same for Hill so two of our starter I think will be fine but the other two I’m not sure at all about. I still for the life of me can’t understand why we were all all about adding bats and not pitching at the Deadline. I do think we have a lineup that will benefit from the DH and previous years we weren’t a good team when we played in American League ball parks because we weren’t built like that but I do think we are this season. Still just have a hard time thinking we can beat this Red Sox team. We’ve struggled to get to this point while the Red Sox cruised here on cruise control. Obviously hope we can win but just not sure. Either way I hope it’s a good series and do think it should be. Can’t take getting to the World Series for granted and who knows when we will ever get here again so I can only hope and pray we win this one, win it for Tommy Lasorda, for Vin and for Kershaw! That would be amazing to get onenlast World Series sun got Tommy and Vin and get the win for Kershaw who I really don’t know ho much longer he will be with the Dodgers and the guys given us everything he’s got throughout his career.
So you are still beating the pitching is an issue drum? You went nuts about their bullpen at the trade deadline and behold the pen was dominant in the playoffs (much better than the hyped Brewers pen). SP was fine 5/7 games in the NLCS. This series will come down to the status of the Dodger bats.
you didn’t watch the last 5 year playoffs?? the last 5 years our offense was unable to score runs and look at our numbers with risp. we need a lot of relief help but our FO did cheap trades due to the Luxury tax and one of them Madson did a great job.
It pains me to say this but the Sox will win this World Series handily. Sox in 4, maybe 5
I voted Dodgers because that’s who I want to win.
It’s a poll about what you want and how you feel, really. I voted for the Dodgers not so much because I am a Dodger fan or that I necessarily expect them to win, but to counter the insufferable Boston fans who assume they are entitled to win.
Dodgers because Magic is clutch. Plus I think it’s their turn.
I just hope the series is range of the hype, it should be epic
Red Sox have shaky relief pitching versus great deep Dodger bench but Red Sox lineup pretty relentless, and they smash lefties as well as righties. Will take near perfect performances from Dodger starting pitching and some hops going their way. I tend to think in sports, though, the more ifs you strong together the more you’re basically admitting your team doesn’t have much of a shot.
I’d rather hear a California hottie brag about the Dodgers winning than a loud mouth Bostonite brag for the rest of time about it. We know Boston has a good team and I always hope they beat the Yankees, other than that , go away Boston honks!
Well LAD have a couple of egomaniac players, but BOS has insufferable fans.
Still don’t know who to root for.
Win or Lose makes no difference, just another excuse for a LA riot.
If Joe west is umpiring this series it will be Sox in 4. Must be nice to have a 10th man on the field.