Red Sox Take Early Lead in World Series
Ashton England
BOSTON – Behind David Price’s solid outing on Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox took a commanding lead in the 2018 Fall Classic. Continuing their momentum from the regular season, the 108 win Red Sox are a formidable opponent at home, boasting a 57-24 record at Fenway Park. The Los Angeles Dodgers failed to get their offense going for the second straight night, and look to bounce back on Friday night at Dodger Stadium in LA.
Boston, behind a powerhouse lineup that began their success last season, cruised their way through the regular season. They posted the best record in the Major Leagues, and had clinched a playoff berth on September 11th, in a tough American League Eastern Division. Their success can mostly be attributed to their ability to constantly put the ball in play, as four of their daily starters boasted a batting average over .300 on the season according to ESPN.com. The offense, in combination with a 1-2 punch in their starting rotation with Chris Sale and David Price, the Red Sox have played great baseball on both sides of the game. As they go to Los Angeles on Friday, they will seek an almost unshakable 3 to nothing lead in the World Series, which would be their second Commissioner’s Trophy of the decade if they can go on and clinch the series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers started the season on a rough skid, finding themselves 3 games under .500 to begin the month of June. But, after rallying themselves back into playoff contention, and a late trade for the Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier, Los Angeles ended the season in a tie for the National League Western Division with a decent Colorado Rockies team. In an absolute gem, the Dodgers powered their way over the Rockies, winning the NL West, on their climb to the Fall Classic. The World Series has not gone LA’s way so far, as pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu could not suppress Boston’s bats, giving up 12 runs over two games. Los Angeles will be happy to leave Fenway for
Dodger Stadium, as no team was able to handle the Red Sox at home. The Dodgers will give the young Walker Buehler the nod on the mound on Friday, and attempt to prevent falling into a three game deficit in the best of seven series. With their dominant bullpen, manager Dave Roberts will likely leave Buehler in for no more than five innings, and contain the Boston offense as much as he can to keep his team in the ballgame.
In what has been a historic season for the Red Sox, they have made history just by meeting up with Los Angeles in the World Series, a team they have never faced in the postseason. This season’s fall classic is a duel of two great offensive teams, that have varying pitch
ing strengths. The Red Sox with their formidable starting rotation, and the Dodgers with their consistent bullpen, pose a great matchup as these two teams’ offenses keep finding a way to make the Fall Classic an interesting one. Both teams have invested a lot of money into their payrolls to make it to this point, but we shall see which investments pay off in the coming days, as only one team can hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy in the end.
