World Series: Relentless Red Sox Win the Title in Five Games

If two observations from Game 3's marathon weren't obvious then, they are now:

• If the Los Angeles Dodgers needed 18 innings to defeat Boston, their chances of winning the World Series were grim; and
• BoSox skip Alex Cora knows how to deploy his roster better than all the naysayers who speculated he blew up his pitching staff for the rest of the Series.

It should've been even more clear that after knocking the 100-win New York Yankees and 103-win Houston Astros outta the playoffs, the 108-win Red Sox had a clue about what they were doing.

 

True, dudes had to survive a magnificent performance in Game 4 by Rich Hill in Game 4 before an incredible set of miscommunications led to the LA arson squad seeing what they could do to make a 4-0 Dodger lead interesting again.

That's also when Boston's Chris Sale went from bench duty to bitchmeister.

 

It helped that trade deadline afterthought Steve Pearce kept his hot streak alive, and JD Martinez is simply the steadiest hitter in the game.

 

Here's a little snippet about the double-edged player that Manny Machado can be:

• Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos hated dude's 'tude;
• Ron Hopkins -- the scout who was previously was influential in drafting the talent that put the Texas Rangers in two straight World Series -- believed he was a generational talent;
• Angelos, a jerk of some repute in his own right, said if Hopkins drafted Machado, he'd be fired;
• Taking a hit for the greater good, Hopkins led the charge to draft Machado, anyway; and
• Angelos fired Hopkins.

 

And so it was that one of the most coveted players at the trade deadline contributed to the Dodger cause.

However, it's doubtful he did enough to displace Corey Seager when he returns to action.

 

Especially after Machado descended into villany by kicking first basemen, dogging it down the line, and with an inability to lay off face-high fastballs, pretending he's Manny Sanguillen 2.0.

At least he's versatile.

 

But like Clayton Kershaw's future, that's for the Dodgers to sort out.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have solidified their position as one of baseball's greatest teams.

It was no mean feat to clinch each of the 2018 playoff series on the road, especially when those venues were Yankee Stadium, Minute Maid Park, and now, Dodger Stadium.

 

It helped that David Price finally snapped into a groove.

Dude was full-service in the playoffs, from starter to set-up to whatever.

 

And whoever thought they'd ever hear MVP and Steve Pearce in the same World Series sentence?

 

 

No wonder the World Series is the dream of every kid who plays the game.

Every player, too, because you never know when your day in the sun will come.