The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in the 2018 World Series. Some delivered an almost perfect season, others had to tremble until the last day – and beyond. A look at the Classic case.
What kind of crazy season did the Boston Red Sox put down? They won 108 games in the Regular Season – a new franchise record for the team of rookie manager Alex Cora. And there we are with the first big feature of this Red Sox – Alex Cora is having his first season as a manager!
Cora already knows enough about the World Series in general, after all he is allowed to own two rings. In 2007 he won the title with Boston as Shortstop, 2017 with the Houston Astros as Bench Coach. He already won the latter title knowing that he would return to the Sox as skipper in 2018.
Cora is only the third manager ever to reach the Classic case in his rookie season. Previously, only Ralph Houk in 1961 (Yankees) and Bob Brenley in 2001 (Diamondbacks) managed this. Both of them also won the series.
The Red Sox played almost from the start like a unified whole. They achieved by far the most runs and had the second best run difference in the league. And in the playoffs they beat arch-rivals Yankees and defending champions Houston with just one defeat each – they are still unbeaten away in this postseason anyway (5 wins).
The question of whether this team should be stopped at all is therefore quite appropriate.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had a completely different season, but in the end they won the National League West for the sixth time in a row. Unlike in previous years, however, this was anything but sovereign. In April alone, L.A. was a disaster and threatened to dig itself a really deep hole.
A ridiculously high number of injuries explained much of the early problems. Fortunately for them, however, the Colorado and Arizona rivals were not able to set themselves apart, so the Dodgers, who gradually came back thanks to an inexhaustible squad depth and a few key trades – first and foremost Shortstop Manny Machado.
But in the end it even took a 163rd game, a one-game playoff, to decide the winner of the AL West. The Dodgers outdid the Rockies in the last instance and then got rid of the up-and-coming Atlanta Braves in just four games. The NLCS against the Brewers then became a crime thriller, of course, but in seven games they proved their stamina against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Probably the most exciting storylines around this team in the coming days are the future of Clayton Kershaw and manager Dave Roberts’ reunion with the Red Sox.
Superstar pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s contract runs until the end of 2020, but the left-hander has an exit clause after this season. He himself does not yet want to be determined, but according to media reports it is expected that he will terminate the contract prematurely. On the open market, Kershaw should easily be the biggest fish in the pond and dissolve a bidding competition.
So it is quite possible that we will see Kershaw in the Dodgers jersey for the last time in the coming days. The question then is whether he will go as a hero or his reputation as a playoff bust – which is already unjustified in view of his total numbers – will continue to lag him.
And then there’s Roberts against the Red Sox. Remember: Roberts was the hero of the 2004 postseason when he stole second base with two outs in ALCS’s ninth inning against the Yankees in Game 4 as Pinch Runner against over-Closer Mariano Rivera and then equalized on Bill Mueller’s single. The Sox then turned the series around after being 0-3 behind and finally won the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
Will the hero of yore stand in the way of his team this time with his numerous maneuvers?
The Boston Red Sox have so far been quite clearly structured in their constellations and personnel decisions. Of course, the constant interplay between Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon was continued on the catcher position. One is offensive and better with the arm, the other is the better game caller and receiver. But these are nuances.
Cora also tends to swap Rafael Devers late in the game for the defensively slightly better Eduardo Nunez on third base. At first base it depends on the throwing arm of the opponent’s pitcher whether Mitch Moreland (against right-handed players) or Steve Pearce (against lefties) plays.
But this is all more or less “by the Books”. But if you look at the Dodgers, nobody knows exactly what to expect from the staff. Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez both can play almost anything in and out of field, Cody Bellinger except First Base everything in outfield and Power-Rookie Max Muncy can be used everywhere on the Diamond except as a shortstop.
And these are only the most obvious options for Roberts, who is mostly aggressive and free in bullpen management. The latter, in turn, Cora has also acquired during the last weeks, although he still seemed a bit shaky in some situations.
A new variant could be seen in the Dodger Stadium in games 3 to 5: To keep Designated Hitter J.D. Martinez in lineup at the National League Stadium, Right Fielder Mookie Betts might return to his infield roots and play second base!
A rather curious aspect of this series is the discrepancy in the financial approaches of both teams this season. Both are moving in opposite directions here. While the Dodgers, who have been really getting their money’s worth since 2013 thanks to new owners and have been paying luxury taxes ever since, the Red Sox mostly stayed below this threshold.
The Dodgers have each had the highest payrolls in the past four years and spent the all-time record of 291 million dollars in 2015 – this record applies to all US profile winners, not just MLB! In the previous year, the figure was still around 254 million at the end of the season.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, usually ranged between 160 and 170 million and did not increase their total to over 200 million for the first time until 2016. The previous year’s figure of just under 192 million was once again below the luxury tax threshold. But in 2018 the Red Sox opened the year with almost 234 million. The total will be just under 240 million at the end of the year. This is well above the luxury tax limit (197 million dollars) and by far the highest payroll in the league.
And the Dodgers? They were on a rigorous austerity course by their standards and also lowered the opening day payroll to 187 million thanks to targeted trades. Even with the Machado trade, you will stay just below the border and for the first time since 2012 no longer pay luxury taxes.
In the weddings from 2013 to 2017, the World Series was only reached in 2017 and failed in seven games against Houston. Otherwise there were some failures. Wouldn’t it be highly ironic if the title were at the end now that you no longer spend the most money – against the big donors of the league?!
Once again we clarify the question of what is psychologically more advantageous: to be permanently under tension and to fight your way through one long series after the other – or to march confidently and quite relaxed.
The Red Sox will go into the series rested and can line up their starters as they like. The Dodgers, on the other hand, had to use Kershaw to close in game 7 on Saturday. So will he be able to play match 1 on Tuesday with only a two-day break – and if so, in what condition?
In general, however, Boston’s sheer superiority floats above this series. After what this troop has achieved so far, one literally expects the next march through. In exaggerated terms, it may even be necessary to ask whether a sweep is even within the realm of what is feasible. However, the role of the Favorite should always be clearly distributed.
This article was published without prior review by Major League Baseball.