The 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 and cemented their status as the most dominant team in baseball.
Steve Pearce
This was a win that felt inevitable from the first pitch. Thanks to World Series MVP Steve Pearce it pretty much was.
Over 3 at bats at the end of game 4 and the beginning of game 5 Pearce was unstoppable. 2 Home Runs, a Double, and 6 RBI. He threw in another homer in the 8th to put the cherry on top of this Championship.
Turns out that kind of performance puts you shoulder to shoulder with MLB Legends. Here’s a couple of facts that stand out.
- Steve Pearce joins Babe Ruth in 1927 and Lou Gehrig in 1928 with at least one home run and three RBI in back to back World Series Games.
- Pearce, Ruth, and Ted Kluszewski are the only players in history to have a multiple home run game at age 35 or older in the World Series
Pearce told Andrew Benintendi before the series started that he wanted to win World Series MVP so he could go to the owners’ box at a Patriots game and sit with Bob Kraft and Bon Jovi. Mission accomplished my man.
I thought this World Series would invoke Legends, little did I know Steve Pearce would join them.
David Price
David Price dopped the mic on his postseason failures for all time. In this game he went 7 plus innings, 1 run, 5 strikeouts. Doing that on full rest would’ve been beyond outstanding.
But he didn’t just out-duel Clayton Kershaw, he did it on shortest of short rest. He pitched in 4 out of the 5 World Series games. In the game he didn’t pitch he warmed up. On the biggest stage he had the best stretch of his career.
Alex Cora on David Price: “David loves to be ready to compete on a daily basis. He enjoys being available, and he was available the whole time. (He texted) Count on me, use me, he just wanted to compete.”
Chris Sale: “I’m gonna tell my grand kids about (playing with) David Price.”
Here’s some pretty sweet play by play that shows David Price’s joy.
Chris Sale punches out Manny Machado. More on this in a moment.
Christian Vazquez runs to Chris Sale and look who gets there next.
What a moment for David Price, just look at his face!
Live it up David, you earned it.
Chris Sale
This says it all when it comes to what Chris Sale means to this team. Look at his teammates as he comes out of the bullpen to start the 9th inning last night.
Chris Sale entering the game (bullpen cheering). #EnterSaleman pic.twitter.com/2avCNnTGNn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 29, 2018
I didn’t see Craig Kimbrel getting a standing ovation by his teammates coming into any games this post season.
And the way he had Manny Machado flailing on that immaculate slider. Satisfaction of the highest order.
Alex Cora
All night in the post game it was a Song of Alex Cora from all the players and ownership. Because he put the players in a position to succeed. He communicated at an all time level. He was outstanding at every little thing.
Alex Cora has been the Night’s King since Hardhome: All out aggressive and piling up wins.
He’s pulled all the right levers this postseason and he was on his game last night.
Steve Pearce batting third? Check. David Price batting in the top of the eighth? Check. Bring in Chris Sale who will probably need surgery next week to close? Check mate.
He has won the World Series as a player, a bench coach, and now a manager.
Ownership
Take a bow guys. 4 Championships in 14 years. They cleaned house after last year and chose the right guy in Alex Cora. These guys are good.
Nathan Eovaldi
A quick word about iron man Nathan Eovaldi. Take it away John Henry: “I mean he set us up, so that for the next two nights our bullpen was in good shape, and their wasn’t, that was the difference.”
It could be said no Eovaldi, no World Series Championship.
Now it truly is time to party.
? A lot going on here – Mitch Moreland with the beer shower, Brock Holt singing, and Eduardo Rodriguez with the speaker on his shoulder #RedSox #WBZ #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/jJcYinwPy8
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) October 29, 2018