LOS ANGELES—Look, I’m not fan of baseball. It is the one sport that absolutely bores me to death, but for reasons that I cannot fathom, I was eagerly intrigued to watch the 2018 World Series. The battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox was a fascinating sports series to watch, where at times I thought the Dodgers had a chance, but in my gut I knew it was not happening.
It was a bit of déjà vu from 2017 in 2018, why? The Boston Red Sox managed to win another World Series on Sunday, October 28, defeating the Dodgers 5-1. It was eerie because the Houston Astros defeated the Dodgers in 2017 in Game 5 also with a score of 5-1. I want to go back to Game 4, because I think that was the decisive game that ultimately allowed the Red Sox to win the series. Why? That minor mistake by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to pull out pitcher Rich Hill and replace him with Scott Alexander left so many baffled.
I mean the Dodgers were leading the game 4-0, and that minor hiccup allowed Boston to gain the momentum and from there nothing was stopping Boston who went on to a 9-6 victory. Turn the attention to Game 5 where the Dodgers needed a win to survive, but the Boston Red Sox wanted to close out the series and so they did. Red Sox pitcher David Price was stellar during the game, and pitched several innings without giving up any hits to Dodgers players, and Steve Pearce was indeed the MVP of the series. I mean the guy hit home run after home run and was on fire during Game 5. Let’s face it, between him and Price, they WERE the reason Boston claimed the victory.
No doubt in my mind Pearce was the MVP of the series; he was phenomenal and I’m not even a fan of the Boston Red Sox, but as a fan of sports you appreciate skill and great athleticism when you see it play out. The Red Sox have proven to be a powerhouse in the past 15 years winning a total of 4 World Series: 2004, 2007, 2013 and now 2018.
While a Dodgers fan, it was heartbreaking watching the team lose its second consecutive World Series in a Game 5. The looks on the faces of Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig just riddled the level of hurt so many Dodgers fans felt during Game 4 and Game 5. I mean we cannot forget about that incredible Game 3 which went 18 innings and clocked in just under 8 hours of baseball.
That is not just unbelievable, but a pure sign that the team was hungry for a victory. Well, 2017 and 2018 weren’t the time for the LA Dodgers, but maybe, just maybe 2019 will be the year that the Dodgers finally claim the title. We’ll see.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
