The Boston Red Sox are the 2018 World Series Champions. The Red Sox won over the Los Angeles Dodgers in only five games, taking an early lead in Games 1 and 2 at Boston.  

Although the Dodgers came back in a thrilling Game 3 that went to 18 innings, the longest game in World Series history, with LA’s Max Muncy hitting a moonshot to the opposite field to walk it off, the Sox took Games 4 and 5 in Los Angeles to heist the Commissioner’s Trophy.

The Red Sox, who have won the World Series four times since 2004, had 108 wins out of 162 games in the 2018 regular season, having the best record that year. 108 wins is a franchise record for the Sox, while the MLB record is held by the 1906 Cubs and 2001 Mariners at 116.

Boston was the favorite to win since the beginning of the postseason, having two MVP candidates, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez, and a lefty ace that has put fear into hitters all season, Chris Sale. With a lineup that includes Betts and Martinez, along with Xander Bogaerts, Steve Pearce, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr, the Red Sox losing in the Fall Classic would be a miracle.

Although the Red Sox were heavily favored by the media, many fans thought they would be one and done in the playoffs, like the previous two years. They proved them wrong, and ended the 2018 season as world champions.

Series Recap:

Game 1 was a tight game. The Dodgers were trailing the Red Sox going into the seventh inning, until one of baseball’s worst players of the 2018 season, Eduardo Nunez, came up to pinch hit and smashed a three run home run over the green monster to put the Red Sox up in the series 1-0.

Games 2 and 4 had a similar outcome to Game 1, with the thrilling 18 inning Game 3 sandwiched between that the Dodgers took a win in, forcing a Game 5.

It was the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 5 that sealed Boston’s World Series championship. Sox starter Chris Sale made a relief appearance. It was an 0-2 count on one of baseball’s biggest current stars, Manny Machado. Sale threw his unhittable slider, and Machado swung and missed  at a ball near his hands.