Dominant Red Sox win World Series
LOS ANGELES: Steve Pearce slammed a pair of home runs and David Price tossed a seveninning gem to power the Boston Red Sox to a 51 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fourth World Series title in 15 years yesterday.
The Red Sox, after winning a franchise record and Major League Baseballbest 108 games during the regular season, carried their domination all the way to the World Series and overwhelmed the Dodgers 41 in the bestofseven series.
The Red Sox clinched their ninth World Series title with a lethal combination of power and pitching.
Game five starter Price surrendered one run on three hits in sevenplus innings to collect his third straight postseason win, while all the Red Sox runs were scored via home runs.
Pearce, who was named the World Series most valuable player, gave Boston a 20 lead it would never relinquish with a tworun blast in the first and added a solo shot in the eighth. Mookie Betts and JD Martinez hit solo home runs.
Price said winning the World Series was the whole reason he went to Boston.
‘‘Seeing all these grown men over there just acting like little kids, that’s what it’s all about,’’ he added. ‘‘To come out on top the way we did is unreal.’’
The Dodgers and their fans arrived at Chavez Ravine yesterday knowing only 13 teams had clawed their way back from 31 deficits to win a bestofseven postseason series.
The last to do it was the Chicago Cubs against the Cleveland Indians in 2016 as they claimed their first World Series crown in 108 years.
Backed into a corner and with their bullpen worn out, the Dodgers turned to threetime Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, while the Red Sox countered with their Cy Young winner Price.
The chances of a Fall Classic pitchers duel seemed unlikely when both starters were clobbered for firstinning home runs.
After Andrew Binitendi singled, Pearce took the first pitch he saw from Kershaw and launched into the centre field bleachers for a 20 lead.
The Dodgers, who were beaten by the Houston Astros in last season’s World Series, hit back right away when David Freese crushed a leadoff homer to get Los Angeles on the scoreboard.
The firstinning fireworks gave way to the pitching battle many had predicted with Price and Kershaw settling down and tossing four shutout innings.
Boston seized control in the sixth when Betts, in an 013 slump at the plate, smashed a solo shot while Martinez connected for a leadoff homer in the seventh. — Reuters