Red Sox win World Series behind Price’s great start, defeat Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5
Oct 28, 2018; Los Angeles, CA: The Boston Red Sox celebrate defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
The Boston Red Sox are World Series champions for the ninth time in franchise history, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 5 to win the 2018 Fall Classic four games to one. David Price earned the win to complete a dominating series in which he went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA, winning both starts and adding a scoreless relief appearance in Game 3.
Steve Pearce provided the bulk of the offense for the Red Sox in the Game 5 clincher, after becoming the hero on Saturday night in the Red Sox’ Game 4 win. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs, and 4-for-12 with three homers and eight RBIs in the series. Mookie Betts also homered for the first time in his postseason career, and J.D. Martinez also homered.
Red Sox vs Dodgers: Game Recap
Both starters got off to shaky starts. Clayton Kershaw allowed a base hit to Andrew Benintendi, which No. 3 hitter Steve Pearce followed up with a two-run home run to make it 2-0 Red Sox in the first. But Dodgers third baseman David Freese answered as quickly as he could, hammering a solo shot to the opposite field off Price to cut the lead to 2-1.
Oct 28, 2018; Los Angeles, CA: Boston Red Sox first baseman Steve Pearce hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning in game five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
After a scoreless second, Price escaped a dangerous jam in the third inning. David Freese tripled with just one out after right fielder J.D. Martinez lost sight of a fly ball. Price then induced a groundout by Justin Turner to shortstop and got Kike Hernandez to foul out to Martinez.
Both Price and Kershaw cruised through innings 4-5, with Martinez the only batter on either team to reach base. That changed in the top of the sixth, when Mookie Betts lifted a huge weight off his shoulders with his first career postseason home run. He took Kershaw out to left field to get the Red Sox’ lead back to two at 3-1. Price followed that up with a 1-2-3 sixth.
Martinez answered for his error and then some in the top of the seventh, when he led off the inning with a home run off Kershaw to extend the Red Sox’ lead to 4-1. The lefty allowed two more runners to reach, but got Price to ground out to end the threat. Price answered Kershaw’s mistake with another perfect inning, retiring 14 batters in a row after Freese’s third-inning triple.
Oct 28, 2018; Los Angeles, CA: Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price reacts in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Pearce’s second home run of the game came in the top of the eighth, as he went deep off reliever Pedro Baez. Price then exited the game after walking Chris Taylor to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Joe Kelly came in and struck out the side following the Taylor walk.
Lefty Chris Sale came out of the bullpen to finish Game 5 off with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out the side himself.
The Red Sox reached the summit of the postseason after losing in the ALDS in 2016-17, going 11-3 and beating the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers along the way. The 2018 Red Sox will now enter the discussion for best baseball teams in history, going a major league-best 108-54 in the regular season and validating their dominance with a world championship.
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