Even though the Boston Red Sox won 108 games during the regular season I wasn’t completely sold on them coming into the playoffs. To be fair I wasn’t buying all the hype about the New York Yankees; so I thought that the Red Sox would get past them, but it was the ALCS that I had concerns about them.
The Houston Astros where the defending champions and they won 103 regular season games; so they where a good team. I guess I bought into the old adage of good pitching beating good hitting. I thought that the Astros starting rotation would be the difference and that would get them past the Red Sox, but I was wrong and after getting to see the way the red Sox seem to come through with the clutch hit almost every time they need it I became a believer in them.
So yesterday on the Sports Time Radio podcast Dan the Man and I where setting up our T-shirt bet for the World Series. If you’ve listened to the podcast for any length of time you know that for the Stanley Cup Finals the last few seasons and then the Super Bowl last season Dan and I have bet a T-Shirt. this is the first time we’ve made a bet on the World Series; so I gave Dan first choice of teams.
Dan picked the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. He has them winning it in seven games and his pick for MVP is Justin Turner. So by default I get the Red Sox to win the World Series which is the team I would’ve picked had I ben given the choice; so it worked out. I also believe that it will be a seven game series and I went with Xander Bogaerts as my MVP.
Last night my team got off to a good start as the Red Sox picked up an 8-4 win in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Dodgers didn’t score in the first inning, but the Red Sox added 2 runs very quickly off of Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts led off the inning with a single and stole 2nd base. Andrew Benintendi drove him home with a single to rightfield and moved up to 2nd base himself on the throw home. After a Steve Pearce pop out J.D. Martinez drove Benintendi home with a single to center giving Boston an early 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers cut the lead in half in the 2nd inning as Matt Kemp hit a solo home run to leftfield with one out. Boston didn’t score in their half of the 2nd; so the score was 2-1.
With one out in the Top of the 3rd the Dodgers used three singles by Justin Turner, David Freese and Manny Machado with Turner scoring on Machado’s single to tie the game at 2-2. In Boston’s half of the 3rd Benintendi singled, but was wiped out on a Pearce fielder’s choice. With two outs Martinez doubled to centerfield scoring Pearce and giving the Red Sox the lead back at 3-2.
After Neither team scored in the 4th inning Brian Dozier drew a walk to lead off the 5th inning. The walk to Dozier ended Chris Sale’s night as Matt Barnes took over on the mound for the Red Sox. Turner greeted Barnes with a single moving Dozier to 3rd. Freese struck out for the first out of the inning. Machado hit a ground ball that could’ve been a double play, but Turner moved up to 2nd base on a wild pitch; so instead Dozier scored on the ground out to tie the game at 3-3. After a Betts walk and a single by Benintendi moving Betts up to 2nd base Kershaw was removed from the game for Ryan Madson. After a wild pitch and a Pearce walk the Red Sox had the bases loaded for Martinez who struck out. Bogaerts grounded into a fielder’s choice to give the Red Sox the lead back at 4-3 and then Rafael Devers singled home Benintendi to make it a 5-3 game.
Both teams went down 1,2,3 in the 6th inning and after Ryan Brasier got the first out of the 7th inning, but Max Muncy singled to start a rally as Turner followed with a single of his own. Then after Yasmani Grandal drew a walk the Dodgers had the bases loaded. Machado was up next and he flew out to centerfield, but it was deep enough to score Muncy and make it a 5-4. Brasier got Cody Bellenger to fly out to end the threat. The Red Sox put the game away in the Bottom of the 7th. Julio Urias started the inning on the mound, but after Benintendi hit a ground rule double to lead off the inning he was removed. Pedro Baez sandwiched an intentional walk in between two strikeouts before he was removed from the game for Alex Wood. Alex Cora countered Dave Roberts move by pinch hitting the right handed hitting Eduardo Nunez for the left handed hitting Devers. The move paid off as Nunez iced the game for the red Sox with a three run home run to leftfield to make it an 8-4 game.
Nathan Eovaldi pitched a 1,2,3 Top of the 8th for the Red Sox and then Craig Kimbrell worked a 1,2,3 Top of the 9th to close out the Game 1 win for the Red Sox.
Kershaw took the loss for the Dodgers as he pitched 4 innings. He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking out 5. Red Sox starter Chris Sale didn’t factor in the decision as Barnes picked up the win for Boston. Sale pitched 4 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking 2 and striking out 7.
The teams will turn right around and play Game 2 tonight. Hyun-Jin Ryu will make the start for the Dodgers while the Red Sox will go with David Price as their starter.
Can the Dodgers get a split in Boston tonight and steal home field advantage. After tonight’s game the series will head to Los Angeles for three games; so if the Dodgers can get a win tonight if they win out at home they wouldn’t have to make a trip back to Boston.
You can listen to the Sports Time Radio podcast live on BlogTalkRadio.com, but don’t forget that the podcast is available for you to listen to ay time you want at TuneIn.com
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @BurkeTime
Sports Time Radio 