The
city of Boston has officially added yet another championship banner with the
Red Sox toppling the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night. The Red Sox have had
an incredibly successful run in the past 20 years or so, winning the
championship in the 2004, 2007, 2013, and now the 2018 season. This team,
however, stands tall as one of the most dominant baseball teams ever assembled.
The
Red Sox’ squads of the past few years has been comprised of similar parts, yet
this was the season they were able to retain their regular season success
without imploding in the post-season. In 2016, David Ortiz’s final season,
Mookie Betts emerged as one of baseball’s best young talents in addition to
all-star seasons from Xander Bogarts and Jackie Bradley Jr. However, they were
swept quickly by the Cleveland Indians who ran through the AL only to meet a
Cubs team destined to win the championship that year. The next season, they
went out and got themselves an ace in Chris Sale, yet again, they failed to
advance past the ALDS running into the buzz saw that is the Houston Astros.
Reeling
from past disappointments, the Sox hit the ground running for the 2018 season.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski sought a big bat during the
offseason to fill the palpable hole left behind by fan favorite and Boston
legend Ortiz, signing JD Martinez to a 5-year deal and effectively adding a
surge of power to the lineup. After getting out to quick start, the Red Sox
gained a stranglehold as top dog in the AL and never relented. With a sizable
lead over the second place Yankees midseason, the Sox did not settle with their
roster and began making savvy moves to improve their quality of depth.
Starting
in late June, the Sox started making moves adding veteran first baseman Steven
Pearce as another body to put behind Mitch Moreland after dropping Hanley
Ramirez early in the season. Next, Boston moved pitching prospect Jalen Beeks
to Tampa Bay in exchange for starter Nathan Eovaldi, as the rotation was
beginning to thin and the move to preserve arms for the postseason was already
in motion. Finally, second baseman Ian Kinsler was pulled from the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim for pitching prospects and cash considerations, giving the
team an everyday second basemen in lieu of team leader Dustin Pedroia’s on
field absence.
Each
one of these moves was vital to the ultimate achievement of overcoming the
playoff demons the team has been plagued with the past few seasons. Steven
Pearce, eventual World Series MVP, was all around brilliant in the post season,
driving the nail into the 2018 Dodgers’ coffin. Eovaldi was exactly what the
Sox needed in the playoffs, bouncing back from a tough game 2 against the
Yankees to pitch a gem while the offense went ballistic on the Yankees
pitchers. Eovaldi maintained his excellence throughout the playoffs, as a
starter and reliever, posting a 1.61 ERA. Kinsler, the game changing World
Series folly aside, gave the Sox valuable experience and solid production at a
position they were thin at, allowing Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez to return to
their roles as super utilities players instead of platooning at second base.
After
dominating the regular season en route to a 108-win season, the Sox stared down
rival New York Yankees in the ALDS. After a close game one win and a
disheartening game 2 loss, Aaron Judge played Frank Sinatra leaving Boston
blaring “New York, New York” feeling confident going back to the new Yankees
stadium. The Sox demolished the Yankees that game 3, taking the life from them
and never looking back, closing the series out in 4 games and hitting New York
with a gentleman’s sweep.
The
next round, the defending champion Houston Astros visited Boston for the ALCS,
splitting the two games in Fenway in tight contests. The series never made it
back to Fenway though, as Alex Bregman taunted the Sox and Nathan Eovaldi on
his Instagram story. Houston proceeded to be another victim of the gentleman’s
sweep, losing three consecutives in Minute Maid Park.
In
the World Series, Boston beat the Dodgers in two well played games in Fenway,
but had to go LA for the next three games and completely change their game
plan, requiring the pitcher to hit. After an emotionally exhausting 18 inning
game, complete with an inspiring Nathan Eovaldi performance regardless of the
loss it ended in, Boston would not be denied. The city is no stranger to big
comebacks in the most important game of the year, and in true Beantown fashion,
came back from a 4-0 deficit in the final three innings of game 4, ending with
a 9-6 win for the Sox. Game 5 started and ended with excellence from the Sox,
as the whole team put together a brilliant performance behind David Price’s
electric start, with Chris Sale striking out Manny Machado to end the season as
a touch of poetic justice due to his storied rivalry with the franchise.
The
2018 Red Sox were simply sports dominance. They began, they remained, and they
finished completely unstoppable. They did not settle when they could have, they
faced down their playoff anguish of the past and put together an unforgettable
run through October. Every member of the team contributed, and the fact that
previously nationally unknown Steven Pearce emerged as the hero is the perfect
ending to a beautiful season. They had Mookie Betts, the young stud in right
field who outplayed all expectations to be at least baseball’s second-best
player. They had JD Martinez, the big bat for hire, who more then proved his
worth on his gaudy contract with an MVP worthy season. They had the lights out
aces, Chris Sale and David Price, both fantastic in the regular and post
season. But the team was also filled with the little guys, who did their job,
filled their role, and carried this team to timeless glory.