LOS ANGELES — They buried the AL East across six months, mugged the Yankees in the ALDS, hammered the Astros in Houston in the ALCS and Sunday night they shredded the Dodgers in Hollywood.
Say hello to the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox who beat Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, 5-1, in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium in front of 54,367 customers, many of who stayed around to cheer the Red Sox. It is the Red Sox’s ninth World Series title and fourth in the last 15 seasons.
Since they finished the year with 119 victories, team executive Dave Dombrowski was asked where his club stood in the discussion about the best team in history.
“I can’t say we are the best [ever]. I have no idea,’’ Boston’s president of baseball operations said on the infield. “But we are the best this year.’’
There is no denying that. The Yankees and Astros were very good teams and the Dodgers were the best the American League had to offer and all three were discarded easily.
“Top to bottom, a complete team effort,’’ J.D. Martinez said of the Red Sox domination in October.
And at the top was Steve Pearce, a right-handed hitting journeyman who has played for every team in the AL East, including 12 games for the 2012 Yankees and hit .160. One night after hitting a tying home run in the eighth inning of Game 4 and driving in three runs with a double a frame later, Pearce hit a two-run homer off Kershaw in the first inning and got the lefty again starting the seventh.
By going 4-for-12 (.333) with three homers and eight RBIs the 35-year-old Pearce was named the World Series’ MVP. He joined Babe Ruth and Ted Williams as the only players 35 or older to have a multi-homer game in the World Series.
“This has been a lifelong journey. And to be here right now is a dream come true,’’ Pearce said. “Best feeling in my life. This is what you grow up wishing that you could be a part of something like this. With that special group of guys out there, to celebrate with them, that was awesome.’’
David Price made a case for winning the MVP award with a second impressive outing that consisted of seven-plus innings in which he allowed a run, three hits, walked two and struck out five. The lone run came on his first pitch of the game that David Freese ripped for an opposite-field homer to right.
Price, who beat the Dodgers in Game 2 at Fenway Park, went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA and got himself out of a jam created in the third inning when Martinez lost Freese’s fly ball in the right-field sky that went for a triple. Price responded by getting Justin Turner on a grounder to short and stranded Freese when Kiké Hernandez fouled out to Martinez.
“I’m very proud of him. There’s a lot of people that gave up on him throughout the season. A lot of people that gave up on him after his outing against New York,’’ Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Price, who gave up three runs in 1 ²/₃ innings against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALDS. “But we knew that he’s one of the best pitchers in the big leagues, and he cares, he wants to win, and finally his World Series win.’’
Like Price, Kershaw can opt out of a contract this week, but the disappointment of losing was front and center for him after giving up four runs and seven hits (three homers) in seven innings.
“Obviously, the first inning Pearce put a pretty good swing on the ball but the one that hurt was the Benintendi single, 0-2 and you have to get that slider in the dirt,’’ Kershaw said of the hit that preceded Pearce’s homer to left. “I tried to keep it at two and then homers got me at the end. Not a whole lot of adjustment, just some bad pitches in there.’’
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