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LOS ANGELES – Chris Sale's latest throwing for this Boston juggernaut kicked off a celebration on Dodger Stadium, among thousands of fans who have traveled to California, and even out of Fenway Park.
The quest is over. Yes, these 2018 Red Sox are really great.
A team to remember from top to bottom. A season to savor from beginning to end.
David Price proved his mettle in the playoffs, Steve Pearce conceded two goals and Boston beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday to complete a one-way world series in five games.
A tormented franchise for decades of desperation before ending a drought at the 86-year-old championship in 2004, the Red Sox have become the baseball team of the century with four titles in 15 seasons.
"See all these adult men out there, behaving like children, that's what it's all about," said Price after throwing the ball three times in the eighth inning at rest. "That's why I came to Boston."
After losing on the first day, Alex Cora's team scored 17 wins and a record 108 wins for his club, then 11-3 in the playoffs, competing in the New York Yankees with 100 wins and reigning champion, Houston Astros in the playoffs. Cora, a player on the Boston champions in 2007, became the first Puerto Rico coach to win a title and only the fifth overall skipper.
"I do not know where we are in history and all that," said Dave Dombrowski, president of the club's baseball operations. "If someone said you will win 119 games and lose 57, we will never understand it."
Pearce scored two points in the sixth pitch of Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts' solo homers in the sixth inning and J.D. Martinez in seventh place quieted the Los Angeles crowd. Pearce added a solo pass off Pedro Baez in the eighth, and was selected MVP of the series after the match.
"The best feeling of my life," said Pearce.
Acquired in June from Toronto, Pearce scored three homers and seven RBIs in the last 11 innings of the series. Thousands of spectators from Boston stayed at the base stadium after the final, chanting "Let's Go Red Sox!" And singing "Sweet Caroline."
Of course, they also let slip a few words of choice on the rival Yankees.
"I never knew there were so many Red Sox fans here," Martinez said.
The families of the players, many of whom were dressed in red, gathered on the ground to join the celebration, some holding babies, others watching the kids run across the field in full joy.
"It's the biggest Red Sox team in history," proclaimed the owner, John Henry, after receiving the series trophy.
After losing to Houston in Game 7 last year by the same score of 5-1, the Dodgers became the first home team eliminated in their group at the consecutive World Series since the New York Giants by the Yankees. New York at the Polo Grounds in 1936 and & # 39; 37 Los Angeles remains without a league since 1988.
"We faced a very good ball club – and just a little too much for us," said coach Dave Roberts, who played for the Boston champions in 2004.
Boston dominated the Dodgers 28-16 and only had a slightly better average at batting, between .222 and .180. But the Red Sox were struck at the right time and won their ninth title, earning them third behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11).
The only difference between the Red Sox and a sweep is a defeat of 18 innings in the third match, the longest match of the world series of all time. They were led 4-0 in the seventh round of match 4 when Sale went from the dugout bench to a ruthless incentive and layman, and his teammates woke up in time for a 9-6 win. .
Boston has never been retained in the fifth match.
"I did not say anything anyone knows," Sale said. "Gather the troops and let them know we are the best team on the planet and we start playing that way."
Price, 33, winner of the Cy Young Award in 2012, was placed under the shadow of October by his regular season success. He had been threatened from 0 to 9 in 11 playoff games before defeating Astros' ace, Justin Verlander, in the fifth playoff match of the AL Championship series. The left-hander won his third consecutive start Sunday and became the first pitcher to beat the Cy Young winners in the final of a LCS and World Series the same year.
"It's been three years since I arrived here, but that's the reason I came here," said Price, who, like Kershaw, can pull out of his lucrative contract in the coming days and become an agent free.
After giving two points in six innings to win the second game last Wednesday, Price earned two outs in the ninth inning of Friday's marathon. He became the first to embark on the eighth inning of a series game in a day off since Bob Turley of the Yankees in 1957.
"All enemies, it's time to stay quiet and show the guy a little respect," Martinez said.
Price gave David Freese a home run on his first throw, then allowed only two more shots – the last triple against Freese that Martinez lost in the twilit of the third inning and leaving him behind on the trail of 39, right field alert. Price hit five and walked twice, retiring 14 times in a row before a start for Chris Taylor in the eighth ending his night after 89 shots. He touched his heart several times to the Red Sox fans behind the first goal canoe while heading towards the bench.
Joe Kelly eliminated three direct hitters and Sale, originally scheduled for the fifth game, drew three more in the ninth. Sale ended by throwing a slider on Manny Machado, a meager 4 against 22 (.182) of the series, and raising both arms. Boston receiver Christian Vazquez ran to him with joy, followed by his teammates in the dugout canoe and bubble.
While Price rewrote his own legacy of October, Kershaw was not able to do the same thing since he fell to 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA in the playoffs. The 30-year-old southpaw is no longer the dominant pitcher who has won three Cy Young Awards, his famous broken ball from 12 to 6 now over 10 at 4:30 pm.
Kershaw allowed four runs and seven hits, including three at home, in seven sets. He is 9-10 with a 4.32 medal in 30 playoff appearances, a significant drop from his record of 153-69 and 2.39 in the regular season.
"It hurts less when you come in second place," he said.
Kershaw started aggressively, hitting on his first six shots and the Red Sox were ready.
Andrew Benintendi hit a single out and Pearce placed a fastball over the center of the plate and sent it to a depth of 405 feet in the left field flag.
While the crowd of 54,367 people was stunned, Freese woke up the fans in the lower half. He drove Price's first launch at 402 feet from the opposite field and in the right field pavilion.
Betts dominated a slider who remained in the strikes zone after being 0-13 for the 13th in Los Angeles this weekend, his first playoff game of his upcoming career in his 87th game. Martinez dominated in seventh place, driving a fastball through the center of the lane.
At that time, Red Sox fans had begun planning their home opener game on April 9 against Toronto, when the championship flag will be hoisted on Fenway after the opening of Boston by a trip 11 games in the West.
"It was not as easy as what people think," Cora said.
STAY BEFORE
Boston went 7-1 on the road in playoffs and 10-0 overall by scoring first.
I'M STILL HERE
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was the only active Red Sox player on the 2013 championship team.
SPEND IT TO DO IT
Boston is the first team with the highest payroll to win the title since the 2009 Yankees.
JUST LIKE THE LAST YEAR
Cora celebrated on the same field where he distinguished himself last year as an Astros bench coach.
Visiting club manager Mitch Poole estimates that he ordered 263 bottles of champagne for the Red Sox at an estimated cost of $ 18,000.
"The visiting team is still paying the bill," he said.
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