Three batters into Sunday night’s Game 5, the Boston Red Sox got all they would end up needing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-1 World Series-clinching victory. Steve Pearce blasted a Clayton Kershaw fastball over the Dodger Stadium left-center field wall for a two-run homer to put Boston up 2-0.
Steve. Pearce.
He's done it again. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/OYq9aMbzLn
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2018
That was one of four homers Boston hit in the game, and it was just the first of two dingers for Pearce.
Boston superstar outfielder Mookie Betts cranked his only homer of the postseason with this solo shot vs Kershaw in the sixth:
Mookie's first #postseason home run came at a GREAT time. pic.twitter.com/UYlNbZEgfF
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2018
J.D. Martinez smoked this Clayton Kershaw offering for a solo homer to dead-center in the seventh:
Rings are on the menu. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/X7VMCu7Lqf
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2018
And Pearce took Pedro Baez deep for his second homer of the night (and third homer of the World Series):
HEAT CHECK. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/Lfku6Rx9I5
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2018
2+ HR in Potential Clinching World Series Game:
Steve Pearce 2018
Kirk Gibson 1984
Eddie Murray 1983
Reggie Jackson 1977
Johnny Bench 1976
Yogi Berra 1956
Duke Snider 1952
Tony Lazzeri 1932
Babe Ruth 1928
Harry Hooper 1915— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) October 29, 2018
That was plenty enough offense for David Price, Joe Kelly, and Chris Sale to work with. Price destroyed the postseason narratives on his career with another fantastic performance, allowing one earned run over seven innings.
Eyes on the Price. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/YprLUypUEW
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2018
David Price since that ALCS clincher:
24 2/3 IP
10 hits
3 runs (assuming this one doesn't score)
He didn't just change a narrative. He changed his team's season.— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 29, 2018
With seven innings and three hits allowed, @RedSox David Price is the fifth pitcher ever to pitch 6+ innings and allow three hits or fewer in 3 straight postseason starts.
Price joins Jon Matlack (1973), Mike Mussina (1997), Kevin Brown (1998), and Clayton Kershaw (2013).
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 29, 2018
Both Kelly and Sale struck out the side, with Sale — Boston’s ace — closing the game out in the ninth. Sale got Manny Machado to fall down on this filthy slider for the title-clinching pitch:
THE BOSTON RED SOX ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!
Chris Sale strikes out Manny Machado to close out the World Series! pic.twitter.com/u62k4SVQPv
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 29, 2018
Price and Pearce were both deserving of World Series MVP honors, but Pearce took home the award.
🗣WE'RE WORLD CHAMPIONS BABY!!! WORLD CHAMPIONS NUMBER ONE!!!
– World Series MVP Steve Pearce pic.twitter.com/TaUEUWbbjx
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 29, 2018
While baseball can be so wacky and the postseason historically has shown to feature plenty of randomness, the Red Sox were the best team in baseball this season with 108 wins (five more than anybody else) and dominated in the postseason. And it’s the third straight year the World Series champion won at least 101 games in the regular season (Chicago Cubs won 103 in 2016, Houston Astros won 101 in 2017).
