Celebrate! The Boston Red Sox are world champions for the 9th time in team history!
WEBVTT BEN: SO, MARIA WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT A PARADE. ANY WORD ON THAT? >> I HEARD TUESDAY, THEN WEDNESDAY, SO I DO NOT KNOW, BUT WE WILL LET MARTY WALSH AND ALL THE GOOD GUYS AT THE CITY LET US KNOW. BUT I AM SO HAPPY THAT THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PARADE. I AM SO HAPPY FOR THE FANS. >> THIS TEAM, ONE AT A 19 WINS. -- 119 WINS. OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU PUT THE TEAM BACK TOGETHER, DID THEY PLAY LIKE THE BEST TEAM ALL SEASON? >> THEY DID, BUT THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH A TOUGH GROUP IN NEW YORK, IN HOUSTON AND THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS. WE SALUTE THEM. IT IS REMARKABLE. IT IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. AND I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION FOR 17 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TEAM LIKE THIS. >> I KNOW YOU ARE A LOCAL GUY, FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 14 YEARS. SOME KIDS, THIS IS THEIR FOURTH CHAMPIONSHIP. >> IT IS REMARKABLE. THOSE KIDS IN 2001, 2002, AND THE KRAFT FAMILY WITH TOM BRADY AND IT REALLY BLED INTO THE RED SOX AND OF THE BRUINS. IT HAS BEEN A REMARKABLE TIME. I AM SO HAPPY FOR ALL OF NEW ENGLAND. AND OUR FRIENDS ARE THE BEST. WHETHER IT IS 30 DEGREES COMMAND SNOWING -- DEGREES, SNOWING OR RAINING, THEY ARE THERE. ALEX CORA IS UNBELIEVABLE. YOU CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS GUY. WE HAD HIM AS A PLAYER AND THEY USED TO JOKE THAT HE WOULD BE THE GREATEST MANAGER EVER, JUST GIVEN HIS CENTS FOR A BASEBALL AND HOW GOOD HE IS AT GETTING THE BEST THAT OF OTHERS AND HE CERTAINLY GOT THE BEST OUT OF THIS GROUP. >> DO YOU THINK IT IS HIS AGE, THAT HE WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THESE GUYS SO WELL? >> SORT OF HIS AGE, BUT HE SAID WHEN HE WAS 12 YEARS OLD HE HAD THE CONFIDENCE OF A WORLD SERIES MVP, SO THIS IS A VERY CONFIDENT MAN. AND HE IS NOT COCKY, BUT HE IS EXTREMELY CONFIDENT IN EVERYTHING HE DOES AND SAYS. AND I THINK THAT HE GIVES THE PLAYERS THAT BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN ACHIEVE WHETHER ULTIMATE GOAL IS. SO -- CAN ACHIEVE WHAT THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL IS. SO HE MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE SKILLS AS A PLAYER, BUT HE APPRECIATED THE BIG-LEAGUE UNIFORM AND HE IS ABLE TO CONVEY THAT GRATITUDE TO HIS PLAYERS, AND THEY REALLY HAVE HIS BACK. >> ONE MORE QUESTION, WE ARE HEARING THE CHAIRS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RED SOX FANS HERE, 3000 MILES FROM FENWAY. WE MET FANS THIS WEEK AND FROM THE CAROLINAS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND AUSTRALIA. THIS IS A FAN BASE THAT TRANSCENDS BORDERS, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU GUYS? >> WE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND WE NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED, BECAUSE THEY ARE WITH US, WHETHER IT WAS IN ST. LOUIS, OR IN DENVER, WE GOT IT DONE AT FENWAY. BUT TO BE THIS FAR FROM HOME, THEY WERE WITH US IN HOUSTON. WE ARE VERY GR
Chris Sale's final pitch for this Boston juggernaut triggered a celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield, among thousands of fans who made their way to California - and even outside Fenway Park back home.The quest is complete. Yes, these 2018 Red Sox really are that great.A team to remember from top to bottom. A season to savor from start to finish.David Price proved his postseason mettle, Steve Pearce homered twice and Boston beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday to finish off a one-sided World Series in five games.A tormented franchise during decades of frustration and despair before ending an 86-year championship drought in 2004, the Red Sox have become baseball's team of the century with four titles in 15 seasons."Seeing all these grown men over there, just acting like kids, that's what it's all about," Price said. "This is why I came to Boston."Alex Cora's team romped to a 17-2 start and a club-record 108 wins, then went 11-3 in the postseason, dispatching the 100-win New York Yankees and the 103-victory and defending champion Houston Astros in the playoffs. Cora became the first manager from Puerto Rico to win a title and just the fifth rookie manager overall.Pearce, the Series MVP, hit a two-run homer on Clayton Kershaw's sixth pitch. Solo homers by Mookie Betts in the sixth inning and J.D. Martinez in the seventh quieted the crowd, and Pearce added a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth."We are a bunch of grinders," Pearce said, "and this is exactly where we knew we were going to be."Pearce, a June acquisition from Toronto, had three homers and seven RBIs in the final two games of the Series.After losing to Houston in Game 7 last year by the same 5-1 score, the Dodgers became the first team ousted on its home field in consecutive World Series since the New York Giants by the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds in 1936 and '37.Los Angeles is still looking for its first championship since 1988."Ran up against a very good ballclub. And just a little bit too much for us," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.Boston won its ninth title, tying the Athletics for third-most behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11). All that stood between the Red Sox and a sweep was an 18-inning loss in Game 3, the longest World Series game ever. They trailed 4-0 in the seventh inning of Game 4 when ace Chris Sale rose from the dugout bench for a fiery, profane, motivational rant, and his teammates woke up in time to rally for a 9-6 win. Boston never trailed in Game 5."I didn't say anything that that anyone didn't know," Sale said. "Just rallying the troops and letting them know - we're the best team on the planet, and to start playing like it."The 33-year-old Price, a Cy Young Award winner in 2012, long pitched under an October shadow cast by his regular-season success. He had been 0-9 in 11 postseason starts before defeating Astros ace Justin Verlander in the clinching Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. He won his third straight start Sunday and became the first pitcher to beat Cy Young winners in the finale of an LCS and the World Series in the same year.After allowing two runs over six inning to win Game 2 last Wednesday, Price got two outs in the ninth inning of Friday's marathon game. He became the first to pitch into the eighth inning of a Series game on one day of rest since the Yankees' Bob Turley in 1957."I've been through a lot in three years since I came here, but this is why I came," Price said.Price gave up a home run to David Freese on his first pitch, then allowed just two more hits - the last a triple to Freese that Martinez lost in the third-inning twilight and allowed to drop behind him in right. Price struck out five and walked two, retiring 14 in a row before a leadoff walk to Chris Taylor in the eighth ended his night after 89 pitches. He tapped his heart several times to Red Sox fans behind the first base dugout while walking to the bench.Joe Kelly struck out three straight pinch hitters and Sale, originally scheduled to start Game 5, fanned three more in the ninth. Sale ended by throwing a slider past Manny Machado, a meager 4 for 22 (.182) in the Series, and raised both arms as catcher Christian Vazquez ran out to jump on him with glee and teammates from the dugout and bullpens followed.While Price rewrote his own legacy, Kershaw was unable to change his. He dropped to 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA in postseason elimination games. Plagued at times by an aching back, the 30-year-old lefty no longer is the dominant pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards, his famous 12-to-6 breaking ball now more 10 to 4:30.Kershaw allowed four runs and seven hits - three of them homers - in seven innings. He is 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA in 30 postseason appearances, a huge drop from his 153-69 record and 2.39 ERA during the regular season."It just hurts worse when you make it all the way and get second place," Kershaw said.He began aggressively, throwing strikes on his first six pitches, and the Red Sox were ready.Andrew Benintendi hit a one-out single and Pearce pulled a fastball over the middle of the plate and sent it 405 feet into the left-field pavilion.While the crowd of 54,367 for Dodger Stadium's final game this year was stunned, Freese woke up fans in the bottom half. He drove Price's first pitch 402 feet to the opposite field and into the right field pavilion.Betts homered on a slider that stayed in the strike zone after going 0 for 13 in Los Angeles this weekend, the first postseason home run of his career coming in his 87th at-bat. Martinez homered in the seventh, driving a fastball to straightway center.How the game unfolded:Chants of "Let's go, Red Sox!" began early at Dodger Stadium, and got louder when David Price strolled from the bullpen to the dugout.The game got off to a quick start. Steve Pearce tagged Clayton Kershaw for a 2-run home run on the sixth pitch of the game from the LA ace, and raised his right arm as he rounded first base. Several Red Sox players spilled from the dugout to greet him.Kershaw took off his glove and showed little emotion as Pearce finished his trot.David Freese hit a leadoff home run for the Dodgers to cut Boston's lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first. J.D. Martinez almost cost Boston in right field, losing David Freese's one-out fly ball in the twilight sky above Dodger Stadium and allowing the drive to fall behind him for a triple.Martinez usually is a designated hitter for the Red Sox, but Boston wanted to keep the big league RBIs leader in the lineup in the National League city.Freese, who homered leading off the bottom of the first, was stranded. Justin Turner grounded to third with the infield playing halfway and Enrique Hernandez fouled out to Martinez.David Price and Clayton Kershaw settled in nicely for several innings, until Mookie Betts broke it open.Betts homered on a Kershaw slider in the sixth inning, giving the Boston Red Sox a 3-1 lead. Betts had been 0 for 13 with four strikeouts and a pair of intentional walks during the weekend in Los Angeles before his drive into the left-field pavilion. J.D. Martinez hit his first World Series home run, a line drive over the center-field fence in the seventh inning that put the Red Sox ahead 4-1.Joe Kelly took over for Price, who lasted until the eighth, and struck out pinch-hitters Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger to end the inning.Boston's Steve Pearce homered for the second time, getting a solo shot off Pedro Baez with two outs in the top of the inning. That brought the score to 5-1.Chris Sale's final pitch for this Boston juggernaut triggered a celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield, among thousands of fans who made their way to California - and even outside Fenway Park back home.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES —
Chris Sale's final pitch for this Boston juggernaut triggered a celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield, among thousands of fans who made their way to California - and even outside Fenway Park back home.
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A team to remember from top to bottom. A season to savor from start to finish.
David Price proved his postseason mettle, Steve Pearce homered twice and Boston beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday to finish off a one-sided World Series in five games.
David J. Phillip
A tormented franchise during decades of frustration and despair before ending an 86-year championship drought in 2004, the Red Sox have become baseball's team of the century with four titles in 15 seasons.
"Seeing all these grown men over there, just acting like kids, that's what it's all about," Price said. "This is why I came to Boston."
Alex Cora's team romped to a 17-2 start and a club-record 108 wins, then went 11-3 in the postseason, dispatching the 100-win New York Yankees and the 103-victory and defending champion Houston Astros in the playoffs. Cora became the first manager from Puerto Rico to win a title and just the fifth rookie manager overall.
Jae C. Hong
Pearce, the Series MVP, hit a two-run homer on Clayton Kershaw's sixth pitch. Solo homers by Mookie Betts in the sixth inning and J.D. Martinez in the seventh quieted the crowd, and Pearce added a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth.
"We are a bunch of grinders," Pearce said, "and this is exactly where we knew we were going to be."
Pearce, a June acquisition from Toronto, had three homers and seven RBIs in the final two games of the Series.
After losing to Houston in Game 7 last year by the same 5-1 score, the Dodgers became the first team ousted on its home field in consecutive World Series since the New York Giants by the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds in 1936 and '37.
Los Angeles is still looking for its first championship since 1988.
"Ran up against a very good ballclub. And just a little bit too much for us," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Boston won its ninth title, tying the Athletics for third-most behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11). All that stood between the Red Sox and a sweep was an 18-inning loss in Game 3, the longest World Series game ever. They trailed 4-0 in the seventh inning of Game 4 when ace Chris Sale rose from the dugout bench for a fiery, profane, motivational rant, and his teammates woke up in time to rally for a 9-6 win. Boston never trailed in Game 5.
"I didn't say anything that that anyone didn't know," Sale said. "Just rallying the troops and letting them know - we're the best team on the planet, and to start playing like it."
The 33-year-old Price, a Cy Young Award winner in 2012, long pitched under an October shadow cast by his regular-season success. He had been 0-9 in 11 postseason starts before defeating Astros ace Justin Verlander in the clinching Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. He won his third straight start Sunday and became the first pitcher to beat Cy Young winners in the finale of an LCS and the World Series in the same year.
HEY, WE #BEATLA 🍾 pic.twitter.com/Onx4ksSaBF
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 29, 2018
After allowing two runs over six inning to win Game 2 last Wednesday, Price got two outs in the ninth inning of Friday's marathon game. He became the first to pitch into the eighth inning of a Series game on one day of rest since the Yankees' Bob Turley in 1957.
"I've been through a lot in three years since I came here, but this is why I came," Price said.
Price gave up a home run to David Freese on his first pitch, then allowed just two more hits - the last a triple to Freese that Martinez lost in the third-inning twilight and allowed to drop behind him in right. Price struck out five and walked two, retiring 14 in a row before a leadoff walk to Chris Taylor in the eighth ended his night after 89 pitches. He tapped his heart several times to Red Sox fans behind the first base dugout while walking to the bench.
Joe Kelly struck out three straight pinch hitters and Sale, originally scheduled to start Game 5, fanned three more in the ninth. Sale ended by throwing a slider past Manny Machado, a meager 4 for 22 (.182) in the Series, and raised both arms as catcher Christian Vazquez ran out to jump on him with glee and teammates from the dugout and bullpens followed.
While Price rewrote his own legacy, Kershaw was unable to change his. He dropped to 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA in postseason elimination games. Plagued at times by an aching back, the 30-year-old lefty no longer is the dominant pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards, his famous 12-to-6 breaking ball now more 10 to 4:30.
Kershaw allowed four runs and seven hits - three of them homers - in seven innings. He is 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA in 30 postseason appearances, a huge drop from his 153-69 record and 2.39 ERA during the regular season.
"It just hurts worse when you make it all the way and get second place," Kershaw said.
He began aggressively, throwing strikes on his first six pitches, and the Red Sox were ready.
Andrew Benintendi hit a one-out single and Pearce pulled a fastball over the middle of the plate and sent it 405 feet into the left-field pavilion.
While the crowd of 54,367 for Dodger Stadium's final game this year was stunned, Freese woke up fans in the bottom half. He drove Price's first pitch 402 feet to the opposite field and into the right field pavilion.
Betts homered on a slider that stayed in the strike zone after going 0 for 13 in Los Angeles this weekend, the first postseason home run of his career coming in his 87th at-bat. Martinez homered in the seventh, driving a fastball to straightway center.
How the game unfolded:
Chants of "Let's go, Red Sox!" began early at Dodger Stadium, and got louder when David Price strolled from the bullpen to the dugout.
The game got off to a quick start. Steve Pearce tagged Clayton Kershaw for a 2-run home run on the sixth pitch of the game from the LA ace, and raised his right arm as he rounded first base. Several Red Sox players spilled from the dugout to greet him.
Kershaw took off his glove and showed little emotion as Pearce finished his trot.
David Freese hit a leadoff home run for the Dodgers to cut Boston's lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first.
J.D. Martinez almost cost Boston in right field, losing David Freese's one-out fly ball in the twilight sky above Dodger Stadium and allowing the drive to fall behind him for a triple.
Martinez usually is a designated hitter for the Red Sox, but Boston wanted to keep the big league RBIs leader in the lineup in the National League city.
Freese, who homered leading off the bottom of the first, was stranded. Justin Turner grounded to third with the infield playing halfway and Enrique Hernandez fouled out to Martinez.
David Price and Clayton Kershaw settled in nicely for several innings, until Mookie Betts broke it open.
Mark J. Terrill
Betts homered on a Kershaw slider in the sixth inning, giving the Boston Red Sox a 3-1 lead. Betts had been 0 for 13 with four strikeouts and a pair of intentional walks during the weekend in Los Angeles before his drive into the left-field pavilion.
J.D. Martinez hit his first World Series home run, a line drive over the center-field fence in the seventh inning that put the Red Sox ahead 4-1.
Joe Kelly took over for Price, who lasted until the eighth, and struck out pinch-hitters Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger to end the inning.
Boston's Steve Pearce homered for the second time, getting a solo shot off Pedro Baez with two outs in the top of the inning. That brought the score to 5-1.