“DIARY OF A WINNER”

THE BEST RED SOX TEAM EVAH! ...
 2018 WORLD SERIES, GAME #5
David Price pitches the Sox to a
World Series Championship

October 28, 2018 ... The Red Sox finished things off in five games, giving them a championship. David Price was the story of this game, and though he wasn’t the only performer he’s the guy we’ll all remember. Pitching on short rest and having thrown either in-game or in the bullpen in each of the last two games, the lefty tossed an absolute gem. He outdueled Clayton Kershaw and then some, lasting seven-plus innings and allowing just one run. Throw in a pair of homers for Steve Pearce and a homer each for Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, and that’s a championship.

Mookie Betts continued his struggles and contributed a leadoff out, Andrew Benintendi showed off strong hitting against Clayton Kershaw with a solid single through the middle the infield. That brought up Steve Pearce, and he picked up exactly where he left off and helped the Red Sox get that early lead. Kershaw left a fastball belt-high over the outer half of the plate, and Pearce got his arms extended and the bat around. He blasted a no-doubt shot out to left-center field, and three batters into the game they were holding a 2-0 lead.

The Sox couldn’t keep their foot on the gas after that, and David Price had to settle for the two-run cushion as he took the mound for his first inning of work. Price was a major wildcard heading into this game, appearing on short rest having started Game #2, coming out in relief in Game #3 and warming up in Game #4. It was admirable that he was taking the mound.

On his very first pitch of the game, Price let a fastball stay a bit too close to belt-level on the outer half, and David Freese was ready for it. The Dodgers leadoff man went the other way with it and sent it over the fence, and just like that the lead was cut in half. Price then walked Justin Turner on five pitches in the next at bat, and it seemed things were going to be rough. He settled down in a big way from there.

Price got a double play and a strike out to end that first inning, then started to hit his groove. There were some small command issues here and there throughout the night for him, but by and large Price was on his game all night after that first inning. He allowed just a single in the second before he actually got into some trouble in the third.

Freese hit a fly ball out towards right field, that looked routine. J.D. Martinez lost the ball in the twilight and let it sail over his head. There was nothing that could be done, and Freese found himself gifted with a one-out triple. This was the chance for L.A. to tie, but Turner grounded out and Enrique Hernandez flew out, leaving Freese on third. After escaping that jam, Price tossed 1-2-3 innings in the fourth, and then the fifth, and then again in the sixth.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox couldn’t keep up the offense they showed in that first inning, and Kershaw settled into a groove of his own. The Red Sox were making some solid contact that just wasn’t finding the right parts of the field. After the first inning the Red Sox managed just one baserunner on a single over the next four frames, and that runner was quickly taken off the bases with a double play.

Finally, in the sixth, the Red Sox were able to get back on the board and give their pitchers a little bit more of a cushion. Mookie Betts got his first hit in L.A., and it wasn’t a cheapie. He smoked a solo homer, and the Sox doubled their lead. With Kershaw still on the mound in the seventh, the Sox added one more with a solo shot by J.D. Martinez, making it 4-1. Then in the seventh Pearce did it again, smashing his second homer of the game to extend the lead to four.

Price then came out to start the eighth, but after issuing a leadoff walk his night was done and Joe Kelly came in. All he did was strike out all three batters he faced to end the inning. Coming in to try for those last three outs was Chris Sale. He struck out side also. That was it. The Red Sox had won it all.

GAME RECAP

2018 World Series, Game #5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

R

H

E

BOSTON RED SOX

2

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

0

5

8

0

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

3

0

3B-Freese (LA)
HR-Pearce (2)(Bost), Betts (Bost), Martinez (Bost), Freese (LA)