The bell tolled for the 2018 Dodgers at 8:17 p.m. on Sunday, as Manny Machado fell to a knee in the batter’s box after the final, futile swing of the season. A championship drought extended to a 30th year after Game 5 of the World Series, a 5-1 victory by the Boston Red Sox that lacked the turmoil of the previous night and the exhaustion of the previous season. For the second year in a row, an opposing team spilled champagne and lifted the Commissioner’s Trophy in Dodger Stadium as the hosts trudged toward the offseason.
Results
Game 1: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3: Dodgers 2, Red Sox 1 (18)
Game 4: Red Sox 9, Dodgers 6
Game 5: Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1
Photos: Visual recap of the World Series games between the Dodgers and Red Sox
A glimpse into Boston’s World Series title celebration
Champagne dripped from the ceiling and onto the World Series trophy in the clubhouse. Players yelled and embraced. The smell of alcohol and cigar smoke was so strong it stuck to your tongue.
Dodgers must figure out why regular season was so right and World Series went so wrong
Andrew Friedman stood in a hallway outside the Dodgers’ clubhouse late Sunday night, spinning a baseball in his hand. It had been more than an hour since the Dodgers’ season ended, and he had made his way through the clubhouse, shaking hands and extending hugs. The clubhouse door was locked, the players had left for the winter and the pride in guiding the Dodgers to their first back-to-back World Series appearances in 30 years had been eclipsed by the pain in losing both of them.
The Dodgers never have played in the World Series in three consecutive years — not in Los Angeles, not Brooklyn, not ever. For the fans, wait till next year. For Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, next year started Sunday.
October has been the Dodgers’ cruelest month
Winter came to Chavez Ravine on Sunday night, swiftly, cruelly, blowing in from Boston and burying the Dodgers precisely where they stood.
Clayton Kershaw, frozen on the mound, staring at his shoes. Dodgers batters, motionless at home plate, glaring into failure. Dave Roberts, stuck on the dugout rail, peering into his future.
Surrounding it all was a Dodger Stadium filled with October-bitten fans, frosty in their seats, glaring down at somebody else celebrating a championship for the second consecutive year.
It was all so cold. It was all so familiar.
Fox Sports steps up its game on one of L.A.’s biggest sports days
Sunday played out under the headline of “Los Angeles’ Sports Equinox,” and a lot of people across the country saw a lot of L.A. cultural touchstones if they were paying attention on TV.
Fox Sports, based in Century City, also stepped up its game.
Manny Machado’s final out punctuated his postseason with Dodgers
Manny Machado was the last line of defense for the Dodgers on Sunday night, the final hope for the home team in its desperate quest to extend the World Series another day and avoid allowing an opponent to celebrate a championship on its turf. He was acquired for moments like those, when the Dodgers needed a spark from his otherworldly talent. He did not provide one. Machado struck out on a slider from Chris Sale at his feet. His defensive swing left him on one knee. It was likely the impending free agent’s final act as a Dodger.
There was a feeling of finality to Clayton Kershaw’s Game 5 start
If this was it, if Clayton Kershaw never pitches another game for the Dodgers, two images will forever define his time here.
Red Sox silence the Dodgers’ offense to claim the World Series championship
The evening felt like an eerie companion to Game 7 of last year’s World Series.
We go to the bottom of the ninth
TOP OF NINTH: Hernandez to second. Muncy to first. Taylor to center. Kemp in left. Grandal catching. Kenley Jansen pitching. Bogaerts walked. Holt grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Devers grounded to first. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 1.
Red Sox beat Dodgers 5-1 to win the World Series
The bell tolled for the 2018 Dodgers at 8:17 p.m. on Sunday, as Manny Machado made the final, futile swing of the season in Game 5 of the World Series, a 5-1 defeat by the Boston Red Sox that lacked the drama and turmoil of the previous night. The anti-climax still stung. Despite looking feeble for the majority of the Fall Classic, the team finished three victories shy of the championship which has eluded Los Angeles since 1988.
The drought reached its 30th year in dispiriting fashion. The Dodgers spent a summer with their flaws hiding in plain sight. The group overcame them to collective their second consecutive National League pennant. Then, across 54 innings with the Red Sox, the team saw itself torn apart from within and without. They made mistakes and paid for them. They failed to execute, and saw their opponents romp inside their own ballpark, which teemed with Red Sox fans by Sunday’s conclusion.
The evening felt like an eerie companion to Game 7 of last year’s World Series. The opponent launched a first-inning salvo. The offense squandered an early opportunity. The crowd sat on its hands, desperate for material to cheer about. The Dodgers offered little. They were unable to send the series back to Boston.
The defeat ushered in a winter of uncertainty. Manager Dave Roberts does not have a guaranteed contract for 2019. He exposed himself to criticism after questionable decisions in this series, including an over-reliance on fading reliever Ryan Madson. Clayton Kershaw can depart in free agency. He took two losses in these five games.
Dodgers are down to their final three outs
BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: Taylor walked. Matt Kemp was announced for Barnes, so the Red Sox bring in right-hander Joe Kelly. Kemp struck out swinging. Joc Pederson, batting for Baez, struck out looking. Cody Bellinger, batting for Freese, struck out swinging. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 1
Red Sox increase lead to 5-1
TOP OF THE EIGHTH: Pedro Baez now pitching. Betts flied to center. Benintendi fouled to the catcher. Pearce homered to left. Martinez struck out swinging. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 1
Dodgers go down quietly in bottom of seventh
BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: Machado lined to short. Muncy flied to left. Puig grounded to the pitcher. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 1
He remembers Clayton Kershaw the kid, and is now honored to watch him in Game 5
Years ago, Michael Horner was watching a late spring training game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. There was a young man on the pitching mound who was struggling to get strikeouts and getting walloped by batters.
“I said, ‘What are they doing with this young kid?’” Horner recalled. “This kid was terrible. Why in the world was he playing for the Dodgers?
“His name was Clayton Kershaw.”
Watching the Dodgers’ ace become one of the best pitchers of his generation has been a delight for Horner, 82, of Pasadena, who said his initial impression proved he was a bad judge of baseball talent.
Horner came to Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night wearing a Dodgers-themed Hawaiian shirt, a blue Dodgers cap with a Farmer John Hot Dogs logo and a fuzzy blue wig on top. Kershaw was on the mound once again.
Asked how he was feeling with his Dodgers trailing the Boston Red Sox three games to one in the best-of-seven World Series, Horner said: “Depressed.”
“I’m a long-standing, long-suffering fan,” Horner said. “I have been the last 50 years. I’m a dedicated fan, despite all the misery and suffering.”
Horner grew up in Pittsburgh, rooting for the Pirates, and moved to Los Angeles in 1967. It took him a few years to warm up to the Dodgers. Back in the day, Pittsburgh had a bitter rivalry with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Once he became a Dodgers fan, he was all in. His wife, Sally, who died two years ago, would accompany him to games. They raised their children to be baseball fans as well.
Every time he steps into Dodger Stadium, Horner is impressed with the crowd and the aura of the place.
Still, baseball is a game that’s hard on the emotions.
Horner was visiting friends in Palm Springs on Saturday night when someone turned on Game 4. The television powered on just as Yasiel Puig hit a home run to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. All right, he thought. This was good.
Until it wasn’t. The Dodgers lost 9-6.
“Oh, God, did I suffer during the rest of that game,” he said. “Baseball, you suffer through it. It’s a great game.”
Horner, who owns several children’s camps, played high school baseball. He was a catcher. So, too, was his son and grandson. He appreciates the difficulty of the game and the athleticism of all who play it.
“I know how hard it is to hit a baseball,” he said. “I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn door with a baseball bat.”
Kershaw can void the rest of his contract and become a free agent after this season, and Horner feared he was watching Kershaw’s last game in a Dodgers uniform.
If that’s the case, he said, it’s been an honor.
Red Sox extend lead to 4-1
TOP OF SEVENTH: Martinez homered to center. Bogaerts singled to center. Holt grounded to second, Bogaerts forced at second. Devers singled to center, Bogaerts to second. Vazquez struck out swinging. Price grounded to second, forcing Devers.
Red Sox take 3-1 lead on Mookie Betts’ homer
TOP OF SIXTH: Price grounded to short. Betts homered to left. Benintendi grounded to first. Pearce lined to center. RED SOX 3, DODGERS 1
Dodgers don’t score in bottom of sixth
BOTTOM OF SIXTH: Freese grounded to second. Turner lined to left. Hernandez grounded to second. RED SOX 3, DODGERS 1
Two stupid guys spotted at Dodger Stadium
It’s 2-1 Red Sox after five innings
BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Taylor struck out swinging. Barnes grounded to second. Kershaw grounded to the pitcher. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
Red Sox don’t score in top of fifth
TOP OF FIFTH: Holt lined to first. Devers struck out looking. Vazquez lined to left. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1.
Still 2-1 Red Sox after four
BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Machado struck out swinging. Muncy flied to center. Puig lined to second. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
Red Sox don’t score in top of fourth
TOP OF FOURTH: Pearce grounded to third. Martinez singled to left-center. Bogaerts grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
After not attending last year’s World Series, he was not missing out this time
Danny Martinez stood in the right field reserve level at Dodger Stadium, holding on to a michelada and all the hope he could muster.
“I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping to the man above that we win,” Martinez said during Game 5 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series three games to one. By the bottom of the second inning of Game 5, Boston had a 2-1 lead on the Dodgers.
Martinez didn’t get to come to last year’s World Series against the Houston Astros. When a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance to attend a World Series returned this season, he knew he had to come to a game.
Like many of the Dodger faithful, Martinez described this season and this World Series as an emotional roller coaster. The Game 4 loss was an especially bitter defeat, he said.
“But win or lose, I’m still going to represent L.A.,” said Martinez, 32, of Huntington Park. “I’m a fan till the end.”
“He’s marked for life,” said his twin brother, Roger Martinez.
And he meant literally. Danny has a big interlocking “LA” tattooed on his shoulder, an inking he got as a teenager to show his undying dedication to his hometown and his team.
“I’ll be cheering for them after they win tonight,” Danny said.
Dodgers waste one-out triple by Freese
BOTTOM OF THIRD: Clayton Kershaw grounded to third. Freese tripled to deep right. With the infield in, Turner grounded to short. Hernandez fouled to right. Dodgers waste a chance. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1.
Red Sox go in order in top of third
TOP OF THIRD: David Price struck out swinging. Betts flied to center. Benintendi grounded to first. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
Red Sox 2, Dodgers 1 after two innings
BOTTOM OF SECOND: Max Muncy struck out swinging. Yasiel Puig singled to left-center. Chris Taylor flied to center. Austin Barnes struck out swinging. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1.
Red Sox don’t score in top of second
TOP OF SECOND: Brock Holt flied to left. Rafael Devers struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez lined to center. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
They made it through the Game 3 marathon. Now they’re back for more and, hopefully, another win
Janette Roberts and Rose Moore, friends since elementary school, came to Game 5 in matching Dodger blue tutus and feather boas, glittery blue lipstick and World Series caps.
The friends, both 58 and from Gardena, wore the same outfits when the Dodgers played — and won — Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros on Halloween last year. This year, their attire is updated with 2018 World Series gear.
The fans still have hope, but things are certainly more subdued during this World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Roberts said.
“I think people are a little quieter this year,” she said.
The women were in the stands for Game 3, the longest game in World Series history, and stayed the entire 7 hours and 20 minutes. They don’t think a series victory is impossible quite yet, even though “last night was disheartening,” Roberts said.
“To have it and then to lose it...” Moore began, shaking her head at the thought of Game 4.
“They’re a strong team,” Roberts said. “They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t deserve it.”
“We don’t give up,” Moore added. “We don’t give up. We don’t give up.”
Dodgers get one back in bottom of the first
BOTTOM OF FIRST: David Freese homered to right. Justin Turner walked. Kiké Hernandez grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Manny Machado struck out swinging.
Red Sox take 2-0 lead on Steve Pearce’s homer
World Series Game 5. Clayton Kershaw vs. David Price. Dodgers vs. Red Sox. Pull up a chair and spend some time with us.
TOP OF FIRST: Mookie Betts flied to center. Andrew Benintendi singled to center. Steve Pearce homered to center. J.D. Martinez grounded to second. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 0.
The Dodger Game 5 starting lineup is....
Here is Boston’s Game 5 starting lineup
He has Lil Puig with him, and a lot of faith in the Dodgers
Isaac Tellez was walking through a Walmart in Arkansas with his daughter last year when he thought she was pulling a fast one on him.
Elia, 11, likes to persuade her dad to give her money for the claw machines. He thought she was joking when she told him there was a stuffed Yasiel Puig doll in the machine.
“I was like, ‘Girl, we’re in northwest Arkansas. There’s no Puig in there.’ And there he was.”
Elia won the Puig on her first try for just $1. Now, dad carries the stuffed Puig on all his travels and sends photos to her that he captions on social media as #whereislilpuig.
On Sunday, Lil Puig was at Game 5 of the World Series.
Tellez, 39, of Bella Vista, Ark., took photos of the doll his daughter calls Puigy from left field and reflected on what it’s been like to be a Dodgers fan during this World Series, which the Boston Red Sox lead three games to one.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “I think I’ve aged 20 years in the last three days.”
Tellez grew up in El Paso, but since he has a bunch of family in Los Angeles, he’s been a Dodgers fan for as long as he can remember. All of his relatives are, too.
“My family, we pick a team and we stick with them,” he said. “If I chose another team, I’d be a traitor. I’m a Dodgers fan until I die.”
On Friday night, Tellez attended a family wedding downtown. That was the night of Game 3, the longest World Series game in history, and kept everyone — including the bride and groom — updated on the score.
“We were trying to celebrate a union and trying to celebrate a Dodgers win at the same time,” he said.
When the wedding was done, Tellez headed to a taco stand in South L.A. to finish the game, watching Spanish-language announcers with a big crowd gathered outside.
After the euphoria of that victory, Saturday night’s loss was hard, and Tellez was angry about pitcher Rich Hill being pulled from the game. He was watching the game at a bar but became angry and left when the Dodgers fell behind and went to a Dia de Los Muertos celebration downtown “because I thought my soul was dead for the night.”
Still, he was optimistic for a Game 5 victory — and a World Series victory, despite the odds.
“We haven’t had a celebration since 1988,” he said. “The letdown every year, it really hurts. But you’ve got to support your team.”
Chris Sale awaits if there is a Game 6
The Red Sox did not shy away from starting Chris Sale in Sunday’s Game 5 because he’d fallen ill again, as he did during the American League Championship Series.
But one victory away from capturing the World Series, Boston was preparing for its worst-case scenario. If the Dodgers force Game 6, the Red Sox will turn to Sale to start on extra rest Tuesday at Fenway Park.
Sale was available in the bullpen for Game 5, but Cora said he’d only turn to his ace if the perfect situation came up.
Sale, who allowed three runs in four innings in Game 1, has battled left shoulder inflammation since late July.
“Perfect like in New York when he came in in Game 4 [of the AL Division Series],” manager Alex Cora said. “We know where we’re at. We know who we’re playing and we mapped this out to be covered and be almost at 100% if the series extends. So we’ve got to be very, very careful the way we use him. But it has to be almost perfect. But he’ll be ready.”
Clayton Kershaw on his slider and legacy
Dodgers’ Rich Hill rips Trump: ‘There was a mass shooting yesterday’
On the morning after President Trump ripped Dodgers manager Dave Roberts for removing Rich Hill with a four-run lead in the World Series, Hill did not thank Trump for standing up for him. Instead, Hill ripped Trump for his tweet.
And then Hill stood up for himself, saying his interest in telling Roberts to keep an eye on him was “an act of selflessness.”
Said Hill: “We need to change the narrative of this, where it’s being insinuated that I wanted to come out of the game. “
Hill at first breathed deeply and said little about the tweet, sent by Trump on a day 11 people were murdered in a domestic terrorist attack at a Pennsylvania synagogue.
“There was a mass shooting yesterday,” Hill said Sunday.
He expanded on his remark a few minutes later.
“I understand you’re watching the World Series, but there was a huge tragedy that happened and people will say what they want to say,” Hill said.
“The focus, in my opinion, of the president is to be on the country, and not on moves that are made in a World Series game.”
Roberts removed Hill from Saturday’s game in the seventh inning, with one on and one out and the Dodgers leading, 4-0. Hill had made 91 pitches, the last to strike out Eduardo Nunez.
The Dodgers were eight outs from the victory that would have tied the World Series at two games apiece. Instead, the Boston Red Sox scored nine runs, including at least one against each of the six Dodgers relievers, in a stunning 9-6 victory that left the Dodgers one game from elimination.
In explaining the decision to remove Hill, Roberts said that Hill had told him before the seventh inning to “keep an eye on me.” He said he never had heard Hill say anything similar during a game.
“You’re in the World Series,” Hill said Sunday. “You’re having an act of selflessness. When I say ‘keep an eye on me,’ I never said ‘tired.’ I never said I wanted to come out of the game. I’ve never, ever wanted to come out of a game … I’m the ultimate competitor. I’ve never wanted to come out of a game.
“You’re thinking about the 25 guys, and understanding that, if things get haywire out there, and saying, hey, if there is a better option coming out of the bullpen, I’m going to be on board with that, because of the gravity of the situation.
“To have an act of selflessness in this moment is what it’s all about. At the end of the day, the move was made, and it didn’t fall in our favor.”
On Sunday, Roberts expressed no regrets about the decision. He noted that he had not waved a relief pitcher into the game before Hill gave him the ball, although Hill said Roberts previously had never come to the mound without removing him.
“I think that any manager can leave a player, particularly a pitcher, in there until it doesn’t go well. And I think that that’s the easy thing to do.
“But when you have a conversation with a player that you’ve never had before in the dugout prior to going back out there, I think that’s telling. And when you go out to the mound and are given the ball after, with not signaling in, I think that’s telling, as well.”
Roberts and Hill met Sunday morning to clarify the situation.
“Am I going to debate that Rich was competing and he gave everything he had? Absolutely not,” Roberts said. “It was a valiant effort, a tremendous effort and we didn’t get the job done. But from what I got, that led to my decision and it didn’t work out.”
Hill said he understood that Roberts might have taken from the “keep an eye on me” remark that the pitcher thought he was tiring.
“Those were never words that came out of my mouth,” Hill said. “I understand the insinuation, but we can’t assume anything.
“It’s not I want to come out of the game, I’m tired, none of that. You know what? Maybe I should have phrased it that way at the time.”
The Trump tweet, ripping Roberts for removing a pitcher who was dominating the game, ended with these words: “Managers do it all the time. Big mistake!”
Trump was far the only person to criticize Roberts, even if he was the most famous, and Roberts said he did not put too much stock in any of it.
“There’s a lot of thoughts and opinions that people don’t have all the information, which is commonplace these days,” he said, “to cultivate opinions and get out there. So, for me, it’s noise, and I really haven’t paid too much attention to it.”
Dave Roberts on analytics and taking criticism
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talks about his use of analytics and how he handles criticism.
Justin Turner on how the Dodgers compare to the Red Sox and the team’s confidence
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner talks about how the Dodgers and Red Sox are alike and how his team’s confidence is going into Game 5.
Dodgers lose to Red Sox, 9-6
The manager botched the seventh inning. The closer botched the eighth. And in the ninth, with the lead gone and the energy leaking from Dodger Stadium, one of the few useful relievers acquired earlier in the summer by Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman botched the ninth.
Call it a historic collapse. Call it a systematic breakdown. Call it the early onset of winter. All apply, yet none precisely capture the bitterness of the fourth game of the World Series, a 9-6 defeat to the Boston Red Sox, when the Dodgers stood on the verge of tying this series and let the opportunity slip through their collective fingers.
Up four runs in the seventh inning, eight outs from a shutout, the Dodgers crumbled. Manager Dave Roberts pressed the wrong buttons. Kenley Jansen combusted once again. Dylan Floro could not stymy the most prolific offense in baseball, instead trembling in their wake.
He permitted a go-ahead RBI single to Boston infielder Rafael Devers in the ninth as Dodger Stadium hushed with shock. The stands emptied when Steve Pearce roped a three-run double off Kenta Maeda a few batters later, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts added an RBI single. The crowd stirred when Enrique Hernandez hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but the damage was done, and the Dodgers slinked back to their clubhouse trailing in this series, 3-1.
After slumbering into the sixth, the Dodgers offense was awakened by a Boston error and Yasiel Puig’s three-run homer. The advantage looked safe. Rich Hill was in the process of contributing 6 1/3 innings of clean baseball. The decision by manager Dave Roberts to remove Hill backfired spectacularly, when Ryan Madson served up a three-run homer to Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland.
The night deteriorated from there. Called into action in the eighth inning for the second day in a row, Kenley Jansen blew a save for the second day in a row. Once more he was victimized by a solo home run. Boston infielder Steve Pearce lifted a thigh-high cutter over the center-field fence. A smattering of jeers greeted Jansen as he left the mound.
The two teams returned to the diamond after the preposterous marathon of Game 3. The game required 18 innings. It lasted seven hours and 20 minutes, longer than any other in postseason history. A walkoff homer by Max Muncy kept the Dodgers alive, down only one game in the series, instead of three.
Game 3 ended at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. Roberts downed a beer and a melatonin-based sleep aid, and fell asleep around 3 a.m. He rose in time to be at the ballpark by the next morning. He had drained three cups of coffee before his session with reporters around 1:45 p.m.
“It’s the World Series, man,” Roberts said. “If you can’t get up for this, man, you’ve got to find something else to do.”
The Dodgers engaged in some late-night chicanery after Game 3. Because Boston used potential Game 4 starter Nathan Eovaldi for six innings in relief, Red Sox manager Alex Cora could not immediately say who would take the mound in Eovaldi’s place. The Dodgers countered by listing their starter as “T.B.D.,” even though Hill had left Dodger Stadium thinking he would start.
The intrigue lasted only 12 hours. The Dodgers announced Hill as their starter a few hours before the first pitch. Roberts insisted the team was pondering using a relief pitcher to open the game, a strategy the team had not employed all season. The gambit was nixed, and Hill got the call.
Boston countered with Rodriguez, who had faced a batter the night before. Rodriguez became the first pitcher to start a World Series game on zero days of rest since Washington Senators hurler Firpo Marberry in 1924.
Hill created his own traffic on the bases. He walked first baseman Steve Pearce in a scoreless first inning and did the same with second baseman Brock Holt in the second. In the third, Hill opened the frame by drilling Rodriguez on the right arm with an 87-mph fastball. Hill recovered by erasing Rodriguez on a fielder’s choice, getting outfielder Andrew Benintendi to pop up and induced Pearce’s inning-ending flyball to left field.
Hill looked sharper in the fourth. He pumped a 91-mph fastball past slugger J.D. Martinez for his fourth strikeout of the game. His fifth ended the inning, when gimpy third baseman Eduardo Nunez could not catch up to another 91-mph fastball.
The hitters did little to support Hill against Rodriguez. The group managed only a pair of singles and a walk through four innings. Rodriguez did not let a Dodger reach second base.
Hill blinked, for a moment, in the fifth. He gave up a one-out single to catcher Christian Vazquez, who had come up a few feet short of a homer on a long drive to left moments earlier. With Vazquez at first, Cora let Rodriguez bat. Hill struck him out, then watched outfielder Mookie Betts swat an 89-mph fastball through the marine layer and into Cody Bellinger’s glove in center.
The command of Rodriguez wavered in the sixth. He clipped David Freese in the left knee with his first pitch of the inning. Enrique Hernandez pinch-ran for Freese, and chugged to third base when Justin Turner rolled a double down the third-base line. The Red Sox intentionally walked Manny Machado, which brought Bellinger to the plate against Rodriguez.
Boston bungled the situation. Bellinger smacked a grounder toward first base. Pearce pegged home for one out, then hustled back to the bag and awaited the return from Vazquez. The throw veered behind Bellinger, forcing Pearce to reach around the runner’s back in vain. The ball skipped beyond the grasp of second baseman Brock Holt, who was backing up the play. The error gave Turner time to score from second.
The mistake opened the door for Puig. Rodriguez fell behind in the count. He flung a 3-1 fastball down the middle. Puig bashed it into the left-field pavilion and cavorted around the bases.
The party died down in the seventh. Hill issued a leadoff walk to shortstop Xander Bogaerts. After Hill struck out Nunez, Roberts intervened. He elected to let left-handed reliever Scott Alexander face Holt, a left-handed hitter, even though Hill also throws with his left hand. Alexander threw four balls in a row and exited the scene.
Into the fray came Madson. He had permitted all five of his inherited runners to score in the first two games of this series. He would add two more to his tally on Saturday. Moreland arrived as a pinch hitter. Madson left a changeup at Moreland’s waist. Moreland crushed the ball deep into the right-field bleachers. Standing beneath its arc, Puig put his hands on his head.
He could not have predicted what would follow. The sting of this defeat may linger long after Saturday.
New stadium vantage point of a lifelong Dodgers fan nets him Yasiel Puig’s home-run ball
There were screams, a bat flip and a glove slammed into the dirt. But all Drew Nash saw was his father rising to his feet.
So the 17-year-old stood up too, putting himself in position to catch Yasiel Puig’s three-run home run in the sixth inning of Game 4 of the World Series.
“It was crazy,” Drew said. “I didn’t even see it coming.”
He had never been to a World Series game before watching the Dodgers face the Red Sox on Saturday night with his family, but he is a lifelong Dodgers fan.
“I love coming here,” he said.
Drew normally sat on the other side of the field, relishing the atmosphere of Dodger Stadium. This was his first night with a new vantage point, prime ground for catching a left-field blast. But at first there were none, as starting pitchers Rich Hill and Eduardo Rodriguez retired batter after batter.
Until the sixth inning.
The bases gradually filled with Dodgers batters, wearing down Rodriguez. David Freese was hit by a pitch, Justin Turner doubled to left field with one out and Manny Machado was intentionally walked to load the bases. Cody Bellinger hit into a fielder’s choice, with pinch-runner Enrique Hernandez out at home, but an errant throw allowed Turner to score.
Those were Drew’s final moments watching the game empty-handed.
When Yasiel Puig crushed a 92-mph fastball from a fatigued Rodriguez, who threw down his glove in disgust, Drew was among the fans in left field that jumped to their feet in anticipation.
His favorite player, Drew said, “might now have to be Puig.”
Puig’s hit traveled 439 feet, careening toward Drew’s direction. The ball tipped off his father’s hands, slowing the ball as it popped up into Drew’s reach. He grabbed it.
Drew watched the game clutching his prize with both hands, strikingly white with scuffs around the laces — marks of a journey over the wall.
“I have no idea,” Drew said when asked what he would do with the ball. “I really don’t.”
He turned back to the field and continued to cheer.
Red Sox take 9-4 lead as Dodger bullpen falls apart
TOP OF NINTH: Dylan Floro now pitching. Nunez popped to first. Holt doubled to left. Rafael Devers hit for Leon and singled to center, scoring Holt. Blake Swihart, batting for the pitcher, grounded to second, Devers moving to second. Betts was walked intentionally. Alex Wood replaces Floro. Benintendi singled to third, loading the bases. Kenta Maeda replaces Wood. Dozier comes in to play second, Hernandez moves to left field. Taylor out of the game. Pearce doubled to right-center, clearing the bases. Martinez was walked intentionally. Bogaerts singled to center, Pearce scoring, Martinez to third. Nunez flied to center. RED SOX 9, DODGERS 4
Donald Trump blames Dave Roberts for Dodgers’ collapse
It’s 4-4 after eight innings
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH: Machado singled to right-center. Bellinger struck out swinging. Puig grounded to short, forcing Machado at second. Taylor singled to left, Puig taking third. Yasmani Grandal, batting for Barnes, struck out swinging. DODGERS 4, RED SOX 4.
Red Sox tie it off Kenley Jansen in eighth
TOP OF EIGHTH: Kenley Jansen now pitching. Benintendi grounded to first. Pearce homered to center to tie the score. Unbelievable. First bringing in Madson, then bringing in Jansen in the eighth. Do the Dodgers have short-term memory problems? Martinez struck out swinging. Bogaerts flied to right. DODGERS 4, RED SOX 4.
It’s 4-3 Dodgers after seven
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH: Sandy Leon in at catcher. Joe Kelly now pitching. Joc Pederson, batting for Madson, struck out looking. Hernandez lined to center. Muncy singled to left. Turner flied to center. DODGERS 4, RED SOX 3.
Red Sox strike back with three in the seventh
TOP OF SEVENTH: Hernandez stays in the game at second. Muncy moves to first. Bogaerts walked. Nunez struck out swinging. That’s it for Hill. Scott Alexander replaces him on the mound. I would have let him pitch to one more batter. He just struck out a guy. Holt walked. Ryan Madson replaces Alexander. Uh oh. Jackie Bradley Jr., batting for Vazquez, popped to second. Mitch Moreland, batting for the pitcher, homered to right. Betts lined to the pitcher. DODGERS 4, RED SOX 3. The Dodgers can never do things the easy way.
Puig powers Dodgers to 4-0 lead
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH: Freese was hit by a pitch. Kiké Hernandez ran for Freese. Muncy struck out looking. Turner doubled down the third-base line, Hernandez stopping at third. Machado was walked intentionally. Bellinger grounded to first, with Hernandez forced at the plate. The catcher, Vazquez, tried to complete the double play, but his throw got away and Turner scored. Machado to third. Puig homered to left. It’s 4-0 Dodgers. Matt Barnes is now pitching for the Red Sox. Taylor walked. Barnes struck out swinging. DODGERS 4, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox go down in order in top of sixth
TOP OF SIXTH: Benintendi grounded to the pitcher. Pearce lined to left. Martinez lined to short. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0
There’s no score after five innings
BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Taylor struck out looking. Barnes grounded to third. Hill grounded to third. This game is sailing right along. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox don’t score in top of fifth
TOP OF FIFTH: Holt grounded to second. Vazquez singled to left. Rodriguez struck out looking. Betts lined to center. RED SOX 0, DODGERS 0
No score after four innings
BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Turner singled to right. Machado struck out swinging. Bellinger struck out swinging. Puig popped to second. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0
Husband and wife are a little split over the World Series matchup
The World Series just might come between Eric and Amy Reynolds.
The couple — he a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, she a woman who bleeds Dodger blue — drove nine hours from their home in Spanish Fork, Utah, to be at Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium.
“We’re married,” Amy said.
“This almost didn’t make it work,” she said of their union.
Eric wore a Nomar Garciaparra Red Sox jersey. She wore a Dodgers T-shirt and cap.
They drove for hours on Friday night while listening to Game 3 on the radio.
They pulled into their hotel in Las Vegas, and the game was still going. That was about the time a home run from Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox tied the score in the eighth inning.
There would still be 10 innings to go.
“We thought we’d see 30 minutes of the game, and it just kept going and going and going,” Amy Reynolds said.
They tried to keep quiet, so as not to wake their hotel neighbors. Amy couldn’t help herself and let out a few yelps.
As soon as Max Muncy’s home run cleared the fence to win the game for the Dodgers after midnight, they turned the TV off. They still had to drive to Los Angeles in the morning.
“We were like, ‘It’s finally over. OK, lights off,’” Amy said.
Hill cruises through fourth inning
TOP OF FOURTH: Martinez struck out swinging. Bogaerts grounded to second. Nunez struck out swinging. Through four innings, Hill has given up two walks, no hits and struck out five. He has made 57 pitches.
No score after three innings
BOTTOM OF THIRD: Rich Hill tried to bunt but popped to third. Freese flied to right. Muncy flied to left. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox fail to score in top of third
TOP OF THIRD: Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox pitcher, was hit by a pitch. Betts grounded to third, forcing Rodriguez at second. Benintendi popped to short. Pearce flied to left. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0
That’s quite a slump
His Game 3 victory celebration included not waking his family
Arturo Delgadillo started watching World Series Game 3 on Friday night with his family. He ended it alone Saturday morning, drinking Tang in the dark, celebrating quietly and trying not to wake anyone.
“I had to keep my emotions in check and keep my celebration to a minimal decibel level,” he said.
On Saturday afternoon, Delgadillo, a 40-year-old from Whittier, could be as loud as he wanted at Dodger Stadium, where he hoped the Dodgers would, in a timely manner, wallop the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 to tie the series.
He won’t soon forget the historic 18-inning Game 3, though.
He’d finished drinking his Bud Light by the eighth inning. His wife and 7-year-old daughter went to bed soon after.
By the ninth inning — halfway through a game that would last 7 hours and 20 minutes to land in the record books as the longest World Series game ever — he was alone in his living room with the lights turned off.
“It was just me by myself. I made some Tang, and that was it,” he said.
Delgadillo was texting with friends. One had started drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels. Delgadillo told him he couldn’t stop drinking because it would jinx the Dodgers. By the end of the marathon game, the friend sent a picture: He had drunk most of it alone.
The game, Delgadillo said, “was really, really tense. I was just grinding it out like every other Dodgers fan.”
When the Red Sox tied the score in the eighth inning, Delgadillo felt pessimism creeping in. He quickly snapped out of it, though. And he never woke his family.
“It was a very contained emotional roller coaster,” he said.
When Max Muncy hit a home run to end it in the bottom of the 18th, Delgadillo jumped and let out a yelp.
“I had to go outside and let out a ‘Yeah!’” he said.
He was joined on Saturday afternoon by his father-in-law, John Peters, 71, of Bellflower. Peters, who grew up in the Boston area, is a lifelong Red Sox fan. He wore a Dodgers cap to the stadium so he wouldn’t get harassed, but he kept his Boston key lanyard in his pocket.
He, too, had a long night.
He started watching the game in the living room of his Bellflower home. He dozed off, then went to the bedroom and fell asleep in the ninth inning. He was shocked when he turned the television back on at 11:25 p.m.
“I thought I’d be watching the 11 o’clock news telling me the results of the game, and I was watching the game still,” he said.
Peters finished the game on a small television in the kitchen. He ended the night in disappointment.
Delgadillo said he didn’t care how long he would be at the ballpark on Saturday.
“As long as we get that W, it doesn’t matter how long it takes,” he said.
No score after two innings
BOTTOM OF SECOND: Cody Bellinger grounded to first. Yasiel Puig flied to center. Chris Taylor singled to left. Austin Barnes struck out looking. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox don’t score in top of second
TOP OF SECOND: Xander Bogaerts popped to first. Eduardo Nunez struck out swinging. Brock Holt walked. Christian Vazquez flied to left. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
No score after one inning
BOTTOM OF FIRST: David Freese struck out swinging. Max Muncy grounded to first. Justin Turner walked. Manny Machado flied to right. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
They outlasted the marathon Game 3 at home; now they’re at Dodger Stadium for Game 4
Blanca Martino called it a “heart attack waiting to happen.”
Game 3 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox — an 18-inning slog that was the longest in series history — kept Blanca, 52, and her husband, Joe, 56, awake into the wee hours of Saturday morning, watching TV in Oxnard and wondering if it would ever end.
When Walker Buehler threw the first pitch at 5:10 p.m., they were in their living room, watching TV and eating chips and salsa.
After about the 12th inning, Blanca started to get tired and went to the bedroom. Her husband talked her out of snoozing.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to stay up!’” he said.
And so, they watched the rest of the game from the bedroom, clapping, cheering and yelling their way through the night.
They woke at 7 a.m., ate lunch at Philippe’s in Chinatown, and made their way to Dodger Stadium in their Justin Turner jerseys.
Joe thought the Dodgers would have the advantage Saturday.
“Boston’s tired,” he said. “We’re not.”
Red Sox don’t score in top of first
World Series Game 4. Dodgers vs. Red Sox. Rich Hill vs. Eduardo Rodriguez. Pull up a chair and spend some time with us.
TOP OF FIRST: Mookie Betts struck out swinging. Andrew Benintendi flied to left. Steve Pearce walked. J.D. Martinez struck out swinging. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0
Watch Dennis Eckersley throw out the first pitch to Kirk Gibson
Watch Kobe Bryant announce the Dodgers’ starting lineup
This Dodgers fan is sharing baseball’s best moments one doodle at a time
It all started with a Kole Calhoun doodle. Then it wouldn’t end.
Angelina Choi is behind the Twitter account @drawawalk, which illustrates some of baseball’s weird, wacky and memorable moments.
“At first I was drawing whatever request came in,” the 23-year-old says. She fields requests from other Twitter users but has been more selective over time as the account develops a theme.
She stays away from the serious.
“I try to draw the more fun, silly ones,” she says.
At first, these mini masterpieces took about an hour. Now, Choi says they take about 15 minutes, 30 minutes max.
Choi’s friend sent her a tweet from a Twitter account that draws cats and suggested she do the same with baseball.
She started drawing these baseball moments in August and hasn’t stopped.
The Northridge resident became a Dodgers fan in 2013 and hasn’t stopped watching her favorite team since.
Now watching the Boys in Blue with a tablet to draw and a phone to pull up the image she wants to draw is all part of her routine.
The 23-year-old studies statistics at UCLA but took a leave of absence because of mental health issues.
Zack Greinke was one of her inspirations for the way he openly dealt with social anxiety disorder and depression. She devoted an entire week to just Zack Greinke drawings.
The name on the Twitter account used to be Poorly Drawn Baseball. For the sake of her mental health, she tweeted, and because she’s gained a few fans of her own, she’s since changed the name to Acceptably Drawn Baseball.
Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the name of the account was @drawingawalk.
They missed the end of Game 3, but now will witness Game 4 at Dodger Stadium
The kids weren’t pleased.
It was going on 10 p.m. Friday — five hours into Game 3 of the World Series — and Ryan Gilhooly and her 8-year-old brother, Sean, were being ushered to bed.
The game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox would stretch to 7 hours and 20 minutes, the longest in World Series history.
“I was sad. I didn’t want to go to bed,” said Sean, who wore a Yasmani Grandal jersey to the stadium Saturday afternoon for Game 4.
He sneakily turned on a TV for a little while after his parents thought he was sleeping, he said.
His sister wasn’t happy either.
Asked about the game, Ryan, sporting a Justin Turner jersey and a Dodgers cap over her long hair, summed up the game in one word: “Frustrating.”
The kids came to Game 4 with their parents, Pat and Heather Gilhooly of Pacific Palisades, and got to Dodger Stadium early to watch batting practice from left field. Sean even got a ball tossed to him by pitcher Ryan Madson.
Heather and Pat held out as long as they could Friday night and into Saturday morning but succumbed to sleep in about the 16th inning as they watched from their bedroom. They missed Max Muncy’s home run to end the marathon game and woke up shortly after the game ended to see highlights playing on TV.
“We were literally in bed!” Heather said, laughing. “We didn’t see the home run.”
“It was painful, but it was so exciting,” Pat said. “We had to win that game.”
Rich Hill on sign stealing and tipping his pitches
Dave Roberts on the drama of Game 3 and the approach to Game 4
Fox Sports mistakes Sandy Koufax for Bill Nye
Some things are easily forgivable. You lose your keys. You think the count is 2-1 when it’s 2-2. You think the game starts at 6 instead of 7.
But mistaking Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, for Bill Nye, the Science Guy? When you are running the social media account for a sports channel?
Here’s Boston’s Game 4 starting lineup
Dodgers reveal their Game 4 lineup
Dave Roberts on playing at home and second-guessing his lineups
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talks about returning to Dodger Stadium and if he ever second-guesses his lineup choices.
Recapping an incredible game
The joyous throng gathered around home plate at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, seven hours and 20 minutes after this monstrosity of a baseball game had begun.
Never before had a World Series game lasted this long.
Never before had a playoff game lasted this long. Never before had the Dodgers experienced a victory quite like their 3-2 walkoff over the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the World Series, an 18-inning agony that ended with sweet relief when Max Muncy launched a solo home run.
“The feeling was pure joy and excitement,” Muncy said. “That’s about all I can think of, because it’s hard to describe how good a feeling it is.”
The Dodgers crowded the plate as Muncy rounded the bases. Dodger Stadium teetered with delirium. Muncy disappeared inside the throng, having taken Boston pitcher Nathan Eovaldi deep and perhaps tilted the balance of this series. The Dodgers still trail in the series, 2-1. But the cost of Boston’s pitching decisions may last beyond the marathon.
Eovaldi had been listed as Boston’s starter for Game 4, scheduled for Saturday evening. Instead he pitched six innings, logging 97 pitches and effectively wiping himself out of consideration for the next two games at Dodger Stadium. Boston manager Alex Cora did not commit to a replacement in the aftermath. As if the series required more intrigue, at 1:27 a.m., the Dodgers announced their Game 4 starter was no longer Rich Hill, but would be named later.
The particulars of Game 3 boggle the mind. The teams combined to throw 561 pitches. There were more strikeouts (34) than hits (18). Muncy ended the game in his eighth plate appearance. It was his first time up after nearly ending the game by hooking a ball just foul down the right-field line.
“My goodness,” infielder David Freese said. “I don’t even know what happened tonight. Man. How do you pull a walkoff homer barely foul and then go oppo tank next AB? That’s incredible.”
Cody Bellinger redeems himself
For a few minutes Friday night, Cody Bellinger was the loneliest person at Dodger Stadium. Game 3 of the World Series was tied and his baserunning blunder had sucked the oxygen out of the building. He led off the bottom of the ninth with a textbook opposite-field single off Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price, giving the Dodgers a prime chance to score the winning run for their first victory of the series. But moments later, with a full count on Yasmani Grandal, he darted for second base too early and Price caught him. After a quick rundown, Bellinger, who was caught stealing once in 15 attempts during the regular season, was tagged for the inning’s second out.
With that disappointment hanging over him, Bellinger took his spot in center field for the top of the 10th inning. From there, he masked his gaffe’s stink with a missile home. With pinch-runner Ian Kinsler at third base, pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez lifted a fly ball to center field. Bellinger settled behind the ball to gather some momentum as he caught it and transferred it from his glove to his left hand. His throw was off-line, but Austin Barnes was able to handle it and apply the tag to get Kinsler.
Bellinger’s defense kept the score tied — and may have kept the Dodgers’ championship hopes alive. Eight innings later, Max Muncy ended the longest playoff game in history with a walk-off home run in the 18th inning against Nathan Eovaldi to give the Dodgers a 3-2 win and a avoid a 3-0 series hole. They now trail the Red Sox two-games-to-one .
“I was glad I had a chance to redeem myself,” Bellinger said. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to sleep. … Mental mistake. I take full credit for that mistake, but I was glad I was able to redeem myself.”
The future is now for Walker Buehler
Plenty happened in Game 3 of the World Series, from Kenley Jansen blowing a one-run lead in the eighth inning to the Dodgers erasing a one-run deficit in the 13th to ultimately earning a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Max Muncy’s walk-off home run in the 18th.
None of that should take away from what Walker Buehler did Friday night.
In the first World Series game of his career, Buehler affirmed he is becoming everything the Dodgers envisioned, a franchise cornerstone who performs like a frontline starter in October as well as in the regular season.
The 24-year-old rookie was Kobe Bryant in a Dodgers cap. He was Orel Hershiser with a 100-mph fastball. He was the postseason hero the city of Los Angeles failed to wish into existence over the franchise’s five previous years.
“He’s a bulldog,” Dodgers first baseman David Freese said.
Max Muncy changes everything for the Dodgers
How did he have the strength?
After more than seven hours of baseball, Friday night become Saturday morning, desperation fighting exhaustion, the Dodgers’ Max Muncy drove a pitch over the left-field fence at Dodger Stadium, then powerfully threw up both of his giant arms.
How did any of them have the strength?
As Muncy rounded the bases and reached home plate, his teammates sprinted out of the dugout and were soon surrounding him in a giant, bouncing mosh pit of blue.
It was the 18th inning. It was 12:30 a.m. The Dodgers had awakened.
“Holy cow,’’ infielder David Freese said. “It was incredible.’’
Home is where their heart beat, loudly, powerfully, finally.
Home sweet Dodgers, and this World Series is a series again.
We go to the bottom of the 17th
BOTTOM OF THE 17TH: Hernandez popped to second. Clayton Kershaw, batting for Urias, lined to right. Turner struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
We go to the bottom of the 17th
TOP OF 17TH INNING: TOP OF THE 17TH: Julio Urias now pitching. Holt flied to center. Nunez popped to second. Bradley walked. Vazquez grounded to first.
Red Sox don’t score in top of 18th
TOP OF THE 18TH: Alex Wood now pitching. Leon walked. Betts grounded to short, forcing Leon at second. Bogaerts grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2
Dodgers win on Max Muncy’s homer
BOTTOM OF 18TH: Eovaldi is still pitching. I don’t think he will be starting Game 4 later today. Muncy HOMERED TO CENTER. DODGERS WIN, 3-2
We go to the 100th inning (OK, really just the 17th)
BOTTOM OF 16TH: Puig popped to third. Barnes flied to center. Freese struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
It’s still 2-2 after top of 16th
TOP OF 16TH: Bogaerts struck out swinging. Eovaldi struck out looking. Kinsler struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
We head to the 16th inning
BOTTOM OF 15TH: Eovaldi pitching. Muncy hit a ball that barely curled foul, then struck out swinging. Machado popped to second. Bellinger struck out looking. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
Red Sox strand two in top of 15th
TOP OF 15TH: Freese in at first. Muncy to second. Hernandez to left. Pederson out of game. Kenta Maeda pitching. Nunez singled to second. Bradley walked. Vazquez attempted to sacrifice, but bunted into a force play, with Nunez thrown out at third. Leon struck out swinging. Betts struck out looking. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2
It’s Dodgers 2, Red Sox 2 after 14 innings
BOTTOM OF 14TH: David Freese, batting for Floro, grounded to the pitcher. Hernandez singled to center. Pederson popped to second. Turner flied to right. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 2
Red Sox don’t score in top of 14th
TOP OF 14TH: Eovaldi struck out looking. Kinsler flied to center. Holt struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
You won’t believe it, but we are going to the 14th
BOTTOM OF 13TH: Eovaldi still pitching. Muncy walked. Machado flied to left. Bellinger popped to third, with an alert Muncy taking second on the play. Puig grounded to second. Kinsler throws the ball away, allowing Muncy to score and tie the game. Barnes flied to right. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
Red Sox take lead in top of 13th
TOP OF 13TH: Alexander still pitching. Holt walked. Holt took second on a wild pitch. Nunez grounded to the pitcher, with the throw going past Hernandez covering at first. Holt scores. Nunez is given a single and an error to Alexander. Bradley lined to center. Dylan Floro replaces Alexander. Vazquez struck out swinging. Leon doubled to left, Vazquez to third. Betts was walked intentionally. Bogaerts hit a dribbler that barely cleared the plate, Barnes grabbed it and stepped on home for the force out. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1
It’s still 1-1 after 12 innings
BOTTOM OF 12TH: Vazquez moves to first. Sandy Leon now catching. Nathan Eovaldi, the announced Game 4 starter, now pitching. Hernandez grounded to first. Pederson flied to center. Turner struck out swinging. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Red Sox don’t score in top of 12th
TOP OF 12TH: Kiké Hernandez in at second base. Scott Alexander pitching. Bogaerts grounded to the pitcher. Moreland struck out swinging. Kinsler grounded to the pitcher. RED SOX 1, DODGERS 1.
It’s 1-1 after 11 innings
BOTTOM OF 11TH: Heath Hembree pitching. Bellinger grounded to second. Puig flied to right. Barnes walked. Taylor struck out swinging. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Red Sox don’t score in top of 11th
TOP OF 11TH: Bradley struck out swinging. Vazquez grounded to short. Steve Pearce, batting for Kimbrel, walked. Betts flied to center. Great pitching by Baez. RED SOX 1, DODGERS 1
It’s still 1-1 after 10 innings
BOTTOM OF 10TH: Kinsler in at second. Holt to left. Nunez in at third. Pederson popped to third. Turner grounded to third. Muncy doubled to right. Machado popped to short. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Great throw by Bellinger keeps Red Sox from scoring in 10th
TOP OF THE 10TH: Pedro Baez pitching. Barnes catching. Moreland lined to right. Martinez walked. Ian Kinsler ran for Martinez. Holt singled to center, Kinsler to third. Eduardo Nunez, batting for Devers, flied to center. Bellinger threw Kinsler out trying to score. Great throw by Bellinger. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Watch Mary Hart ‘dance’ during a crucial moment in Game 3
We go to extra innings
BOTTOM OF NINTH: David Price pitching on his normal bullpen day. Bellinger singled to left. Puig flied to right. With Grandal batting, Bellinger was picked off first. He left way too early, making it an easy pickoff for Price. Grandal walked. Craig Kimbrel replaced Price. Taylor walked. Austin Barnes pinch-ran for Grandal. Brian Dozier, batting for Jansen, fouled to the catcher. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
You are never too young to become a Dodgers fan
Maria Aguilar, 28, of Alhambra stood amid the excited thousands at Dodger Stadium on Friday night with her 2-month-old son, Lorenzo.
He slept peacefully in a carrier strapped to his mom, with noise-cancelling headphones on his head.
Aguilar, who has been a fan since she was a child, can’t wait to tell Lorenzo that his first Dodgers game was a World Series game. She bought a new digital camera for the game so she could properly document it.
“I’m going to bring him to as many games as I can,” Aguilar said. “I”m going to make him love baseball.”
Elsewhere in the stands, Lisa Mennano, 48, of San Diego wore a new manicure and pedicure, her nails blue and white. She could hardly hold her hands still. They had been shaking in nervous anticipation since she woke up Friday morning.
She screamed her way through the game.
“They’re our team,” she said of the Dodgers. “Win or lose. We love them.”
When Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a solo home run off Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game 1-1, a collective groan echoed through the stadium.
A drunken man in a Clayton Kershaw jersey standing on the loge level displayed his affinity for yelled swear words and his anger at Dodgers manager Dave Roberts for bringing Jansen in an inning early.
“That’s Roberts’ fault!” he screamed at no one and everyone as the ball cleared the fence. “You put Jansen, a closer, in. He’s not ready for six outs!”
Red Sox don’t score in top of ninth
TOP OF NINTH: Jansen still pitching. Andrew Benintendi, batting for Barnes, struck out swinging. Betts flied to right. Bogaerts grounded to second. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
It’s 1-1 after eight innings
BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: Matt Barnes pitching. Pederson struck out swinging. Turner singled to left-center. Muncy grounded to first, Turner forced at second. Alex Cora keeps shifting his outfield depending on if a lefty or righty is up in an apparent attempt to keep Martinez from having to field a ball. Machado struck out swinging. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Red Sox tie it in eighth inning
TOP OF EIGHTH: Kenley Jansen on the mound, as it appears the Dodgers are going to ask him to get a two-inning save. Holt flied to left. Devers struck out swinging. Bradley homered to right. It’s all tied. Vazquez popped to second. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 1.
Dodgers lead 1-0 after seven and turn to their bullpen
BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: Ryan Brasier pitching. Puig singled to third. Grandal struck out swinging. Taylor flied to right. Matt Kemp, batting for Buehler, grounded to short. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Dodgers lead 1-0 after six innings
BOTTOM OF SIXTH: Turner lined to right. Muncy grounded to second. Machado singled to left. Bellinger popped to second. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Walker Buehler shuts down Red Sox again in the seventh
TOP OF SEVENTH: Bogaerts lined to center. Moreland struck out looking. Pedro Baez is up in the Dodger bullpen. Martinez struck out swinging. Walker Buehler has limited the mighty Red Sox offense to two hits in seven innings. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox don’t score in top of sixth
TOP OF SIXTH: Vazquez grounded to second. Blake Swihart, batting for Rodriguez, grounded to third. Betts struck out looking. Buehler has make 93 pitches through six innings. How long will Dave Roberts let him go? DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Dodgers lead 1-0 after five innings
BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Grandal singled to right. Taylor flied to center. Buehler struck out by bunting foul on strike two. That’s it for Porcello, with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez coming in to pitch to the left-handed hitting Pederson, who struck out swinging. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Walker Buehler has shut Red Sox out through five innings
TOP OF FIFTH: Holt lined to right. Devers struck out swinging. Bradley flied to left. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
The best photos from Game 3 of the World Series
Check out the best photos from Los Angeles Times photographers at Dodger Stadium for Game 3 of the World Series.
Fans show their Dodgers pride in unique ways
Bare-chested, with his goatee dyed blue and a blue margarita clutched in his hand and staining his tongue, Fernando Vera had goosebumps dotting his arms as he described his love for the Dodgers during Game 3 of the World Series.
“I was born and raised in L.A.,” he said, with pride in his voice. “This is what I grew up with. This is what I live for.”
The goatee, he wears blue 365 days a year, making his body a testament to his Dodgers loyalty. He’s been doing it for years. He used to use spray-on dye, but since it made the bathroom too messy, he went all in and went for permanent blue.
Kids stare at him. Some point. He loves it.
On Friday, he had a big “LA” painted on his chest in white. He’d donned a blue fedora. Boots and custom khaki shorts with Dodgers logos. A blue beaded necklace dangling over his chest tattoo of a rose.
He said fans have to be loyal, even with the Dodgers trailing in the series, because this is more than a team and a fan base. It’s a family.
“You’re in the stands. They’re losing, they’re winning, I’m representing,” he said. “It’s euphoria.”
“They’re down 2 to 0. But this is our house now.”
His son, Fernando Vera Jr., 29, also clutches a blue margarita. If the Dodgers lose Friday, will he still have faith?
“Of course,” he said. “After a few more drinks.”
Dodgers lead 1-0 after four
BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Machado flied to left. Bellinger struck out swinging. Puig popped to second. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox don’t score in top of fourth
TOP OF FOURTH: Bogaerts grounded to short. Moreland flied to left. Martinez struck out looking. Buehler has made 68 pitches through four innings, striking out four and giving up two hits. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Dodgers take 1-0 lead on Joc Pederson’s homer
BOTTOM OF THIRD: Chris Taylor grounded to short. Walker Buehler struck out looking. Joc Pederson HOMERED TO RIGHT. Turner doubled to left. Max Muncy flied to left. DODGERS 1, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox strand one in top of third
TOP OF THIRD: Jackie Bradley Jr. singled to third. With Christian Vazquez up, Bradley was caught stealing. Vazquez singled to left-center. Rick Porcello sacrificed Vazquez to second. Betts flied to center. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
No score after two innings
BOTTOM OF SECOND: Cody Bellinger flied to left. Yasiel Puig lined to center. Yasmani Grandal struck out looking. DODGERS 0. RED SOX 0.
Red Sox go down in order in second inning
TOP OF SECOND: J.D. Martinez grounded to second. Brock Holt grounded to the catcher. Rafael Devers grounded to first. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
He’s not washing his Matt Kemp jersey until the World Series is over
Brian Anh was experiencing the whole gamut of human emotions Friday night at Game 3 of the World Series, where his Dodgers were starting as underdogs in the best-of-seven-game series.
“Amazed. Anxious. Nervous. It’s do or die,” said Anh, 36, who lives in Altadena.
The Boston Red Sox won the first two games, but Anh, like so many legions of Dodgers fans, had a stubborn optimism about his team’s chances and a giddiness about being in the stadium for the big show.
“I’ve been waiting my entire adult life” for a World Series win, he said. “This is the best. You get here so infrequently, it’s unbelievable.”
Ahn said he could forgive the Boys in Blue for their first two losses at Fenway Park. The Red Sox, he reasoned, had to perform for their home crowd. The Dodgers, he hoped, would do the same.
Even if the Dodgers lose Friday, Anh won’t give up hope.
“Hell, the Red Sox would still have to win another game,” he said. “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Anh has been a fan since he was a young boy, sitting in the reserve section with his dad, who moved to Los Angeles from Korea in 1975.
“He emigrated from Korea to L.A. and adopted the customs of the land, and the Dodgers were part of that,” Anh said.
Anh was sporting a Matt Kemp jersey he’s had for years. He was thrilled when the team acquired Kemp this year and pulled the old jersey out of his closet, where it had mostly been gathering dust.
He’s worn it much of this season and has refused to wash it. Kemp is doing well, he said, and he can’t jinx it.
“He came back,” he said. “And he’s killing it.”
Asked how the jersey smelled, Anh said, “Fantastic.”
He swears it’s because he’s Korean and that he was blessed with not having a gene for stinky sweat. He said he’s looked it up and done his research.
His wife, Haine Kim, laughed and vouched for him.
“Thanks, babe,” he said, putting his arm around her. “It’s a gift.”
Win or lose, Anh won’t be washing the jersey after Game 3 either.
No score after one inning
BOTTOM OF FIRST: Joc Pederson struck out swinging. Justin Turner flied to center. Max Muncy walked. Manny Machado grounded to third, forcing Muncy at second. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Red Sox don’t score in top of first
World Series Game 3. Dodgers vs. Red Sox. Walker Buehler vs. Rick Porcello. Pull up a chair and spend some time with us.
TOP OF FIRST: Mookie Betts struck out looking. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Mitch Moreland flied to right. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Someday, Jason Leong will have some explaining to do when his son finds out that he and Grandpa sneaked out to watch Game 3
One of these days, Jason Leong will have some explaining to do to his son.
While 7-year-old Zachary was spending the day in his first-grade classroom, his dad sneaked off to Game 3 of the World Series to watch their beloved Dodgers try to mount a comeback against the Boston Red Sox, who led the series 2-0.
“I’ll have to have an alibi for my 7-year-old,” Leong, 44, of Chino Hills, said, chuckling as he and his own father, James, watched batting practice on the field level before the game.
Jason Leong has been a fan since he himself was 7, when his second-grade teacher in Highland Park turned on the radio so the kids could hear the 1981 World Series between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
From then on, he was hooked. He’d fall asleep listening to Vin Scully’s voice on the transistor radio.
Even James Leong, 74, a longtime St. Louis Cardinals fan, told young Jason to pay attention to Fernando Valenzuela when he first began playing because “he’s going to be a good one.”
“I’m anxious, a little worried, but hopeful,” Jason Leong said before the game began. “This team is resilient. They’ve had their backs against the wall. If any team can bounce back, it’s them.”
Before the game, he had a French dip at Philippe’s. He’d done so before attending the first game of the World Series at Dodger Stadium with his wife last year. The Dodgers won that one, so he wanted the same meal for good luck.
Last year, Zachary, a huge Dodgers fan, was upset his parents went without him.
“He said, ‘It’s not fair! I’ve never been in my whole life!’” Jason said. His son was then 6.
Today, as far as Zachary knows, Dad watched the game at Grandpa’s house in Arcadia.
“Dad’s got a secret,” Jason Leong said, laughing. Years from now, he figures his boy will scroll through Dad’s social media and figure it out.
If Jason and James Leong somehow end up on TV, they will marvel at their fake “lookalikes.”
“I paid off the cameraman” to not be shown on TV, James Leong joked. “I’m here under an assumed name.”
Dave Roberts on sign stealing
If the Dodgers force Game 5, get ready for the ‘L.A. Sports Equinox’
If the Dodgers are able to win one of the next two games of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, then be ready to be inundated with the term “Los Angeles Sports Equinox.”
The term is already making the rounds to denote the alignment of all five major U.S. professional sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS) playing games on the same day in the same city. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the chronicler of all things stats, this event has never happened before in the history of U.S. sports.
If you are a glutton for punishment — or love spending a ton of time in L.A. traffic and paying hundreds of dollars for parking — then you can start your day with the Kings versus Rangers at Staples Center, make it to StubHub Center for a little Galaxy-versus-Dynamo action then catch the second half of the Rams versus the Packers at the Coliseum.
The eye of the storm will be the 30 or so minutes between the end of the Rams game and the start of Game 5 between the Dodgers and the Red Sox. Given the traffic nightmare that will be the 105 Freeway at that hour, you may be able to make it into Dodger Stadium an hour after first pitch at 5:10 p.m.
You can end your day right where you started it at Staples with the Clippers taking on the Wizards at 6:30 p.m.
And you never know, given the marathon nature of playoff baseball, you may be able to race back to Dodger Stadium to catch the last couple of innings.
Dave Roberts on Walker Buehler’s weapons
Yasmani Grandal is back in the lineup for Game 3
Here is Boston’s Game 3 starting lineup
How the World Series logo is painted on the Dodger Stadium field
Fans were lining up to get into Dodger Stadium
Ryan Madson on adjusting to Boston’s running
World Series Game 3 preview
Game 3 of the World Series will feature Walker Buehler of the Dodgers taking on Rick Porcello of the Boston Red Sox. A statistical look at each pitcher:
David Freese may start for Dodgers in Game 3, even with right-hander Rick Porcello on mound for Red Sox
Through the first five months of the season, the Dodgers were a middling offense against left-handed pitchers. As a group, they ranked 19th in baseball with a .711 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. That mediocrity prompted the team to acquire David Freese, a veteran corner infielder.
In September, the team posted an .831 OPS against left-handers, which was third in baseball, and not far from the team’s .860 OPS against right-handed pitchers that month.
Not all the credit belongs to Freese. But he was a significant factor, hitting .385 in September with a 1.130 OPS. His batting has not slackened in the postseason, as Freese has batted .400 with five RBIs in October.
And he might have played himself into the lineup against right-handed pitchers, too. The production is enough that the Dodgers will consider starting Freese at first base in Game 3 of the World Series today at Dodger Stadium, even with right-hander Rick Porcello on the mound for Boston.
Janet Marie Smith has a strong connection to World Series: She helped renovate both stadiums
We are only two games into this World Series, but we already know who is the most valuable player.
This is not about wins over replacement. This is about beloved ballparks that did not need replacement.
Dodgers give the ball to Walker Buehler for another crucial game
Walker Buehler didn’t watch Game 2 of the World Series live. He departed Logan International Airport a half-hour before the first pitch was thrown at Fenway Park on Wednesday and landed about a half-hour after Craig Kimbrel secured the final out in a 4-2 victory for the Boston Red Sox. He did, however, purchase the in-flight WiFi to follow along as his team plunged to a 2-0 series deficit.
Dodgers’ chances of winning the World Series this season, or in the future, could be slipping away
If the Dodgers fail to gain control of the World Series over their next three games against the Boston Red Sox, the waving of blue towels at Chavez Ravine intended to inspire the home team could double as a farewell gesture for many of their key players whose contracts are running out.
Rest assured, regardless of how much of their roster they retain, the Dodgers will remain competitive next season.
But being competitive isn’t the same as winning a championship. That’s why the Dodgers have to salvage this series and reverse the two-games-to-zero deficit, because they might not return to this stage of the postseason for some time.
Coming back from 2-0 is hard, but the Dodgers seem to be the best at it
So the Dodgers are down 2-0 in the World Series, which means all hope is lost, right? It won’t be easy, but not quite.
Of the 54 teams that have been up 2-0 in a World Series, 43 have gone on to win, including the last 10.
But it gets even worse. Of the last 38 World Series teams to win the first two games at home, 31 have gone on to win it, including the last 15.
But the last team to buck that history was the Dodgers, specifically the 1981 Dodgers, who lost the first two games at Yankee Stadium before winning the next four games of the series.
In fact, three of the seven teams that have rallied from a 2-0 deficit after losing to first two on the road are Dodger teams. A look at all the teams that have done it:
1955 Dodgers over the Yankees
1956 Yankees over the Dodgers
1958 Yankees over the Milwaukee Braves
1965 Dodgers over Minnesota
1971 Pittsburgh over Baltimore
1978 Yankees over Dodgers
1981 Dodgers over Yankees
Former Dodger Nathan Eovaldi is weighing down his old team during the World Series
Exerting himself in the weight room has helped Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi overcome a laundry list of injuries to become among the most dominant pitchers of the 2018 playoffs.
Curt Schilling was not invited to throw out first pitch for Game 2 with 2004 Red Sox teammates
Even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, another key member of the Red Sox’s 2004 World Series championship team, was invited to participate (he declined, but was still recognized as part of the ceremony before the game)..
Relax, Dodger fans, Joe Buck is not the problem
How do you solve a problem like a Joe Buck? Don’t make it one.
On their picture-perfect wall, Red Sox still have room for more
On Fenway Park’s first-base concourse is a wall bearing more than 100 pictures. There’s one for each of Boston’s victories in 2018. The number is up to 116 now that the Red Sox have piled up eight postseason wins.
It was inspired by a similar feature that first-year manager Alex Cora commissioned for his office. Team officials decided to replicate the “win wall” in a public space for the playoffs.
Fans have flocked to it.
Boston continues to make opposing teams pay a wicked Price during postseason
In his left arm, the one he had just used so powerfully against the Dodgers, David Price held his son.
Xavier Price is 17 months old, and adorable. He wore a T-shirt with a picture of his dad on it. He squirmed, trying to escape his father’s grasp and move freely about the interview room. He did his best to yank down the backdrop behind his father, the one that featured a sponsor that paid millions of dollars for its name to appear there.
For the one and only time Wednesday night, Price surrendered.
“You win, dude,” he told his son. “Go to Mom.”
Red Sox have dismantled Dodgers’ right-handed lineup through two games
The Dodgers used the same lineup Wednesday as they used in Game 1, an all-right-handed configuration to maximize their chances against the left-handed Price before pinch-hitting in spots throughout the game as Roberts sees fit. It’s the platoon strategy they’ve used since the start of September. Against the Milwaukee Brewers and their aggressive bullpen use, the substitutions frequently came early. But the Red Sox opt for more conventional pitching methods and Price’s six-inning effort meant the four-man left-handed-hitting bench cavalry — the Dodgers’ top four home run hitters during the regular season — emerged late.
Dodgers tank another analytical move in crucial moment
Let’s preface this with a reminder that Dave Roberts’ decision-making process remains a mystery. What’s known is that Roberts receives input from Andrew Friedman’s analytically inclined front office before games on the situations he might encounter and how he should respond. Less certain is the degree to which Roberts is expected to follow the blueprint.
Change of stadium and weather will not be enough. Dodgers’ strategy will need to follow suit with scenery
To all those anxiously awaiting the Dodgers’ glorious return from New England this weekend to host the World Series at Chavez Ravine, a word of warning. Squint hard. You may not recognize them.
Dodgers freeze up in Boston
The Fenway Park security guard climbed atop the visitor’s dugout and motioned toward the clutch of Dodgers fans huddled near the tunnel that connects the field to the clubhouse. The staffer waved his hands at the group late Wednesday evening.
“Out! Out! Out!” the guard said. “Time to go!”
The fans were bundled in Dodgers jackets and beanies, wearing enough layers to stave off the 40-degree chill as midnight approached. They had more interest sticking around Boston than the Dodgers themselves after two nights getting squashed by the Red Sox. After a 4-2 loss in Game 2 of the World Series, the Dodgers will fly to Los Angeles on Thursday in jeopardy of seeing their season end this weekend at Dodger Stadium.
That about sums it up
It’s 4-2 Red Sox after eight innings
BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: Muncy to first. Taylor to second. Pederson in at left. Pedro Baez pitching. Martinez lined to center. Bogaerts lined to center. Devers grounded to second. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2.
Red Sox defeat Dodgers 4-2
BOSTON — Bullied for the second game in a row at Fenway Park, the Dodgers will return to Los Angeles on Thursday with their season in jeopardy of ending this weekend at Dodger Stadium. After a 4-2 defeat in Game 2 of the World Series, the Dodgers trail by two games and have little immediate reason for optimism.
The high-flying offense has yet to materialize. Their starting pitchers have yet to record an out in the sixth inning. Their bullpen has yet to find a mess they can clean up. Ryan Madson played a pivotal role for the second night in a row, handing back the lead by allowing three inherited runners to score in the fifth inning.
The hitters produced a fourth-inning flurry but little else against Boston starter David Price. Price spun six innings of two-run baseball, topping the 4 2/3 innings from Ryu. Charged with four runs on the evening, Ryu watched three score from the bench with Madson on the mound.
Manager Dave Roberts opened Game 2 with the same lineup as Game 1. The adjustments he stressed were small. Enrique Hernandez would play shallower in center field. The coaching staff counseled Yasiel Puig to avoid overthrowing the cut-off man. The team aimed to prevent creating openings for the Red Sox offense.
“Teams that play well at home feast on extra outs, extra bases,” Roberts said before the game. “You have to minimize that. For us to play the game straight, we’re going to come out on top. But if we don’t, we just make it tough on ourselves.”
Dodgers are three outs away from trailing 2-0 in Series
TOP OF EIGHTH: Moreland in at first. Nathan Eovaldi pitching. Bellinger struck out swinging. Turner grounded to short. Joc Pederson, batting for Freese, flied to left. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2
Red Sox don’t score in seventh, lead 4-2
BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: Grandal in at catcher. Muncy in at second. Kenta Maeda pitching. Vazquez grounded to second. Betts doubled to left. Benintendi struck out swinging. With left-hander Mitch Moreland batting for Pearce, the Dodgers counter with Scott Alexander. Moreland struck out swinging. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2
Dodgers don’t score in top of seventh
TOP OF SEVENTH: Joe Kelly now pitching. Max Muncy, batting for Hernandez, struck out swinging. Puig grounded to third. Yasmani Grandal, batting for Barnes, struck out looking. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2.
Still 4-2 Red Sox after six innings
BOTTOM OF SIXTH: Julio Urias pitching. Devers lined to center. Kinsler flied to center. Bradley popped to third. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2
Dodgers don’t score in top of sixth
TOP OF SIXTH: Machado flied to left. Taylor tried to bunt his way on but bunted it too hard and was thrown out. Kemp grounded to third. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2
Red Sox strike back, take 4-2 lead
BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Cody Bellinger in at center. Hernandez moves from center to second. Dozier out of the game. Kinsler grounds to first. Bradley popped to short. Vazquez singled to right. Betts singled to center. Benintendi walked. Bases loaded, two out. That’s it for Ryu, with Ryan Madson coming into the game. Pearce walked, scoring a run. Martinez singled to right, scoring two. Bogaerts struck out swinging. RED SOX 4, DODGERS 2.
Dodgers don’t score in top of fifth
TOP OF FIFTH: Dozier lined to left. Turner grounded to third. Freese lined to center. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 1
It’s 2-1 Dodgers after four innings
BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Martinez grounded to short. Bogaerts struck out looking. Devers struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 1
Why is there a Sandy Koufax statue in Boston? Yom Kippur is part of the reason
Dodgers take 2-1 lead
TOP OF FOURTH: Freese singled to right. Machado singled to center. Taylor walked. Kemp hit a fly ball to deep center, scoring Freese. Hernandez struck out swinging. Puig singled to center, Machado scoring, Taylor to third. Barnes struck out swinging. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 1
Dodgers remain hitless through three innings
TOP OF THIRD: Yasiel Puig lined to second. Austin Barnes flied to right. Dozier walked. Turner grounded to third, forcing Dozier at second. RED SOX 1, DODGERS 0
It remains 1-0 Red Sox after three
BOTTOM OF THIRD: Christian Vazquez strikes out swinging. Betts singled to center. Benintendi lined to center. Pearce popped to short. RED SOX 1, DODGERS 0
Red Sox take 1-0 lead in second inning
BOTTOM OF SECOND: J.D. Martinez lined to center. Xander Bogaerts doubled to center. Rafael Devers struck out swinging. Ian Kinsler singled to left, Bogaerts scoring. Jackie Bradley Jr. singled to left-center. Left field Chris Taylor threw Kinsler out trying to advance to third. RED SOX 1, DODGERS 0.
Dodgers go down in order in second
TOP OF SECOND: Chris Taylor struck out swinging. Matt Kemp struck out looking. Kiké Hernandez flied to center. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0
No score after one inning
BOTTOM OF FIRST: Mookie Betts grounded to first. Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging. Steve Pearce popped to first. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Sandy Koufax is in Boston, sort of
Dodgers don’t score in top of first
World Series Game 2. Dodgers vs. Red Sox. Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. David Price. Pull up a chair and spend some time with us.
TOP OF FIRST: Brian Dozier grounded to third. Justin Turner struck out looking. David Freese walked. Manny Machado popped to first. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Hyun-Jin Ryu on being in the World Series and away from Dodger Stadium
Dave Roberts on Austin Barnes and Yasmani Grandal
Here is Boston’s Game 2 lineup
Dodgers stick with same lineup for Game 2
World Series Game 2 preview
Game 2 of the World Series will feature Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers taking on David Price of the Boston Red Sox. A statistical look at each pitcher:
Fox TV and ESPN Radio make a winning team for World Series viewers
Hey Google: How do we wish Joe Buck and John Smoltz into the cornfield and bring on Dan Shulman?
Mute. Pursuit. Reconstitute.
There’s hardly any trouble-shoot trauma in leaving the Fox TV coverage during the World Series and finding the ESPN Radio feed.
Eduardo Nunez becomes an unlikely hero for the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series
He had lifted his fist rounding first base and shot an imaginary arrow at home plate and wiggled his hips like Elvis on his way into the home dugout at Fenway Park — and still Eduardo Nunez howled in shock when a Red Sox teammate dumped a cooler full of blue Gatorade over his head on a chilly Tuesday night.
World Series notes: Dave Roberts declines first-pitch honor at Fenway
Dave Roberts could have thrown out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 2 of the World Series at Fenway Park on Wednesday.
Not alone. The Boston Red Sox are honoring their 2004 championship team, and the Dodgers’ manager was invited to join his former Boston teammates in the collective first pitch.
Red Sox’s not-so-secret weapon was on display against Dodgers in World Series Game 1
In the box score, this line reads like a small victory for the Dodgers: J.D. Martinez, caught stealing.
In reality, that line reveals how the Boston Red Sox believe they have identified a flaw they can exploit. If the designated slugger is running on the Dodgers, so are the rest of the Red Sox.
Dodgers-Red Sox series will showcase relievers and runs, as seen in Game 1
So this is what this World Series will be like.
Brief starts. An assembly line of relievers. Plenty of runs. Games that feel as if they never end.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts throws Wood on the fire
Pedro Baez was overwhelming the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning at Fenway Park on Tuesday night, continuing his dominant two-month-plus run in another crucial spot, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emerged from the dugout to remove him.
It’s not Classic Kershaw in World Series opener
They began singing the song in the first inning, loud enough to be heard through the strong winds, powerful enough to cut through a deep chill.
“Ker-shaw, Ker-shaw, Ker-shaw…”
The Boston Red Sox fans were reciting the last name of one of the greatest regular season pitchers in Dodgers history. But this is Clayton Kershaw’s witching season, and the words were not tribute but taunt.
Dodgers lose to Red Sox, 8-4
BOSTON — For 163 games during the regular season and 11 more in October, the Dodgers could comfort themselves by knowing they possessed more talent than the other club on the field. No team holstered more firepower. No opposing roster stockpiled more depth. No clubhouse boasted a more effective blend of superstars and role players. When the standings suggested the Dodgers were bound for an early winter, the team steeled itself with self-confidence.
As the Dodgers sputtered through the summer, a budding juggernaut developed on the East Coast. The Boston Red Sox won 108 games this season, more than any team in 17 years, and picked up steam in the playoffs. Boston brushed aside a 100-win Yankees team and blitzed the defending champions from Houston to set up a date with the Dodgers in the World Series.
In the days leading up to Game 1, some Dodgers joked about how they would enjoy being treated like an underdog. That was before they absorbed the clout of their opponent in an 8-4 loss Tuesday at Fenway Park. Boston met every Dodgers’ action with a more forceful reaction.
When the Dodgers bruised the ace of the Red Sox, Boston answered by taxing Clayton Kershaw for five runs. Boston pounced on every opening, burst through every sliver of space. When manager Dave Roberts inserted Alex Wood as a reliever in the seventh inning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora countered with pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez. The subsequent three-run homer from Nunez robbed the final two innings of any drama.
Little unfolded in the Dodgers’ favor on Tuesday. The pitcher’s duel between Kershaw and Red Sox ace Chris Sale never materialized. Neither man could record an out in the fifth inning. Sale departed with one runner aboard. Kershaw permitted two before Roberts intervened. Sale allowed three runs.
Two of the runs charged to Kershaw were scored with reliever Ryan Madson on the mound. The Dodgers had designated Madson as the fireman of their bullpen, a veteran reliever with an elite fastball. Madson only fanned the flames on Tuesday, throwing a wild pitch, walking a batter and giving up an RBI single as the Red Sox pulled ahead in the fifth.
The men surrounding Kershaw did him few favors. A missed play in the first inning led to a two-run rally. Madson stumbled in the fifth. But the responsibility for the loss still hung on Kershaw’s shoulders, even before Wood served up the game-deciding homer to Nunez.
Rain doused the diamond in the afternoon. The storm muddied the warning track and cancelled batting practice. The clouds parted by the evening, so the game could start on time. As the fans filtered into their seats, Kershaw and Sale warmed up about 20 yards away from each other in right field.
Sale had not pitched since Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, 10 days earlier. His fastball sat at 92.2 mph against the Astros, down from the 94.7 mph he averaged during the season. He was hospitalized for a stomach ailment in the aftermath, which he joked was caused by an infection from a belly-button ring.
Sale dealt with shoulder issues earlier in the season, but Roberts insisted the Dodgers could not hope to face a diminished ace. Roberts planned for the version of Sale, a whippet-thin lefty with an electric fastball and devastating slider, who has decimated American League lineups since debuting with the Chicago White Sox in 2010.
“That’s our expectation,” Roberts said. “But if we can get him out of the game early, that’s a good thing for us.”
Sale wiped out the first two batters he faced in a scoreless first inning. In the bottom of the frame, Kershaw learned how painful it can be to give the Red Sox an extra out. Boston outfielder Mookie Betts popped up Kershaw’s second pitch of the game. The baseball soared into foul territory past first base. David Freese twisted his way to find it, but misjudged the ball and let it drop.
Freese was not charged an error. Kershaw would soon be charged a run. In Game 5 of the last series, Kershaw stymied the Brewers by wielding his curveball. He tried an 0-2 curve to Betts, and saw it hit the dirt. He did not throw it again during the inning. The Red Sox aimed to avoid swinging at the pitch, forcing Kershaw to locate it for strikes.
On a 2-2 slider, Betts singled up the middle and stole second base. Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi stroked an 89-mph slider through the right side of the infield. Betts scored, and Benintendi took second when Yasiel Puig decided to throw home.
The extra 90 feet contributed to a second run. J.D. Martinez, the slugger who terrorized the Dodgers with Arizona last season, lined a slider up the middle. The ball nearly brained Benintendi, who avoided contact and sprinted home. The inning took 20 pitches.
Matt Kemp halved the deficit in the second. He fouled off a pair of 95-mph fastballs and held his swing on a slider that dipped just beneath the zone. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Kemp hammered a 94-mph fastball over the Green Monster. The Dodgers drove Sale’s pitch count up to 51 by the time the inning was over.
The hitters pecked at Sale with singles in the third. Justin Turner sneaked a one-out hit through the right side. Freese whacked a 3-2 slider into left. Manny Machado tied the game with a grounder between the shortstop and third baseman for the first of his three RBIs.
The Red Sox reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning. After a one-out single by Benintendi, first baseman Steve Pearce kept the inning alive by beating out a double-play ball. He set the table for Martinez, who smashed a knee-high slider into the center-field triangle. Enrique Hernandez chose to play the ball on a carom. The RBI double bounced off the base of the wall, and Pearce scored to put Boston back in front.
Sale started the fifth inning with 86 pitches on his ledger. He would only throw five more, walking Brian Dozier to begin the inning. Boston manager Alex Cora would not let Sale face Turner for a third time. From the bullpen emerged right-handed reliever Matt Barnes.
Turner greeted Barnes with a single. After Barnes spiked a curveball for a wild pitch, Dozier scored on a groundout by Machado to tie the game once more. The deadlock did not last beyond the bottom of the inning.
Kershaw walked Betts to start the frame. Benitendi collected his third single of the game. The hit prompted Roberts to leave his dugout. Kershaw was preparing for a conference with catcher Austin Barnes when he caught sight of his manager. He handed the baseball to Roberts and retired to his dugout.
Madson slicked gasoline over the blaze. He bounced a changeup for a wild pitch and loaded the bases with a walk. Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts brought a run home with a grounder. A single by third baseman Rafael Dever extended Boston’s lead to two.
The Dodgers squeezed a run from reliever Ryan Brasier in the seventh. Boston sneered in response. Benintendi blooped a double off Julio Urias. Pedro Baez sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around an intentional walk of Martinez. Roberts elected to remove Baez to send Wood, a left-handed pitcher, against Devers, a left-handed hitter.
Nunez swings from the right side. Cora called upon him. A curveball from Wood snapped over the plate. Nunez lifted it over the Monster. It was the third homer allowed by Wood this postseason. The Dodgers could not recover.
Red Sox lead, 8-4, after eight innings
BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: Leon singles to center. Bradley struck out swinging. Betts struck out looking. Benintendi grounded to second. RED SOX 8, DODGERS 4.
Dodgers go down quietly in eighth
TOP OF EIGHTH: Moreland in at first. Nunez in at third. Nathan Eovaldi in to pitch. Kemp grounded to short. Hernandez grounded to second. Puig grounded to short. RED SOX 8, DODGERS 4
Red Sox take 8-4 lead in bottom of seventh
BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: Muncy in at first. Hernandez moves to second. Pederson in at left. Grandal in at catcher. Benintendi doubled to left. That brings Pedro Baez into the game to pitch. Mitch Moreland, batting for Pearce, strikes out swinging. Martinez was walked intentionally. Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Wood replaces Baez. Eduardo Nunez, batting for Devers, homered to left. 8-4 Red Sox. Kinsler popped to second. RED SOX 8, DODGERS 4
Dodgers close gap to 5-4 in top of seventh
TOP OF SEVENTH: Ryan Brasier now pitching. Joc Pederson, batting for Barnes, grounded to short. Max Muncy, batting for Dozier, singled to right-center. Turner singled to center, Muncy to second. Yasmani Grandal hit for Freese. That is the Dodgers’ last position player on the bench. Better hope no one gets hurt. Grandal walked, loading the bases with one out for Machado. Machado flied to center, Muncy scoring. And the Red Sox will turn to left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to face Bellinger. Bellinger flied to center. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 4
Julio Urias shuts down Red Sox in sixth
BOTTOM OF SIXTH: Julio Urias now pitching. Leon strikes out swinging. Bradley strikes out looking. Betts popped to first.
Dodgers go down in order in sixth
TOP OF SIXTH: Joe Kelly now pitching. Kemp strikes out swinging. Hernandez strikes out swinging. Puig grounded to first. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 3
Red Sox score twice to take 5-3 lead
BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Bellinger in at center. Hernandez moves to left. Betts walked. Benintendi singled to left-center, Betts to second. And that’s it for Kershaw. So much for the battle of the aces. Kershaw did not even look at Roberts when he was removed. Ryan Madson pitching now. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. Pearce walked, loading the bases. Martinez struck out swinging. Bogaerts grounds to short, forcing Pearce at second. Betts scored. 4-3 Red Sox. Devers singled to right, Benintendi scoring. 5-3 Red Sox. Kinsler lined to right. RED SOX 5, DODGERS 3
Dodgers tie it up in top of fifth
TOP OF FIFTH: Dozier walked. And that’s it for Chris Sale. He made 91 pitches and didn’t have command tonight. Matt Barnes is coming in to pitch. Will the Dodgers stick with Freese, or switch to Max Muncy? Turner singled to left, Dozier to second. Freese struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt. With Machado batting, the runners took second and third on a wild pitch. Machado grounded to second, scoring Dozier. Cody Bellinger, batting for Taylor, flied to right. DODGERS 3, RED SOX 3.
Red Sox go down quickly in the fourth
BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Kinsler struck out swinging. Leon struck out looking. Bradley grounded to first. RED SOX 3, DODGERS 2
Dodgers don’t score in top of fourth
TOP OF FOURTH: Hernandez struck out swinging. Puig struck out swinging. Barnes lined to center. RED SOX 3, DODGERS 2
Red Sox take 3-2 lead after overturned call extends inning
BOTTOM OF THIRD: Betts strikes out swinging. Benintendi singles to left. Pearce grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. But wait, the call at first is overturned; the inning marches on. Man on first, two out. Martinez doubles to center, Pearce scores. Bogaerts is walked intentionally. Devers strikes out swinging. RED SOX 3, DODGERS 2
Dodgers tie it in top of third
TOP OF THIRD: Dozier flied to left. Turner singled to right. Joe Buck has already awarded the World Series to the Red Sox. Freese singled to left, Turner stopping at second. Machado singled to left, scoring Turner, Freese stopping at second. Taylor struck out looking. Kemp grounded to the pitcher. DODGERS 2, RED SOX 2.
It’s 2-1 Red Sox after two innings
BOTTOM OF SECOND: Rafael Devers walked. Ian Kinsler struck out swinging. Sandy Leon singled to right, Devers to third. Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded into a 6-3 double play. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1.
Kershaw isn’t using his curveball
Matt Kemp’s homer brings Dodgers within 2-1
TOP OF SECOND: Chris Taylor struck out swinging. Matt Kemp homered to left over the Green Monster. 2-1 Red Sox. Kiké Hernandez grounded to third. Yasiel Puig walked. Austin Barnes struck out swinging. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 1.
Red Sox take quick 2-0 lead
BOTTOM OF FIRST: Mookie Betts singled to center. With Andrew Benintendi at the plate, Betts stole second. Benintendi singles to right, scoring Betts, with Benintendi taking second on the throw. Steve Pearce popped to first. J.D. Martinez singled to center, scoring Benintendi. With Xander Bogaerts batting, Martinez was picked off first. Bogaerts popped to first. RED SOX 2, DODGERS 0.
Watch Carl Yastrzemski throw out the first pitch
Boston still loves Dave Roberts
Dodgers don’t score in top of first
World Series Game 1. Dodgers vs. Red Sox. Clayton Kershaw vs. Chris Sale. Pull up a chair and spend some time with us.
TOP OF FIRST: Brian Dozier struck out looking. Justin Turner struck out swinging. David Freese singled to right. Manny Machado flied to left. DODGERS 0, RED SOX 0.
Electric sky before Game 1 of World Series
The tarp has come off the field
Dave Roberts on this being the first World Series led by minority managers
Ask a dumb question ...
So someone on the Dodgers social media staff sends out a tweet of a photo of the Fenway Park scoreboard with the question, 1916 or 2018? The problem: In the photo it says L.A. Makes the answer sort of obvious. In the 1916 World Series, the Boston Red Sox played the Brooklyn Robins. But don’t point that out in the tweet’s comments, or the staffer gets a little cranky...
Hyun-Jin Ryu reacts to the Green Monster
Clayton Kershaw on the importance of winning a World Series
There’s a rainbow over Fenway Park
Dodger fans start chant on plane to Boston
The official Times predictions for the World Series are...
How to watch from an obstructed-view seat
Dodgers have Brian Dozier leading off in Game 1
It’s raining at Fenway Park
Matt Kemp on Manny Machado and the Boston/Los Angeles sports rivalries
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp talks about the rivalries between Boston and Los Angeles and how Manny Machado is perceived.
Cody Bellinger on preparing for Fenway Park
Adrian Gonzalez has ties to Dodgers and Red Sox; guess who he’s rooting for?
Adrian Gonzalez occasionally thinks of the 2013 season, when the Dodgers had what he considers the best team for which he ever played.
Gonzalez remains convinced that the Dodgers would have advanced to the World Series if an inside fastball hadn’t fractured one of Hanley Ramirez’s ribs in the opening game of the National League Championship Series against St. Louis.
Dodgers drop Caleb Ferguson from World Series roster, add Scott Alexander
The Dodgers swapped one left-handed reliever for another when submitting their World Series roster on Tuesday, dropping rookie Caleb Ferguson and adding Scott Alexander.
The Dodgers made no other changes from the roster they used in the National League Championship Series.
‘He’s a no-name’: How Ryan Brasier went from the Angels to Japan to a key member of Boston’s bullpen
The phone call came on a late February afternoon in a small-town Texas shopping center, days after his wife had posed a simple question: “What’s next?”
Baseball had led Ryan Brasier, a long-ago sixth-round draft pick of the Angels, on a meandering journey. He’d traveled several thousand miles, flown across the Pacific Ocean twice, staged a showcase for major-league teams in Arizona — and still came up empty.
Manny Machado plays the quiet villain for the Dodgers
They gathered around the table and waited three-deep, cameras and recorders and lights, for the Dodgers’ star shortstop and latest antihero. They were waiting to ask Manny Machado about the time he slid into Dustin Pedroia’s leg as a member of the Baltimore Orioles last season. About the time the Boston Red Sox threw at him in retaliation two days later and again over a week later, and his profanity-spiced reaction toward the organization afterward. About his questionable behavior in the National League Championship Series and the unfiltered loathing Milwaukee unloaded in response. About whether it bothered him that peers have called him a dirty player.
Machado didn’t want to talk about any of it.
Dodgers will travel to the home of the ‘Beat L.A.’ chant
When figuring out the dynamics of this historic World Series between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, one needs to really know only one fact: The “Beat L.A’’ chant started in Boston.
Dodgers will travel to the home of the ‘Beat L.A.’ chant
When figuring out the dynamics of this historic World Series between the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox, one needs to really know only one fact: The “Beat L.A’’ chant started in Boston.
Ian Kinsler is a big fan of Mookie Betts and Mike Trout
Ian Kinsler is the only man who played with Mookie Betts and Mike Trout this season. That gives Kinsler a unique perspective in the American League most valuable player debate.
So, if he had a vote for MVP, who would he pick?
“Mookie Betts, because he is the best all-around player,” Kinsler said Monday. “He impacts the game in every aspect.”
Kinsler declined to say how he would compare the two players.
“I don’t compare them. That’s just wrong,” Kinsler said. “But they’re both premier athletes, at the top of the game, guys that are MVP candidates every year. It’s a lot of fun to watch both of them play. They both take charge of the game. They’re in control at all times. It’s fun to watch them both play.”
Here’s the full World Series schedule
Game 1: Tuesday, 5 p.m., Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) at Red Sox (Chris Sale). TV: Fox
Game 2: Wednesday, 5 p.m., Dodgers (Hyun-Jin Ryu) at Red Sox (David Price). TV: Fox
Game 3: Friday, 5 p.m., Red Sox (TBA) at Dodgers (Walker Buehler). TV: Fox
Game 4: Saturday, 5 p.m., Red Sox (TBA) at Dodgers (TBA). TV: Fox
Game 5*: Sunday, 5 p.m., Red Sox (TBA) at Dodgers (TBA). TV: Fox
Game 6*: Tuesday, 5 p.m., Dodgers (TBA) at Red Sox (TBA). TV: Fox
Game 7*: Wednesday. 5 p.m., Dodgers (TBA) at Red Sox (TBA). TV: Fox
* if necessary. All times Pacific.
Clayton Kershaw is ready for Fenway Park
Soon after the Dodgers landed here on Sunday, Clayton Kershaw caught a ride to Fenway Park. He has never pitched here in his 10-year career, and he was operating under a schedule misaligned by his appearance as a reliever in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. In order to be ready to start Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, Kershaw needed to get in a workout.
So he climbed atop the bullpen mound, clad in a long-sleeve T-shirt and shorts, to reorient his delivery. He practiced his motion without throwing a baseball, ensuring he would be ready to face Red Sox ace Chris Sale in the Series opener.
Alex Cora on his friendship with Dave Roberts
Yasiel Puig on Boston’s starting pitchers
Dave Roberts on Alex Cora, Yasiel Puig and Manny Machado
Justin Turner on how getting to this World Series was harder than last year
David Price on preparing for the Dodgers
Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price discusses how the team is preparing for the Dodgers.
J.D. Martinez on the Dodgers’ strengths
Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez talks about the Dodgers’ strengths going into the 2018 World Series.
Chris Sale thinks Boston should clap for Dave Roberts
Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale comments on Dave Roberts’ time playing for the Boston Red Sox.
Who is on the Dodgers’ all-time starting lineup?
The Dodgers began as the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884 and since then have gone on to win six World Series and 23 league titles. Here’s one look at a team made up of the best players in Dodgers history.
Catcher: Roy Campanella (1948-57). He just edges out Mike Piazza. Campanella won three MVPs and was solid defensively. One of three Dodgers catchers to hit at least 100 homers.
First base: Gil Hodges (1943-61). Edges Steve Garvey. Had a lower average than Garvey, but was better at almost everything else. Should be in the Hall of Fame.
Ted Williams heads Boston’s all-time starting lineup
The Boston Red Sox began as the Boston Americans in 1901 and since then have gone on to win eight World Series and 13 league titles. Here’s one look at a team made up of the best players at each position in Red Sox history.
Catcher: Carlton Fisk (1969-80). The Red Sox just didn’t seem the same when he left for the White Sox. Easily their best catcher in history.
First base: Jimmie Foxx (1936-42). Hit .320 and slugged over .600 with the Red Sox. Had 50 homers, 175 RBIs in 1938.
Dave Roberts’ path from stolen base to Dodgers manager
Dave Roberts found the note after his flight home to San Diego. In the fall of 2004, Roberts and the rest of the Boston Red Sox had paraded down the banks of the Charles River to christen an improbable championship. Roberts was a role player on the team, but he relished his contributions. He did not realize their magnitude until he saw the message left on his suitcase by a baggage handler at Logan International Airport.
“You’re going to be a Red Sox legend forever,” it read.
Roberts had played six seasons in the major leagues, and he would play four more, but his place in baseball lore became anchored on Oct. 17, 2004. He was the man who stole the base that sparked the comeback that ended the Curse of the Bambino.
When he swiped second and scored in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Boston staved off elimination. The Red Sox overcame a three-games-to-none deficit to defeat the New York Yankees, then ended an 86-year World Series drought.
Roberts never played again for Boston. For years, he still heard grateful messages from members of Red Sox Nation, the club’s legion of fans. The outpouring of affection overwhelmed and humbled him. He felt gratitude for his place in the sport’s culture. Yet after he retired, and after he spent a year as a broadcaster in Boston, Roberts yearned for more. He did not want his legacy to be one stolen base.
So began the journey that led him to the Dodgers dugout, where he will be when the World Series begins on Tuesday at Fenway Park. In his third season as manager, Roberts hopes to shepherd the Dodgers to their first championship since 1988.
A recap of the Dodgers’ World Series history
A look at each of the Dodgers’ World Series appearances, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
1916: Boston Red Sox 4, Brooklyn Robins 1
Game 1—Red Sox 6, Robins 5
Game 2—Red Sox 2, Robins 1 (14)
Game 3—Robins 4, Red Sox 3
Game 4—Red Sox 6, Robins 2
Game 5—Red Sox 4, Robins 1
Boston’s pitching was just too much for the Robins (named for their manager, Wilbert Robinson). Babe Ruth, Ernie Shore and Dutch Leonard combined to go 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA. Larry Gardner hit a key three-run inside-the-park home run in the Game 4 victory. As a team, the Robins hit only .200 and scored only 13 runs in the five games.
Memorable moment: Babe Ruth’s 14-inning complete game in Game 2.
Pitching stars: Ruth giving up only one run and six hits in 14 innings. Ernie Shore went 2-0 with an 0.53 ERA.
Batting stars: Boston’s Duffy Lewis hit .353, Harry Hooper hit .333 and scored six runs and Gardner, while hitting only .176, had two homers and six RBIs. For the Robins, Casey Stengel hit .364.