Takeaways from Red Sox World Series win over Dodgers

The biggest offseason acquisiton came through in a huge way…

The 2018 World Series has come to its end, with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

From Los Angeles’ perspective, there are some unfortunate takeaways. Two of the team’s best pitchers have fallen flat in consecutive World Series. On offense, things are just as concerning.

Naturally, things are much different for the Red Sox. One of their pitchers who had previously had an unfortunate postseason reputation overcame it in a big way. And the team’s biggest offseason acquisiton came through in a huge way.

These are the top takeaways from Boston’s World Series victory over Los Angeles.

 

The Red Sox are the model

If you’re a fan of a bad team looking to revamp the way things are done, be thankful that Boston won this World Series. It is the ideal model for rebuilding teams going forward. That was on display through a 108-win regular season. With this championship, nobody can dismiss this team as simply a regular season phenomenon. The way that the Red Sox blend power, pure hitting, speed, defense and pitching is simply perfect. This team was the best in 2018 and really, it wasn’t close. If you’re an executive and interested in winning a World Series in 2019 or beyond, Boston is the team to follow.

 

Clayton Kershaw fails to silence poor postseason narrative

If you’re of the mindset that Kershaw gets an unfair bad rap for his postseason struggles, he did you no favors in the World Series. In his two outings, he posted a 7.36 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. Over his last three World Series starts, Kershaw’s has an 8.62 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, and has allowed four home runs. There’s no way to spin stats like that. Kershaw has won three Cy Young Awards and an NL MVP. He’s going to the Hall of Fame. He is an ace. He’s paid like an ace. It’s not unreasonable for a team or its fans to expect Kershaw to live up to that when the lights are the brightest. Kershaw hasn’t done that.

 

MLB and network partners must think outside of the box

In a a World Series where MLB and FOX got its dream matchup, they still couldn’t draw big ratings. Some problems can’t be solved. For example, when one of the games goes 18 innings and ends at roughly 3:30 am ET., MLB and FOX can’t do anything about that. But the overall problem can be limited.

The first idea would be to return to the Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Saturday-Sunday format. Guarantee at least two weekend games. Then, play the Saturday (and maybe even Sunday) games at a time like 1 PT/4 ET. While going against football might seem like a concern, the World Series goes against both college football and the NFL, anyway. If MLB wants its games to be more appealing to younger audiences, it must work on giving the youngsters at least some World Series games that will end at a reasonable hour.

 

David Price can be depended on in big games

We do have some good news for Kershaw and his fans. The choker label can be shed. All he has to do is look at Price, his Game 5 opponent, to see that. Price not only won a World Series, but was a huge part of the championship. He posted a 1.98 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in this World Series. Going back to Game 5 of the ALCS, Price has put up a 1.37 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. It’s quite simple. Saying that Price can’t be depended upon in big games is now as valid of an argument as saying sixth-round quarterbacks can’t win Super Bowls, or jump-shooting teams can’t win NBA Championships.

 

There’s real reason to worry about Kenley Jansen

Winning in the World Series is tough to do if you can’t rely on your closer. And if you’re a Dodgers fan and not at least a little concerned with Jansen’s performance in the World Series, you’re kidding yourself. In 2017’s World Series, Jansen blew a save in Game 2 and took the loss in Game 5. In 2018, he blew two more saves. Jansen’s built a resume as one of the game’s best closers. That can’t be questioned. But he’s also pitched in two World Series and both times, left a performance that left a lot be desired. That’s also unquestioned.

 

J.D. Martinez was the difference maker

In the 2016 and 2017 postseasons, the Red Sox went 1-6. They had the team to make the playoffs. But to win a championship, something had to change. Enter Martinez. During the regular season, he hit .330/.402/.629 with 43 home runs and 130 RBI. In the World Series, he hit .278/.381/.500 with a home run and five RBI and was probably the MVP of the first two games of the series. Signing a big contract puts a bright spotlight on you, especially in a new town when you’ve had no equity built up. One year into his deal, Martinez now has plenty of equity in Boston.

 

Dodgers need to reorganize the offense

The home run is great. It’s the easiest, quickest way to score. The problem is that the Dodgers depend a little too much on the long ball to score runs. A little more variety would serve Los Angeles well. And that’s not the only thing to question about this lineup. Platoons are good ideas when we’re talking about bottom-of-the-order guys. But something feels off if a hitter like Cody Bellinger (the NLCS MVP, mind you) is starting in only two of five games. Getting into a good rhythm is important for a hitter. That’s much harder to do when the playing time is less reliable.

 

History will remember this team well

Boston won 108 games in the regular season. But certainly that was aided by getting to play 19 games against a historically bad Baltimore Orioles team, right? The playoffs would be the real test. In the American League playoffs, the Red Sox beat the 100-win New York Yankees and the 103-win Houston Astros. Then, for good measure, Boston upended the Dodgers — who have won six straight NL West titles — in the World Series. Not only did the Red Sox beat these teams, but they beat them with a combined 11-3 record.

Boston is the third straight World Series champion to win 100 or more games in the regular season. But to show how strong that 11-3 record is, the 2016 Chicago Cubs and the 2017 Astros each lost three games in the World Series alone.

When the conversations about the greatest teams in MLB history take place, Boston and its fans will be able to put this team up against any with pride.