The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 8-4 in Game 1 of the World Series.
The game produced some outstanding performances from the Boston offense. In some cases, the big games were expected. But one very notable unsung hero came through as well.
For Los Angeles, two left-handed pitchers struggled and struggled in a big way.
Some of these guys will hope to keep it going through the rest of the World Series. Others will be looking to turn things around. All had noteworthy performances.
These were the winners and losers from Tuesday night in Boston.
Winner: Eduardo Nunez
Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez were on base in the seventh. But with two outs, it seemed like the Red Sox would leave them stranded. But Nunez pinch hit for Rafael Devers and deposited the second pitch he saw over the Green Monster (watch here). Before that hit, it looked like Boston would be nursing a precarious one-run lead against the powerful Los Angeles lineup over the final two innings. The Red Sox and the Fenway faithful certainly felt much better at 8-4.
Loser: Clayton Kershaw
Kershaw got off to a bad start, allowing two runs in the first inning. Los Angeles eventually drew even in the top of the third, but Kershaw allowed Boston to take the lead in the bottom half of the frame. The Dodgers again tied it in the fifth. Just like in the third, the Red Sox took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. All told, Kershaw allowed five runs on seven hits with three walks over just four innings in the losing effort. The next time Kershaw gets the ball in this series, he’ll need to be much better.
Winner: Alex Cora
Devers entered Game 1 as one of the hottest hitters on the Red Sox. So, it certainly seemed notable when Nunez strolled to the plate to pinch hit for him. Obviously, Nunez turned Cora’s decision into a pretty good one, though. But that wasn’t the manager’s only good decision of the night. He got only four innings out of Chris Sale but managed the bullpen beautifully over the next five, often while nursing a close lead. Boston’s skipper has had the magic touch all year. That doesn’t seem to have gone away in the World Series.
Loser: FOX announcing crew
Both John Smoltz and Joe Buck are experienced announcers. But if this game was your first experience with either, we wouldn’t blame you for thinking it was each man’s first night in the booth. Smoltz was making errors like calling out the wrong player’s name and or not identifying an obvious hit-and-run. Buck decided to tell us that he “just knew” Bruce Springsteen was watching the game. Why wouldn’t he just share how he knew that? Better yet, why did he bring it up in the first place?
With two iconic, big market franchises, this World Series is going to attract many casual fans. But casual fans aren’t necessarily going to continue watching if the announcers aren’t doing their jobs well. Smoltz and Buck certainly did not put their best feet forward.
Winner: Mookie Betts
Boston’s MVP candidate certainly had a nice World Series debut. He went 1-for-4, drew a walk, scored two runs, and stole a base. And while we don’t want to put too much emphasis on an at-bat in the first inning, it’s hard to overlook what he did. Betts scorched a line drive to center off of Kershaw. Then, Andrew Benintendi couldn’t make contact on a hit-and-run, but Betts stole the base anyway. That got the already fired up crowd really into the game and set the tone for what was a good night for his team.
Loser: Alex Wood
For every winner, there’s unfortunately a loser. While Nunez gets all the credit for hitting his home run, Wood was the man who served it up. And while he was brought into something of a jam, it wasn’t a terrible one. Two men were on, but Wood needed only one out — any kind of out. Against a cold hitter coming off of the bench, a pitcher needs to get that out. Wood had struggled in the postseason entering the World Series. His first game certainly isn’t going to help matters any.
Winner: J.D. Martinez
Boston’s DH finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI. After the Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead, the Dodgers fought back to tie the game in the third. But it was an absolutely smoked double to straightaway center field to score Steve Pearce and put his team back on top. Boston was good in 2016 and 2017, but didn’t have the offense to make it through the playoffs. Martinez was signed to come through in these very moments. He did just that on Tuesday night.