The drama of having a losing record early in the season only made the Dodgers’ win on Saturday that much sweeter.
Fans from the East and South sides of Los Angeles said this is a chance to rewrite last year’s World Series defeat.
Alex Hernandez, a Monterey Park resident, said he never lost hope:
“This has been the toughest year for us. People predicted [the Dodgers wouldn’t make] it to the postseason but they fought until the end, and we are back in the World Series. I am proud of my team.”
Andrew Cruz, a Montebello resident who is a fan of both the Dodgers and the Red Sox, figures he can’t lose either way:
“Being a fan of both teams, this is the best matchup I can only dream of. It’s going to be a close series in my opinion.”
The Dodgers lost Game 7 of the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros. Their 2018 season was off to a rough start, but they were able to turn it around mid-June.
On Saturday, the Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, capturing their twenty-fourth pennant in franchise history and will return to the World Series on October 23 to face the Boston Red Sox.
This isn’t the first time the two teams squared off in the World Series. The last time they faced each other in the Fall Classic was back in 1916, when the Dodgers were known as the Brooklyn Robins and the Red Sox had a young star named George Herman Ruth, better known as Babe Ruth.
The 1916 World Series featured an amazing pitching performance in Game 2 from Babe Ruth, who threw a 14-inning complete game, giving up only one run as the Red Sox defeated the Robins 2-1, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Red Sox defeated the Robins four games to one to capture their fourth World Series championship at the time.
More than 100 years later, both franchises meet once again in the Fall Classic to determine who will be the 2018 World Series Champions.
The Dodgers struggled early in the season: The team was ten games below .500, with a 16-26 record, on May 16. But under the leadership of manager David Roberts and with the help of some mid-season acquisitions such as Brian Dozier, Manny Machado, and David Freese, the Dodgers won their division and finished the 2018 season with a record of 92 wins and 71 losses.
Once they were in the playoffs, they showed no signs of slowing down, as they knocked out the Atlanta Braves in four games of the National League Division Series. In the NLCS, the Dodgers were challenged by Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers, but managed to eliminate the “Brew Crew” in seven games.
The Red Sox, led by first-year manager Alex Cora, finished the 2018 season with the best record in the majors: 108 wins and 54 losses. With the help of off-season acquisition J.D Martinez, along with Andrew Benintendi and all-stars Mookie Betts and Chris Sale, the Red Sox won the American League East by eight games. They continued their domination of their opponents, starting with their arch-rivals the New York Yankees, eliminating them in four games. They would move on to the American League Championship Series to face the defending champions, the Houston Astros. The Red Sox made quick work of them, defeating the Astros in five games to secure their fourteenth pennant in franchise history.
Incidentally, the managers for the two teams were both teammates at one point in their careers: Roberts and Cora both played for Dodgers from 2002 to 2004.
The Red Sox’s most recent championship came in 2013, when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals four games to two. The Dodgers’ last championship was 30 years ago, back in 1988.
Several fans interviewed said they’re optimistic that this will be the year for the Dodgers.
Longtime Dodgers fan Aaron Lugo, who lives in Alhambra, is very excited to see the Dodgers back in the World Series:
“To see my favorite baseball team again really boosts my spirits not only for the Dodgers, but the city of LA.”
Hernandez, the Monterey Park resident, said this is a second chance for the team: “I feel we have a more confident team who learned from their mistakes.”
The World Series begins today, as the Dodgers travel to Fenway Park to take on the Red Sox in the one-hundred fourteenth edition of the Fall Classic.
