World Series (2018)
The 2018 Boston Red Sox set a franchise record with 108 wins and captured their ninth World Series championship.
The 2018 Boston Red Sox season was the 118th season in the team's history, and their 107th season at Fenway Park. Under first year manager Alex Cora, the team finished with a 108–54 record, winning the American League East division title for the third consecutive season, and finished eight games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees. The Red Sox were the first MLB team to post 100 wins during the 2018 season, reaching that milestone for the first time since 1946; they were also the first team to clinch a berth in the 2018 postseason. The team set a new franchise record for wins in a season by surpassing the prior mark of 105 that had been set in 1912; they also won the most games by any MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116.
- Series Result
- 4-1 over Los Angeles Dodgers
- MVP
- Steve Pearce
- Regular Season Wins
- 108 (AL Record)
- Manager
- Alex Cora
- Final Score (Game 5)
- 5-1
Lore & Background
The Red Sox entered the postseason as the top seed in the American League, and defeated the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. They then defeated the defending champion Houston Astros in five games in the Championship Series, advancing to the World Series where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, securing their ninth World Series championship overall and their fourth since breaking the 'Curse of the Bambino' in 2004. The team was later accused of electronic sign stealing. An investigation into the allegation stated that the sign stealing was 'limited in scope and impact,' but nonetheless resulted in the suspension of a team video replay operator and the loss of a second-round draft pick in the 2020 draft for the organization.
In Their Own Story
The humidity hung heavy over Fenway Park as the final out of Game 5 approached, the scoreboard frozen at Red Sox 5, Dodgers 1. On the mound stood David Price, silencing his critics with a perfect strikeout to end the threat. The moment the ball hit the catcher's mitt, the roar that erupted from the Green Monster wasn't just noise; it was a physical release of decades of tension. Alex Cora sprinted toward the mound, arms wide in triumph, while Steve Pearce, the series MVP, looked skyward as confetti began to rain down. In that chaotic, joyous instant, the ghosts of 1918 and every drought in between were finally laid to rest, replaced by the vibrant reality of a team that had conquered baseball.
Reader's Guide
The 2018 Red Sox set a new franchise record for wins (108) and won the World Series in five games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mookie Betts won the batting title (.346), a Gold Glove, and the MVP award. J. D. Martinez finished second in the majors with .330. Closer Craig Kimbrel became the fastest player in history to reach 300 career saves, finishing the season with 333.
Did You Know?
- The Red Sox were the first MLB team to post 100 wins in 2018, reaching that milestone for the first time since 1946.
- Mookie Betts won the Major League batting title, a Gold Glove, and the Most Valuable Player Award in 2018.
- Craig Kimbrel became the fastest player in history to reach 300 career saves, finishing the season with 333.
- Brock Holt hit for the cycle in Game 3 of the ALDS, the first player ever to do so in an MLB postseason game.
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