The 2018 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2018 season. The 114th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox defeated the Dodgers in five games to win their fourth World Series title in 15 years dating back to , and their ninth in franchise history. This was the second World Series matchup between the two franchises, after the Red Sox defeated the Brooklyn Robins (later known as the Dodgers) in five games in . The series was sponsored by the Internet television service YouTube TV and officially known as the 2018 World Series presented by YouTube TV.
The Series was televised in the United States on Fox. Steve Pearce won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, while Alex Cora became the fifth first-season manager and first manager from Puerto Rico to win the World Series. The Series, as well as the 2025 World Series, were both notable for their third games that lasted 18 innings, a World Series record.
Background
The Boston Red Sox' most recent World Series appearance was their 2013 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who last won a World Series in 1988 over the Oakland Athletics, made their second consecutive appearance, after losing to the Houston Astros in 2017. The two franchises faced each other in the 1916 World Series; the Red Sox won the series in five games against the then-Brooklyn Robins. With a distance of 2,593 miles between Dodger Stadium and Fenway Park, this is the furthest distance between the home stadiums of two World Series teams, a record only breakable if the San Francisco Giants play the Red Sox (2,696 miles between Oracle Park and Fenway Park) or the Miami Marlins play the Seattle Mariners (2,732 miles between LoanDepot Park and T-Mobile Park). The 2018 World Series was the first since to feature two teams which had also reached the postseason in the prior year.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts were teammates on the Dodgers in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Although they did not play together on the Red Sox, both managers played and won a World Series championship with Boston—Roberts in 2004 and Cora in 2007. This was the first World Series with two managers of color; additionally, both managers were born outside the contiguous United States, as Cora was born in Puerto Rico and Roberts in Japan.
While this was a rare match-up, with the Dodgers-Red Sox having only met 20 times ever, the Dodgers trade deadline acquisition Manny Machado had a long history with the Red Sox. In a game in April 2017, Machado, then with the Baltimore Orioles, aggressively slid over the second base bag and spiked Dustin Pedroia in the knee. Pedroia missed 56 of the remaining 145 games, twice going on the injured list. The Red Sox responded by throwing at Machado throughout the 2017 season, feeling that the slide was a dirty play. Setbacks to his recovery left Pedroia out of the lineup for all but 11 at-bats during the 2018 season. Before the World Series, Pedroia told WEEI's Rob Bradford about the slide. "I think about it all the time." And when Bradford asked if there has been any contact with Machado since then, Pedroia had a terse response, "no." In the 2018 World Series, Machado was booed heavily at Fenway Park. By the time of his retirement in 2021, Pedroia said he had forgiven Machado and he was "at peace with the play."
This was the twelfth meeting between teams from Boston and Los Angeles for a major professional sports championship. This previously occurred in eleven NBA Finals during the peak of the rivalry between both cities' NBA teams in the Lakers and Celtics.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox finished with a record, winning the American League East division title for the third consecutive season, eight games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees, and were the first team to clinch a berth in the 2018 postseason. The Red Sox surpassed the 100-win mark for the first time since 1946, broke the franchise record of 105 wins that had been set in 1912, and won the most games of any MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116. The 2018 Red Sox were highlighted by All-Stars Mookie Betts, Craig Kimbrel, J. D. Martinez, and Chris Sale. Betts led baseball in batting average and slugging percentage, while Martinez led in runs batted in. Sale tossed only 158 innings due to a shoulder injury late in the year, but was otherwise superb, posting a 2.11 earned run average to go along with 237 strikeouts. Kimbrel saved 42 games and struck out 96 batters in 62.1 innings.
The Red Sox entered the 2018 postseason as the overall number one seed, and defeated their archrival in the fourth-seeded New York Yankees in four games in the Division Series, and handed the Yankees their worst postseason loss ever in Game 3 — a 16–1 rout. Next, they defeated the defending World Series champions - the second-seeded Houston Astros in five games in the League Championship Series. Including their 2004 win that ended the Curse of the Bambino, this was the fourth World Series appearance by the Red Sox in 15 years and their 13th appearance all-time.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Despite a start to the season and nine losses in an 11-game stretch in mid-August, the Dodgers made the playoffs for the sixth straight year by winning the division in a one-game tiebreaker over the Rockies. At the July trade deadline, the team traded for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado from the Orioles to replace injured shortstop Corey Seager and a former All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier from the Twins. In August, the Dodgers acquired former World Series MVP David Freese from the Pirates. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers broke their franchise record for most team home runs in a season. With a record, the team entered the playoffs as the National League's second seed and went on to beat the third-seeded Atlanta Braves in four games in the 2018 National League Division Series and the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in seven games in the 2018 National League Championship Series, becoming the first team in either league to win Game 7 of a League Championship Series on the road since the 2006 Cardinals.
The 2018 Dodgers were the first team to make the World Series by winning their tie-breaker game since the 2007 Colorado Rockies, who also faced and lost to Boston in that World Series. This was the Dodgers' fifth back-to-back World Series appearance (Two came in Brooklyn in 1952–1953 and 1955–1956, and two came in Los Angeles in 1965–1966 and 1977–1978), and the first time since the 2014-15 Kansas City Royals to win back-to-back League Championship Series. Overall, this was the Dodgers' 20th World Series appearance.
Summary
Pre-game ceremonies Game 1: The national anthem was performed by James Taylor. Boston Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski threw the ceremonial first pitch, as he did before Game 1 in 2004, 2007, and 2013. The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, accompanied by Hall of Famer Jim Rice. Game 2: The national anthem was performed by the Boston Pops along with vocalists from the Boston Children's Chorus and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by members of the 2004 Red Sox championship team, including David Ortiz and Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez. While declining to throw a first pitch, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts, who played on that championship team, greeted teammates from his former team. The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, accompanied by NESN announcer and former Red Sox All-Star second baseman Jerry Remy. Game 3: The national anthem was performed by Brad Paisley. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Hall of Famer and former Dodger player, coach and manager Tommy Lasorda, who was accompanied on the field by one of the team's owners, Magic Johnson; the pitch was caught by former Dodger All-Star Steve Garvey. The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel, accompanied by actor Mario Lopez. Game 4: A moment of silence was held to honor victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, which had happened that morning. The national anthem was performed by OneRepublic lead singer Ryan Tedder. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley and former Red Sox player to former Dodger Kirk Gibson, recalling Gibson's game-winning home run off Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, accompanied by actor Anthony Anderson. Game 5: The national anthem was performed by Petty Officer Second Class Mike Dalager of the United States Coast Guard. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by former Dodger All-Star Orel Hershiser to former Dodger Mickey Hatcher. The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, accompanied by actor J. B. Smoove.
Matchups
Game 1
The Red Sox started Chris Sale against the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw became the first pitcher to start the first game of the World Series in back-to-back years since Cliff Lee did so in 2009 (for the Phillies) and 2010 (for the Rangers) and the first to do so for the same team since Dave Stewart pitched three consecutive Game 1s for the Oakland Athletics from 1988 to 1990. The Red Sox struck in the first inning when Mookie Betts singled, stole second and then scored on a hit by Andrew Benintendi, who subsequently scored on a single by J. D. Martinez. Boston benefited from Dodgers' first baseman David Freese missing a foul pop-up by Betts, and right fielder Yasiel Puig allowing Benintendi to advance to second base on a late throw to the plate. A homer by Matt Kemp in the second inning gave the Dodgers a run, and an RBI single by Manny Machado in the third inning tied the score, 2–2. In the bottom of the third, Steve Pearce grounded into a fielder's choice—which was called an inning-ending double play on the field, but overturned by video review—and the Red Sox regained the lead on an RBI double by Martinez in the following at-bat. In the top of the fifth, a groundout by Machado plated Brian Dozier to even the score, 3–3. Sale wound up pitching into the fifth inning, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, and scored the go-ahead run when Xander Bogaerts grounded into a fielder's choice. A single by Rafael Devers off reliever Ryan Madson in the next at-bat made it 5–3. Kershaw's final line was five runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in four-plus innings. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh off reliever Ryan Brasier and scored a run on a sacrifice fly by Machado. Eduardo Núñez hit a pinch-hit three-run home run off Alex Wood in the bottom of the seventh to make it a four-run lead for the Red Sox, 8–4, with no further scoring in the game. Boston reliever Matt Barnes, who finished the fifth inning after relieving Sale, got the win, while Kershaw took the loss for Los Angeles.
Game 2