To prove that I’m not a homer, I have to applaud the ridiculous season the Red Sox just pulled off. Looking back on the 2018 MLB season, they essentially went wire-to-wire and dominated all year long. Then just laughed at the playoffs and slapped around anyone they faced. Home and Away. They closed out every series on the road.
Out in front early, they pulled away in the toughest division in baseball (there’s the homer!). I pretty much say that’s the toughest division in baseball every year since the Rays are a scrappy squad that play most teams well, and of course the Yanks are ‘normally good’ (Buccigross voice). But this year it was undeniable. TWO teams in the same division won 100+ games! Thats unheard of . The bum-ass NL didn’t even have a single team over 96 wins…. The sox won 108! Crazy.
This also seems like a good time to bash the JV NL for just playing a shittier game then AL teams. A free out every 3 innings is getting silly. Pitchers aren’t hitters. Please stop giving outs away by having these fools at the plate. Even on the bases their terrible. Although I will say that I thought going into the World Series that the Dodgers were built for the AL game, being so loaded in the OF. But in typical NL manager fashion, Dave Roberts over managed. ‘Ahh the NL is so strategic and some many moves have to be made by the manager. It’s so great and the NL is such a pure game’ . B.S. All these stupid moves like double switches, pinch hitters every two innings because what do ya know, the pitcher is coming to bat? It just leads to over managing, making wayy too many moves.
-Back to the Sox-
The Red Sox had a memorable season and even though that curse has long been broken, this was a huge win for the franchise. This Red Sox team was completely different from any other world series winning Sox team. No papi. No Varitek. No Manny or Pedro. No Pedroia (although he’l get a ring but basically was out all year). This year’s team had it all. Pitching – Sale wasn’t even 100% throughout most of the playoffs and the backend of the year, but still handled his business even out of the bullpen. The surprise of the playoffs (aside from Steve Pearce) was David Price. I’ve been a big hater of this loser* (not anymore) because of his post season meltdowns and the fact the Yankees truly do own the guy. But that said, the Yanks are legit the only team that hits this dude. He was great in the playoffs. 3 days rest to close in game 5? Sure. He killed it in the World Series and throughout the playoffs pitched really well. Props to Price. Eovaldi comes off TJ and looked good throwing heaters again. Even Porcello was fine. Even the ‘shaky’ bullpen sacked up and pitched well. Joe Kelly was awesome.
Hitting – This might be the most clutch group of role players I’ve seen in recent history. Whether it was Vazquez, Kinsler, Devers, Pearce (even though he hits 3rd ha who the hell is this guy?? World Series MVP, thats who) Jackie Bradley, it didn’t matter. The amount of two-out hits that scored runs from these guys was crazy. Mookie Bene and JD had a few 0-fers out there but it didn’t matter. The bottom of the lineup guys picked them up right away. These guys are hitting 6-9 and had so many RBIs and even homers. This lineup emerged as a truly deep and great postseason lineup.
Fielding – Mookie, JBJ, Benetendi. All stud fielders. My big knock on JbJ is that he can’t hit and can only field. That proved not true because this guy was hitting dingers all post season. And they were Big dingers. But Mookie making great plays in right throughout the Yanks and Astros series’ was fun to watch. Dudes diving in the stands getting homeruns overturned (awful call and replay review btw) and throwing guys out at 2nd all day. Benetendi makes a diving play to win the game in Houston? If that ball gets by him they lose. It didnt. They win. SO many game changing plays by that outfield trio and its most likely the best defensive outfield in the game. Let’s not forget great plays by Devers at 3rd and also Stevie Pearce (again, World Series MVP) picking everything and doing splits like hes on a balance beam at 1st base.
In conclusion, Sox killed it. Blah Blah Blah, great win. Great season.
For the Sox fans out there, let’s not forget they had the Highest Payroll in the Majors. So let’s stop bringing that up when talking Yanks/Sox huh? All those ‘Bought Championships’. They’r nice right?
Enjoy it now, Yanks will be back!
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GOOD Stuff here CK!