Hunter Felt

This could very well be an epic World Series, even if it appears one-sided on paper. One would think that a Boston Red Sox team that beat the dangerous Houston Astros in five games, should be the heavy favorites. However, the ALCS was much closer than the 4-1 outcome suggests. (The numbers, for instance, say that Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel has been perfect in save situations this postseason, Boston fans will tell you that he was anything but.)



Still, there was a reason that these Red Sox won a record number of games during the regular season and took out two very scary teams in the Yankees and the Astros. It should be close, which means that it may come down to who makes the right moves and, well, Red Sox fans trust Alex Cora more than Los Angeles Dodgers fans trust Dave Roberts. David Price gets two wins in the series and manages to hit a home run in one of the National League games and walks away with the MVP honors, kills all those postseason narratives and gains some benefit of the doubt from the Boston sports media … at least until his next game against the New York Yankees. Red Sox to win in seven.

David Lengel

It appears nothing can stop the Red Sox. Not even that ropey bullpen: Boston relievers actually improved against the Yankees and Astros. Meanwhile, Boston’s boppers have scored even more runs per game in October than they did in the regular season. Yes, even with Mookie Betts at second base, Boston are favorites.

Unlike the Sox, the Dodgers have real, sky-high stakes: Los Angeles haven’t won a World Series title in 30 years. After the season, Clayton Kershaw, could opt out and take his future hall-of-fame pitching talents elsewhere. So yes, the Dodgers need to win now, badly.

Can they? Well, yes. They’ve had to scrap to get where they are: LA were nine games back on 1 May, and slowly recovered before finally pushing past the pesky Colorado Rockies in game 163.

Now, after seeing off a team of destiny in the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers are pressing for more. They strike out plenty, but unlike the Yankees, proved they can pivot in a pinch. Dodger power is as advertised: Roberts often fields lineups with seven hitters with over 20 home runs, setting them up nicely for DH games in Boston. LA are loaded with talented pitching, including, of course, Kershaw, who is desperate for that elusive ring. I think he gets it. Dodgers to win in seven.

Daniel Levitt

For all the derision over Clayton Kershaw’s past performances in the postseason – he was 7-7 with a 4.35 ERA in 28 games entering the 2018 playoffs – the lefty quietly has a 2.39 ERA over 19 innings including two quality starts in 2018. The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been far from their best, and will need to improve quickly if they’re to hang with the Red Sox, who have scored an MLB-best 56 runs this postseason. Boston have been masters at getting on base, and through two rounds, five starters have an on-base percentage greater than .370. Boston have won each of the last three World Series they have appeared in and, for that reason, I’m going with the Red Sox to win in six.

Alan Evans

Both teams have great starting rotations, bat deep, and have several players who can singlehandedly win games. With so little to choose between the two, the series is likely to go down to the few weaknesses in the sides – which could tip the balance towards the Dodgers.

The Red Sox have more questions marks as the series starts: will Craig Kimbrel’s struggle to find the strike zone continue, and will Alex Cora continue to trust him if it does? Is Chris Sale actually healthy? Has David Price really exorcised his bad playoff record? How will they find space for JD Martinez in the games without a designated hitter?

Meanwhile the Dodgers have come through every time their backs have been against the wall. It would be a surprise if Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Walker Buehler and Hyun-jin Ryu weren’t able to combine for at least five solid starts between them, and every batter in the lineup is capable of hitting home runs at key moments.

A key subplot will be Manny Machado’s increasingly entertaining heel turn. After shedding the burden of being the face of the Orioles franchise, Machado has been making headlines for not hustling, dubious sliding, deliberate tripping and crotch grabbing, all in the space of a few days. He’ll be a free agent after this series, so before he makes the ultimate heel move – signing with the Yankees in the offseason – it seems an inevitable part of the narrative that he will be either the hero or the villain of the series. Dodgers to win in seven.

David Taylor

The numbers all point to a World Series win for the Red Sox and so do the contents of my carefully-tended bag of petty grievances.

As a Brit learning a new sport in a new land, it didn’t take long to import the old ways. Forget knowledge of the infield fly rule or time spent meditating on box scores – you only know you have truly sunk to the level of proper fan when your irrational hatred of other teams or players reveals itself and ruins the pleasure of watching top-level sport. The bitter neutral is compelled to waste energy hoping to see old rivals suffer.

Clayton Kershaw may be a wonderful pitcher, and may come off as a modest nice guy in interviews, but that is not going to make up for October 2016 when he seemed to throw every pitch in every game to send the Washington Nationals home early from the playoffs.

Justin Turner may have a flaming beard worthy of the free folk in Game of Thrones, but it does not burn bright enough to eclipse the memory of him slapping a two-run triple over Trea Turner’s head at Nationals Park.

The Red Sox were the best team in baseball this season by a long way and deserve to win it all, but really, for all the wrong reasons, it’s anyone but Dodgers. Red Sox to win in five.