The Los Angeles Dodgers’ improbable season came to an end on Sunday with a 5-1 defeat at Dodger Stadium to the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series.
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Pegged as heavy underdogs in the matchup, the Dodgers faced a difficult task from the start in slowing down the powerhouse Red Sox, who won an MLB-best 108 games during the regular season.
After dropping the first two contests at Fenway Park, the Dodgers returned home with hopes of turning the series around. They got off to a good start by winning the ensuing Game 3 behind Max Muncy’s historic walk-off home run in the 18th inning.
The following contest looked just as promising for Los Angeles before the bullpen squandered a 4-0 lead over the final three innings of play, leading to a Red Sox comeback win and 3-1 deficit in the Fall Classic.
Dodgers starter Rich Hill had stymied the Boston lineup up until his removal in the seventh. In the midst of his dominance was a fiery speech delivered by Red Sox ace Chris Sale, who was credited by Brock Holt for helping the club pull out a stunning Game 4 victory.
“I was down in the tunnel I heard someone yelling,” Holt said. “And Mookie came down, he was going down to watch some video. And I said, “Who’s yelling up there?” He said ‘Sale.’ Oh, my god, he was mad at us.
“I think that kind of lit a fire under everybody. We didn’t want to see him mad anymore. So we decided to start swinging the bats a little bit.”
Mitch Moreland, who started the comeback with a three-run homer in the seventh off Ryan Madson, didn’t hear the speech but isn’t surprised it had a positive impact on the Red Sox clubhouse.
“I felt like my spot right be coming up pretty soon or my number might be called, so I was trying to get ready,” Moreland recalled.
“I couldn’t tell you what he said. I’m sure it was something to fire us up, and obviously it worked. So it was a good one for us.”
Eventual World Series MVP Steve Pearce would later tie the score in the eight with a solo home run off Kenley Jansen before the game unraveled from there.
The Red Sox added five more in the ninth and came away with a 9-6 victory, delivering a crushing blow to the Dodgers’ chances of flipping the Fall Classic in their favor.
