The Millstone Times January 2019

KIDS The 2018 World Series By Max Druckman

The 2018 Major League Baseball World Series was a truly amazing event! The favorites, the Bos- ton Red Sox, defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Each game was downright awesome! Game 1:

Game 1 pitted ace pitchers Chris Sale of Boston and Clayton Kershaw of Los Angeles against each other. The Red Sox jumped on the board early, with RBI (run batted in) singles from Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez making the score 2-0. However, the Dodgers answered right back, with Matt Kemp and Manny Machado tying the score at 2. The game was tight and a back and forth match until the seventh inning. With the Red Sox hanging on to the lead by a thread, 5-4, Eduardo Nuñez belted a 3 run home run to give Boston a comfortable 8-4 lead. There was no looking back from there, and the Red Sox took Game 1. Game 2: The second game of the series was a very significant one for me, as I attended it along with my father and brother. On that frigid night in Boston, we were treated to a pitching duel between Hyun-Jin Ryu and David Price. The Sox jumped out to an early lead, with Ian Kinsler putting them up 1-0 in the second inning. Soon after, though, Matt Kemp struck again and the Dodgers tied it at 1-a-piece. The Dodgers kept going, with Yasiel Puig’s RBI single putting them ahead 2-1. The Red Sox mounted a comeback, as a Steve Pearce walk and J.D. Martinez single gave them a 4-2 lead, which would ultimately be the final score. Game 3: Game 3 took the series to LA and saw Rick Porcello of the Red Sox and Walker Bhueler of the Dodgers go at it from the pitcher's mound. The game was tied at 1-1 at the end of the ninth inning, meaning that it went to extra innings. The Sox went ahead 2-1 and almost won, but an Ian Kinsler error helped the Dodgers tie the game back up. Finally, in the eighteenth inning, Max Muncy smashed a home run to left field to give the Dodgers the win. The shot was the first walk-off World Series home run since 2011. It was an overall thrilling game! The contest lasted well over seven hours and was the longest postseason game ever. Also, an astounding 46 players, nine pitchers for each team, took part in the matchup. It was truly a special game. Game 4: Eduardo Rodriguez and former Red Sock Rich Hill were the two starting pitchers for Game 4. The contest was relatively uneventful until the sixth inning, in which the Dodgers finally pounced. A Cody Bellinger RBI ground-out and a booming 3-run home run from Yasiel Puig put the boys in blue on top 4-0. The Red Sox were quick to bounce back, as homers from Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce tied the game going into the ninth. From there it was all Boston and the Sox, led by Rafael Devers, completed an awesome comeback, triumphing 9-6. Game 5:

As the Red Sox had won 3 games in the series, a Game 5 win could clinch them the title. David Price and Clayton Kershaw returned to the bump during a must-win game for both teams. The Red Sox jumped on top early, with Steve Pearce giving them a 2-0 lead. David Freese led the Dodgers right back in it, and his solo home run made the score 2-1. Boston ran away with it from there, with home runs from Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Steve Pearce giving the Sox a 5-1 win and clinching them their fourth World Series title in 14 years. Additionally, Pearce won the series’ MVP award. In the end, the 2018 World Series was one for the record books. It featured the perfect balance of drama and excitement, highs and lows, ups and downs. As a true Bostonian would say, it was “wicked awesome”.

Max Druckman

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The Millstone Times

January 2019