Offtopic » Chris Sale’s final pitch for this Boston

LOS ANGELES (AP) — juggernaut triggered a celebration on the Dodger Stadium infield http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jeff-locke-jersey , among thousands of fans who made their way to California — and even outside Fenway Park back home.The quest is complete. Yes, these 2018 Red Sox really are that great.A team to remember from top to bottom. A season to savor from start to finish.David Price proved his postseason mettle, Steve Pearce homered twice and Boston beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Sunday to finish off a one-sided World Series in five games.A tormented franchise during decades of despair before ending an 86-year championship drought in 2004, the Red Sox have become baseball’s team of the century with four titles in 15 seasons.“Seeing all these grown men over there, just acting like kids, that’s what it’s all about,” Price said after pitching three-hit ball into the eighth inning on short rest. “This is why I came to Boston.”After losing on opening day, Alex Cora’s team romped to a 17-2 start and a club-record 108 wins, then went 11-3 in the postseason, dispatching the 100-win New York Yankees and the 103-victory and defending champion Houston Astros in the playoffs. Cora, a player on Boston’s 2007 champions, became the first manager from Puerto Rico to win a title and just the fifth rookie skipper overall.“I don’t know where we stand in history and all that,” said Dave Dombrowski, the club’s president of baseball operations. “If somebody would say you’re going to win 119 games and lose 57, we’d never, ever fathom that.”Pearce hit a two-run homer on Clayton Kershaw’s sixth pitch. Solo homers by Mookie Betts in the sixth inning and J.D. Martinez in the seventh quieted the Los Angeles crowd. Pearce added a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth, then was selected the Series MVP after the game.“Best feeling in my life Cameron Maybin Jersey ,” Pearce said.Acquired in June from Toronto, Pearce had three homers and seven RBIs in the final 11 innings of the Series. Thousands of Boston fans remained on the first-base side of the stadium long after the final out, chanting “Let’s go Red Sox!” and singing “Sweet Caroline.”Of course, they let loose a few choice words about the rival Yankees, too.“I never knew there were so many Red Sox fans here,” Martinez said.Players’ families, many dressed in red, congregated on the field to join the celebration, some holding babies, some watching children run across the outfield in glee.“This is the greatest Red Sox team in history,” owner John Henry proclaimed after receiving the Series trophy.After losing to Houston in Game 7 last year by the same 5-1 score, the Dodgers became the first team ousted on its home field in consecutive World Series since the New York Giants by the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds in 1936 and ’37. Los Angeles remains without a championship since 1988.“Ran up against a very good ballclub — and just a little bit too much for us,” said manager Dave Roberts, who played for Boston’s 2004 champions.Boston outscored the Dodgers 28-16 and had only a slightly better batting average at .222 to .180. But the Red Sox got timely hitting and won their ninth title, tying the Athletics for third-most behind the Yankees (27) and Cardinals (11).All that stood between the Red Sox and a sweep was an 18-inning loss in Game 3, the longest World Series game ever. They trailed 4-0 in the seventh inning of Game 4 when Sale rose from the dugout bench for a fiery, profane Lewis Brinson Jersey , motivational rant, and his teammates woke up in time to rally for a 9-6 win.Boston never trailed in Game 5.“I didn’t say anything that anyone didn’t know,” Sale explained. “Just rallying the troops and letting them know — we’re the best team on the planet, and to start playing like it.”The 33-year-old Price, a Cy Young Award winner in 2012, long pitched under an October shadow cast by his regular-season success. He had been 0-9 in 11 postseason starts before defeating Astros ace Justin Verlander in the clinching Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. The left-hander won his third straight start Sunday and became the first pitcher to beat Cy Young winners in the finale of an LCS and the World Series in the same year.“I’ve been through a lot in three years since I came here, but this is why I came,” said Price, who like Kershaw can opt out of his lucrative contract in the coming days and become a free agent.After allowing two runs over six innings to win Game 2 last Wednesday, Price got two outs in the ninth inning of Friday’s marathon game. He became the first to pitch into the eighth inning of a Series game on one day of rest since the Yankees’ Bob Turley in 1957.“All the haters, it’s time to be quiet and show the guy some respect,” Martinez said.Price gave up a home run to David Freese on his first pitch , then allowed just two more hits — the last a triple to Freese that Martinez lost in the third-inning twilight and allowed to drop behind him on the right field warning track. Price struck out five and walked two, retiring 14 in a row before a leadoff walk to Chris Taylor in the eighth ended his night after 89 pitches. He tapped his heart several times to Red Sox fans behind the first base dugout while walking to the bench.Joe Kelly struck out three straight pinch hitters and Sale, originally scheduled to start Game 5, fanned three more in the ninth. Sale ended by throwing a slider past a falling Manny Machado, a meager 4 for 22 (.182) in the Series http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-jt-riddle-jersey , and raised both arms. Boston catcher Christian Vazquez ran out to jump on him with glee, and teammates from the dugout and bullpens followed.While Price rewrote his own October legacy, Kershaw was unable to do the same as he fell to 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA in postseason elimination games. Plagued at times by an aching back, the 30-year-old lefty no longer is the dominant pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards, his famous 12-to-6 breaking ball now more 10 to 4:30.Kershaw allowed four runs and seven hits — three of them homers — in seven innings. He is 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA in 30 postseason appearances, a huge drop from his 153-69 record and 2.39 ERA during the regular season.“It just hurts worse when you make it all the way and get second place,” he said.Kershaw began aggressively, throwing strikes on his first six pitches, and the Red Sox were ready.Andrew Benintendi hit a one-out single and Pearce pulled a fastball over the middle of the plate and sent it 405 feet into the left-field pavilion.While the crowd of 54,367 was stunned, Freese woke up fans in the bottom half. He drove Price’s first pitch 402 feet to the opposite field and into the right field pavilion.Betts homered on a slider that stayed in the strike zone after going 0 for 13 in Los Angeles this weekend, the first postseason home run of his career coming in his 87th at-bat. Martinez homered in the seventh, driving a fastball to straightway center.By then, Red Sox fans had started planning for the April 9 home opener against Toronto, when the championship flag will be raised over Fenway after Boston opens with an 11-game trip out West.“It wasn’t as easy as what people think,” Cora said.STAY AHEADBoston went 7-1 on the road in the postseason and 10-0 overall when scoring first.I’M STILL HEREShortstop Xander Bogaerts was the only active player on the Red Sox from their 2013 championship team.SPEND IT TO MAKE ITBoston is the first team with the highest payroll to win the title since the 2009 Yankees.JUST LIKE LAST YEARCora celebrated on the same field where he earned a ring last year as the Astros’ bench coach.Visiting clubhouse manager Mitch Poole estimates he ordered 263 bottles of champagne for the Red Sox, at an estimated cost of $18 http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-j.-t.-realmuto-jersey ,000.“The visiting team always pays the bill,” he said. Thursday is the final day without postseason baseball for at least a week.After an unusually fast ALDS and NLDS, the second round of the Major League Baseball postseason begins Friday with Game 1 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers.The ALCS pitting the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox opens up Saturday night at Fenway Park.Since all four teams were seen as World Series contenders before the postseason, the odds for each of them to win the title are low heading into the ALCS and NLCS, per OddsShark. Updated BracketMLB MLBAnd then there were four. zkz6Us6fGL PredictionsMilwaukee In 6Milwaukee's lineup will be tested right away Friday, as Clayton Kershaw trots out to the mound for the Dodgers.Kershaw will pitch in Game 1 of the NLCS on extra rest and off a tremendous outing in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves.While an eight-inning performance is more of what we expect out of Kershaw, he's had mixed results on the road in the last two postseasons.The Brewers are hoping they get to Kershaw like the Astros did in Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, which would force the Dodgers to outhit the home side at Miller Park.Aaron Gash/Associated PressDuring the regular season, the Brewers tied with the Chicago Cubs for the most home wins of any team in the National League.Milwaukee reeled off two more home victories in the NLDS over the Colorado Rockies, and in order to put pressure on the defending NL champion, it must take Game 1.Forcing Kershaw out of the game before the fifth inning will be made possible by the bats in the middle of the Milwaukee order.If Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich reach base, Ryan Braun and Mike Moustakas should continue their strong performances at the plate, as the pair combined for nine hits in three games versus the Rockies.By getting out to an early lead, the Brewers set a goal for their starters to reach the sixth or seventh inning before the dominant bullpen takes over.That formula can be followed throughout the series, and it will lead to a home victory in Game 5 and a road triumph in Game 6 after tough sledding at Dodger Stadium in Games 3 and 4.Containing Los Angeles' top bats won't be an easy task for the Milwaukee pitching staff, but it proved in the NLDS it's up to the task by recording two straight shutouts to finish off the series.Boston in 7You can make a convincing argument for either the Astros or Red Sox to advance to the World Series.Houston carries the most postseason experience of the four remaining teams after capturing the title in 2017, while the Red Sox have one of the best lineups in baseball and a powerful pitching staff anchored by Chris Sale.What occurs beneath Sale in the Boston rotation could alter the shape of the series Brian Anderson Jersey , as David Price struggled once again in October in Game 2 of the ALDS.Charles Krupa/Associated PressTo start the series, Sale will oppose Justin Verlander in one of the top postseason pitching battles in recent history, and it's a matchup we could see at least once more if the series goes the distance.Price is currently slated to go against Gerrit Cole in Sunday's Game 2, but if he comes anywhere close to repeating his 1.2-inning outing, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has to consider pulling him from the rotation in favor of Nathan Eovaldi, Rick Porcello or another pitcher.Price's effectiveness on the mound could also affect the freshness of Boston's bullpen, but the Red Sox will be able to cover up the shortcomings with their offense.Although home-field advantage is important in any series, the Red Sox and Astros could trade road wins since they were the two best road teams in the American League in the regular season.Houston's 57-24 road mark was the same record posted by the Red Sox at Fenway Park.Both offenses will have a game in which they unleash three or four home runs, and there could be multiple occurrences of that given the talent in each lineup.With the margins being so tight throughout the series, the AL pennant will come down to a Game 7 showdown between Sale and Verlander.Sale is 12-6 at Fenway Park in his career and produced one of the best outings of the division series against the New York Yankees, as he struck out nine and conceded two earned runs over 6.1 innings.If the left-hander posts similar numbers in Game 7, he'll give the Red Sox an opportunity to return to the World Series for the first time since 2013.Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference