What to expect from a Boston-Los Angeles World Series

The World Series is set, and it’s the Red Sox against the Dodgers for the first time in 102 years.

At last, as we enter the final stretch of October, the World Series is finally upon us.

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished off the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in Game 7 of the NLCS to claim their second straight National League pennant, and now they will meet the American League champion Boston Red Sox in the 114th Fall Classic. Game 1 will take place on Tuesday night at Fenway Park in Boston.

So what kind of a showdown are we looking at in the 2018 World Series? How exactly do these two historic baseball franchises matchup with each other? Should one team be considered a heavy favorite?

If you’re looking just at regular season wins and losses, then the Red Sox blow the Dodgers completely out of the ballpark. Boston won 108 games this season, a franchise record, to all but run away with the AL East. Meanwhile, Los Angeles only won 92 games, as well as a Game 163 against the Colorado Rockies to claim the NL West title.

But even though the regular season records are lopsided, this series has potential to be much closer than the numbers alone would suggest.

For instance, the Red Sox have what can only be considered the most unstoppable offense in baseball. They led the Major Leagues in several offensive categories, such as runs scored, hits, total bases, RBIs, and overall team batting average. That sounds impressive, but it really isn’t surprising when you look at the names in this lineup: Mookie Betts (soon-to-be AL MVP), J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and on occasion, Jackie Bradley Jr.

No team in this postseason has yet to be able to tame this wild offense. The Yankees tried in the ALDS, and they lost in four games. The Astros tried in the ALCS, and they lost in five games. Now it’s the Dodgers’ turn to give it a shot.

But they just might be able to do it, because they have the pitching staff. Their rotation includes Clayton Kershaw (possibly the best in the league), Rich Hill, Walker Buehler (the NLCS Game 7 winner), and Hyun-Jin Ryu. All of these guys had a regular season ERA of less than four, and only Hill’s was higher than three.

Forget about each team’s regular season win totals. Either pitching or hitting is going to prevail in this series, and it’s hard to predict which one it will be.

Either Boston’s bats are going to remain otherworldly to lead the Red Sox to their ninth World Series title in franchise history, or L.A.’s pitching is going to finally find a way to silence the Red Sox hitters and give the Dodgers their first World Series title in 30 years.

Aside from that, let’s take a step back and look at this series for what it is. We have one of the most historic franchises in the American League taking on one of the most historic franchises in the National League. This World Series will be played at Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, two of the most iconic venues in all of sports, not just baseball. It’s been 102 years since these two organizations last met in the Fall Classic, when it was the Boston Red Sox against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1916 World Series — won by Boston in five games.

We have an absolute classic on our hands here, so let’s enjoy every second of it. It’s Boston vs. Los Angeles for the championship.

It’s going to be one heck of a finish to an incredible October.