J.D. Martinez, Eduardo Nunez Power Red Sox to World Series Game 1 Win vs Dodgers

The Boston Red Sox struck first in the 2018 World Series.

The Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 in Tuesday’s Game 1 at Fenway Park and moved a step closer to their fourth championship in 15 seasons. In a showdown of aces and generational talents, Chris Sale allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in four innings for Boston.

Counterpart Clayton Kershaw allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in four innings. Eduardo Nunez provided the offensive fireworks for the Red Sox with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the seventh to push a one-run advantage to four, while J.D. Martinez went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run, and Andrew Benintendi went 4-for-5 with one RBI and three runs.

Kershaw’s Struggles Will Doom Dodgers’ World Series Hopes

Kershaw is a surefire Hall of Famer, but his postseason struggles are a defining chapter of his resume and may leave him ringless. The southpaw has an MVP, three Cy Young Awards and seven All-Star appearances to go with a 2.39 career regular-season ERA, but his playoff ERA was 4.09 before Boston lit him up Tuesday.

It isn’t incompetence but rather inconsistency that has derailed his Octobers.

According to Baseball Reference, his nine playoff starts of six or more innings with zero or one earned run are the most in the game from 2013 through 2018. However, he was also tied for the most starts with five or more runs (seven) in playoff history coming into Game 1, and he added to that tally with another disappointing showing.

It is not fair to label him a playoff choker with so many dazzling starts, but he has not put forth the consistent production the Dodgers are looking for from the best pitcher of this era.

Tuesday’s start would have been even worse if a blistered ball by Jackie Bradley Jr. with runners on the corners in the second didn’t deflect off the mound to a waiting Manny Machado for a double play.

The only way the Dodgers will win the World Series is if they counter a Red Sox lineup that led MLB in runs (876), hits (1,509), doubles (355), batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.339) and slugging percentage (.453). The best way to do that is with a shutdown ace who can take the mound three times in a series, but Kershaw wasn’t up for the challenge.

His failure exacerbated the pressure on the other options in the rotation.

Walker Buehler was brilliant this season but is just a rookie with a 5.40 ERA in three playoff games this year. Hyun-Jin Ryu has a 4.40 ERA in three playoff appearances this year.

That is not exactly what Los Angeles wants on the mound in must-win scenarios against mighty Boston, but Kershaw is unreliable at this point. The National League champions just don’t know which version of him they will get on a given night in October.

J.D. Martinez Primed to Win World Series MVP

The Boston lineup is full of threats and got the big blow from Nunez, but Martinez is already positioned to win the World Series MVP Award.

Dan Mullen of ESPN noted the slugger entered Game 1 with a head-turning .455/.500/1.091 slash line in 13 at-bats versus Kershaw, and he delivered with two hits and two RBI against the Dodgers ace. One of the hits was a long double into center field that would have found the seats in many ballparks.

Martinez figures to face Kershaw in at least one more game, if not more, which will give him the opportunity to continue smashing his pitches. He will be no slouch against the rest of the Los Angeles rotation either; he challenged for a triple crown with a .330/.402/.629 slash line to go with 43 home runs and 130 RBI during the regular season.

While he will have challengers—such as Benintendi—Martinez’s power and prowess against the Los Angeles ace put him in pole position to win MVP. Also, Nunez isn’t consistently in the lineup, so his homer will be a memorable moment instead of a launching point to MVP.

Martinez will also benefit from the fact Sale was uninspiring. The Boston ace was the MVP favorite coming into the series at +550 (bet $100 to win $550), per Bovada (h/t OddsShark). Martinez was not far behind at +700 and looks like a great bet after one game.

Alex Cora’s Brilliant Moves Make Red Sox Heavy Favorites

The most important moment of Game 1 featured a back-and-forth battle between the two managers.

After Benintendi started the bottom of the seventh with a double, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to the flame-throwing Pedro Baez. Baez proceeded to strike out Mitch Moreland and Xander Bogaerts with an intentional walk to Martinez thrown in, but Roberts chose left-hander Alex Wood to face Rafael Devers.

Alex Cora countered by pinch-hitting Nunez, who hit just 10 home runs this season.

Chalk one up for Cora because Nunez blasted Wood’s second offering over the Green Monster in left field to all but clinch Game 1.

The Red Sox have the best offense in the majors, a dominant ace in Sale and home-field advantage following 108 regular-season wins. It seems unfair to throw in a manager who is pushing all the right buttons, but that is exactly what Boston has in Cora.

The Red Sox are in full control, and they have just the man to lead them to three more victories.

What’s Next?

Boston will turn to David Price for Wednesday’s Game 2 at Fenway Park, while Los Angeles will go with Ryu.