2018 World Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Boston Red Sox (4) Alex Cora 108–54 (.667), GA: 8 Los Angeles Dodgers (1) Dave Roberts 92–71 (.564), GA: 1
Dates	October 23–28
Venue(s)	Fenway Park (Boston) Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
MVP	Steve Pearce (Boston)
Umpires	Ted Barrett (crew chief),Fieldin Culbreth (Games 3–5),Kerwin Danley,Chad Fairchild,Jeff Nelson,Jim Reynolds,Tim Timmons (Games 1–2)[1]
Broadcast
Television	Fox (United States – English) Fox Deportes (United States – Spanish) MLB International (International - English)
TV announcers	Joe Buck,John Smoltz,Ken Rosenthal andTom Verducci (Fox) Rolando Nichols, Carlos Álvarez andEdgar Gonzalez (Fox Deportes) Matt Vasgersian andBuck Martinez (MLB International)
Radio	ESPN (English) ESPN Deportes (Spanish) WEEI-FM (BOS – English) WCCM (BOS – Spanish) KLAC (LAD – English) KTNQ (LAD – Spanish) KMPC (LAD – Korean)
Radio announcers	Dan Shulman (Games 1–4),Jon Sciambi (Game 5),Chris Singleton andBuster Olney (ESPN) Eduardo Ortega andOrlando Hernández (ESPN Deportes) Joe Castiglione,Tim Neverett andLou Merloni (WEEI) Uri Berenguer (WCCM) Charley Steiner andRick Monday (KLAC) Jaime Jarrín andJorge Jarrín (KTNQ) Richard Choi and Chong Ho Yim (KMPC)
ALCS	Boston Red Sox overHouston Astros (4–1)
NLCS	Los Angeles Dodgers overMilwaukee Brewers (4–3)
World Series program
← 2017 World Series 2019 →

The2018 World Series was thechampionship series ofMajor League Baseball's2018 season. The 114th edition of the World Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff played between theAmerican League (AL) championBoston Red Sox and theNational League (NL) championLos Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox defeated the Dodgers in five games to win their fourth World Series title in 15 years dating back to2004, and their ninth in franchise history. This was the second World Series matchup between the two franchises, after the Red Sox defeated the Brooklyn Robins (later known as the Dodgers) in five games in1916. The series was sponsored by the Internet television serviceYouTube TV and officially known as the2018 World Series presented by YouTube TV.^[2]

The Series was televised in the United States onFox.Steve Pearce won theWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award, whileAlex Cora became the fifth first-season manager^[3] and first manager fromPuerto Rico^[4] to win the World Series. The Series, as well as the2025 World Series, were both notable for their third games that lasted 18innings, a World Series record.

TheBoston Red Sox' most recent World Series appearance was their2013 win over theSt. Louis Cardinals. TheLos Angeles Dodgers, who last won a World Series in1988 over theOakland Athletics, made their second consecutive appearance, after losing to theHouston Astros in2017. The two franchises faced each other in the1916 World Series; the Red Sox won the series in five games against the then-Brooklyn Robins.^[5] With a distance of 2,593 miles betweenDodger Stadium andFenway Park, this is the furthest distance between the home stadiums of two World Series teams, a record only breakable if theSan Francisco Giants play the Red Sox (2,696 miles betweenOracle Park and Fenway Park) or theMiami Marlins play theSeattle Mariners (2,732 miles betweenLoanDepot Park andT-Mobile Park). The 2018 World Series was the first since2000 to feature two teams which had also reached the postseason in the prior year.

Red Sox managerAlex Cora and Dodgers managerDave Roberts were teammates on the Dodgers in2002,2003, and2004. Although they did not play together on the Red Sox, both managers played and won a World Series championship with Boston—Roberts in2004 and Cora in2007. This was the first World Series with two managersof color;^[6] additionally, both managers were born outside thecontiguous United States, as Cora was born inPuerto Rico and Roberts inJapan.^[7]

While this was a rare match-up, with the Dodgers-Red Sox having only met 20 times ever, the Dodgers trade deadline acquisitionManny Machado had a long history with the Red Sox. In a game in April 2017, Machado, then with theBaltimore Orioles, aggressively slid over the second base bag and spikedDustin Pedroia in the knee. Pedroia missed 56 of the remaining 145 games, twice going on the injured list. The Red Sox responded by throwing at Machado throughout the 2017 season, feeling that the slide was a dirty play.^[8] Setbacks to his recovery left Pedroia out of the lineup for all but 11 at-bats during the 2018 season. Before the World Series, Pedroia toldWEEI’s Rob Bradford about the slide. “I think about it all the time.” And when Bradford asked if there’s been any contact with Machado since then, Pedroia had a terse response, “no.”^[9] In the 2018 World Series, Machado was booed heavily atFenway Park. By the time of his retirement in 2021, Pedroia said he had forgiven Machado and he was "at peace with the play."^[10]

This was the twelfth meeting between teams fromBoston andLos Angeles for amajor professional sports championship. This previously occurred in elevenNBA Finals during the peak of therivalry between both cities’NBA teams in theLakers andCeltics.^[11]

The Red Sox finished with a 108–54 (.667) record, winning theAmerican League East division title for the third consecutive season, eight games ahead of the second-placeNew York Yankees,^[12] and were the first team to clinch a berth in the2018 postseason.^[13] The Red Sox surpassed the 100-win mark for the first time since1946, broke the franchise record of 105 wins that had been set in1912, and won the most games of any MLB team since the2001 Seattle Mariners won 116.^[14] The 2018 Red Sox were highlighted by All-StarsMookie Betts,Craig Kimbrel,J. D. Martinez, andChris Sale. Betts led baseball in batting average and slugging percentage, while Martinez led in runs batted in. Sale tossed only 158 innings due to a shoulder injury late in the year, but was otherwise superb, posting a 2.11earned run average to go along with 237strikeouts. Kimbrelsaved 42 games and struck out 96 batters in 62.1 innings.

The Red Sox entered the 2018 postseason as the overall number one seed, and defeated theirarchrival in the fourth-seededNew York Yankees in four games in theDivision Series, and handed the Yankees their worst postseason loss ever in Game 3 — a 16–1 rout.^[15] Next, they defeated the defending World Series champions - the second-seededHouston Astros in five games in theLeague Championship Series.^[16] Including their2004 win that ended theCurse of the Bambino, this was the fourth World Series appearance by the Red Sox in 15 years and their 13th appearance all-time.

Despite a 16–26 (.381) start to the season and nine losses in an 11-game stretch in mid-August, the Dodgers made the playoffs for the sixth straight year by winning the division in aone-game tiebreaker over the Rockies. At the July trade deadline, the team traded for All-Star shortstopManny Machado from theOrioles to replace injured shortstopCorey Seager and a former All-Star second basemanBrian Dozier from theTwins. In August, the Dodgers acquired former World Series MVPDavid Freese from thePirates. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers broke their franchise record for most team home runs in a season.^[17] With a 92–71 (.564) record, the team entered the playoffs as the National League’s second seed and went on to beat the third-seededAtlanta Braves in four games in the2018 National League Division Series and the top-seededMilwaukee Brewers in seven games in the2018 National League Championship Series,^[18] becoming the first team in either league to win Game 7 of aLeague Championship Series on the road since the2006 Cardinals.

The 2018 Dodgers were the first team to make the World Series by winning theirtie-breaker game since the2007 Colorado Rockies, who also faced and lost to Boston inthat World Series. This was the Dodgers' fifth back-to-back World Series appearance (Two came in Brooklyn in1952–1953 and1955–1956, and two came in Los Angeles in1965–1966 and1977–1978), and the first time since the2014-15Kansas City Royals to win back-to-backLeague Championship Series. Overall, this was the Dodgers' 20th World Series appearance.^[19]

Fenway Park

Dodger Stadium

Boston won the series, 4–1.

• Game 1: Thenational anthem was performed byJames Taylor.^[25] BostonHall of FamerCarl Yastrzemski threw theceremonial first pitch, as he did before Game 1 in2004,2007, and2013.^[26][27] The game ball was delivered by a member of theBoys & Girls Clubs of Boston, accompanied by Hall of FamerJim Rice.^[28]
• Game 2: The national anthem was performed by theBoston Pops along with vocalists from theBoston Children's Chorus and theTanglewood Festival Chorus.^[29] The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by members of the2004 Red Sox championship team, includingDavid Ortiz and Hall of FamerPedro Martínez.^[30] While declining to throw a first pitch, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts, who played on that championship team, greeted teammates from his former team.^[31][32] The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, accompanied byNESN announcer and former Red SoxAll-Star second basemanJerry Remy.^[33]
• Game 3: The national anthem was performed byBrad Paisley.^[34] The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Hall of Famer and former Dodger player, coach and managerTommy Lasorda, who was accompanied on the field by one of the team's owners,Magic Johnson; the pitch was caught by former Dodger All-StarSteve Garvey.^[34] The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel, accompanied by actorMario Lopez.^[34]
• Game 4: Amoment of silence was held to honor victims of thePittsburgh synagogue shooting, which had happened that morning.^[35] The national anthem was performed byOneRepublic lead singerRyan Tedder.^[36] The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Hall of FamerDennis Eckersley and former Red Sox player to former DodgerKirk Gibson, recallingGibson's game-winning home run off Eckersley in Game 1 of the1988 World Series.^[37] The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, accompanied by actorAnthony Anderson.^[36]
• Game 5: The national anthem was performed byPetty Officer Second Class Mike Dalager of theUnited States Coast Guard.^[38] The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by former Dodger All-StarOrel Hershiser to former DodgerMickey Hatcher.^[39] The game ball was delivered by a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, accompanied by actorJ. B. Smoove.^[40]

The Red Sox startedChris Sale against the Dodgers'Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw became the first pitcher to start the first game of the World Series in back-to-back years sinceCliff Lee did so in2009 (for thePhillies) and2010 (for theRangers) and the first to do so for the same team sinceDave Stewart pitched three consecutive Game 1s for theOakland Athletics from1988 to1990.^[41] The Red Sox struck in the first inning whenMookie Betts singled, stole second and then scored on a hit byAndrew Benintendi, who subsequently scored on a single byJ. D. Martinez. Boston benefited from Dodgers' first basemanDavid Freese missing a foul pop-up by Betts, and right fielderYasiel Puig allowing Benintendi to advance to second base on a late throw to the plate.^[42] A homer byMatt Kemp in the second inning gave the Dodgers a run, and an RBI single byManny Machado in the third inning tied the score, 2–2. In the bottom of the third,Steve Pearce grounded into afielder's choice—which was called an inning-ending double play on the field, but overturned byvideo review—and the Red Sox regained the lead on an RBI double by Martinez in the following at-bat. In the top of the fifth, a groundout by Machado platedBrian Dozier to even the score, 3–3.^[43]Sale wound up pitching into the fifth inning, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, and scored the go-ahead run whenXander Bogaerts grounded into a fielder's choice. A single byRafael Devers off relieverRyan Madson in the next at-bat made it 5–3. Kershaw's final line was five runs on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in four-plus innings. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh off relieverRyan Brasier and scored a run on a sacrifice fly by Machado.Eduardo Núñez hit a pinch-hit three-run home run offAlex Wood in the bottom of the seventh to make it a four-run lead for the Red Sox, 8–4, with no further scoring in the game.^[44] Boston relieverMatt Barnes, who finished the fifth inning after relieving Sale, got the win, while Kershaw took the loss for Los Angeles.^[45]

Game 2 featured another matchup of left-handed pitchers; Boston startedDavid Price, who got the win in Game 5 of the2018 American League Championship Series, while Los Angeles startedHyun-jin Ryu, who took the loss in Game 6 of the2018 National League Championship Series. The Red Sox again scored first, this time in the second inning, whenXander Bogaerts doubled and then scored on a single byIan Kinsler. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the fourth inning andDavid Freese scored on asacrifice fly byMatt Kemp to tie the game;Yasiel Puig then singled to drive inManny Machado with the go-ahead run. After the Red Sox loaded the bases against Ryu in the bottom of the fifth, relieverRyan Madson walked in the tying run andJ. D. Martinez drove in two more with a single. Ryu's final line was four runs allowed on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 42⁄3 innings.^[46]Price only allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings while striking out five. Both bullpens prevented more runs from scoring as the Red Sox won, 4–2, to take a two games to none lead.^[47] Ryu took the loss for the Dodgers, while Price earned the win for Boston withcloserCraig Kimbrel getting his sixthsave this postseason. It was also the 100th postseason victory in Red Sox franchise history.^[48]

External videos
Game 3 Full replay on the MLB Vault's official YouTube channel

After two games started by left-handed pitchers, both teams started right-handed pitchers for Game 3;Walker Buehler for the Dodgers andRick Porcello for the Red Sox. With nodesignated hitter,J. D. Martinez started in left field for the Red Sox, in place of usual left fielderAndrew Benintendi.^[49] The Dodgers scored first, for the first time in the series, whenJoc Pederson homered in the third inning. Porcello pitched 42⁄3 innings, allowing the one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five. Buehler pitched seven scoreless innings allowing only two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a home run offKenley Jansen with two outs in the eighth inning to tie the game. It was Jansen's firstblown save in four opportunities this postseason.^[50]

Cody Bellinger led off the bottom of the ninth with a single but was caught between first and second after an early stealing attempt, and the game went into extra innings tied at one. In the top of the 10th inning, the Red Sox had runners on first and third, and pinch-runnerIan Kinsler attempted to score from third on pinch-hitterEduardo Núñez's sacrifice fly, but a strong throw by center fielder Bellinger saw Kinsler out at the plate to end the top half. In the 13th inning,Brock Holt walked, advanced on awild pitch, and scored the go-ahead run when Núñez hit a soft grounder that pitcherScott Alexander failed to corral to Muncy. The Red Sox then loaded the bases on a Sandy León double and a Betts intentional walk, but did not score any insurance. Then, in the bottom of the inning,Max Muncy led off with a walk on a disputed check swing on a full count againstNathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi got the next two outs, but on the second, Muncy advanced to second on a pop out to Núñez in foul territory (Nuñez made a great catch and tumbled into the stands after making the catch, which allowed Muncy to advance).Yasiel Puig then hit a grounder to right that Kinsler gathered, but he proceeded to throw it wide of first base, leaving Puig safe and scoring Muncy on the error.

The next action would occur in the 15th, where the Red Sox led off with two consecutive base runners againstKenta Maeda. However, Maeda managed to throw out Núñez at third on aChristian Vázquez sacrifice bunt, followed by strikeouts of Leon and Betts (although the latter was likely a ball). In the bottom of the 15th, after an epic eight pitch at-bat, Muncy appeared to hit a walk-off home run down the right-field line, but the ball hooked foul. Eovaldi then proceeded to strike Muncy out on the next pitch. The game then churned on, with Eovaldi pitching 1-2-3 innings in the 15th, 16th and 17th. However, the Red Sox did not take advantage, and to lead off the bottom of the 18th, Muncy got the last laugh against Eovaldi, hitting a walk-off home run to left-center on Eovaldi's 97th pitch to win it for the Dodgers, 3–2, to cut their series deficit to 2–1. Eovaldi had just begun his seventh inning of relief.

At 18 innings and seven hours and 20 minutes, this contest became the longest World Series game by both innings and time, surpassing (in playing time) Game 3 of the2005 World Series, which lasted 14 innings and five hours and 41 minutes, and breaking the record (in innings) first set in Game 2 of the1916 World Series, when the Red Sox and Dodgers (then known as the Robins) played 14 innings.^[51] This has since been tied with Game 3 of the2025 World Series, also contested by the Dodgers and played at Dodger Stadium, which also lasted 18 innings, but played six hours and 39 minutes.Muncy tied the record for latest (18th inning) walk-off hit in postseason history, equallingChris Burke in Game 4 of the2005 National League Division Series.^[52] It was also the Dodgers' first game-winning World Series home run sinceKirk Gibson in Game 1 of the1988 World Series. The game took longer to play than the entire1939 World Series, which had seven hours and five minutes of total playing time over four games.^[53]

Until Game 1 of the2022 World Series, this was the last World Series game to go to extra innings. Until Game 2 of the2021 World Series, this was the last time a team won a World Series game in their home ballpark.

Following the longest game in World Series history, the Dodgers startedRich Hill whileEduardo Rodríguez made his first start of the postseason for the Red Sox. At 38 years old, Hill was the oldest player to start a World Series game since 39-year-oldTim Hudson started two games for theSan Francisco Giants in2014 and the oldest for the Dodgers sinceSal Maglie in1956.^[54] As he had pitched in relief in Game 3, Rodríguez became just the sixth pitcher in history to start a World Series game with zero days rest, and the first sinceFirpo Marberry of theWashington Senators in the1924 World Series.^[55] The Red Sox had intended to startNathan Eovaldi, but he needed rest after throwing 97 pitches in relief in Game 3.^[56] With nodesignated hitter, the Red Sox started an outfield ofAndrew Benintendi,Mookie Betts, andJ. D. Martinez, withJackie Bradley Jr. on the bench in place of Benintendi, who did not start the previous game.^[57]

The game was scoreless through the first five innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers loaded the bases against Rodríguez.David Freese was hit by a pitch to lead off, then pinch runnerKiké Hernández went to third onJustin Turner’s double. Rodriguez intentionally walkedManny Machado to load the bases.Cody Bellinger then hit an apparent double-play ground ball to first. Boston first basemanSteve Pearce forced out Hernández at home for the first out, but catcherChristian Vázquez’s throw to first got away for an error, which allowed Turner to score the first run and allowed Machado to advance to third. The next batter,Yasiel Puig, hit a three-run home run to end Rodriguez’s night and extend the lead to 4–0. In a fit of rage, Rodríguez slammed his glove down on the mound in frustration and was later pulled after pitching 52⁄3 innings, allowing the four runs on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. At that point, Red Sox aceChris Sale made an angry speech that fired up his teammates in the dugout.^[58] In the top of the seventh, after striking outEduardo Núñez with a runner on first, Hill was taken off the mound in favor of relieverRyan Madson, a decision by Roberts which was criticized by several including then-current PresidentDonald Trump.^[59]Mitch Moreland hit a three-run pinch-hit home run off of Madson to make it a one-run game. Hill was charged with one run in6+1⁄3 innings on one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts. Madson set a new World Series record by allowing seven inherited runners to score in the series.Steve Pearce hit a homer offKenley Jansen in the eighth inning. This was the second straight day Jansen allowed a game-tying home run in that inning.^[60]Jansen became just the second pitcher in World Series history to allow game-tying home runs in back-to-back games (Byung-hyun Kim for theArizona Diamondbacks in2001 was the other). In the top of the ninth, the Los Angeles bullpen collapsed.Dylan Floro retired Núñez to start the inning, but then gave up a double toBrock Holt, who was then driven in by a single bypinch hitterRafael Devers to give Boston their first lead of the game. After Floro retiredBlake Swihart, he intentionally walkedMookie Betts, thenAlex Wood gave up an infield single toAndrew Benintendi, loading the bases for Boston with two outs and leading to Wood getting relieved byKenta Maeda. Next, Pearce delivered the key blow for the Red Sox: a bases-clearing double to put them up, 8–4. They added another run whenXander Bogaerts drove in Pearce with a single. Maeda was finally able to send the game to the bottom of the ninth when he retired Núñez, who led off the inning. Hernández hit a two-run homer off ofCraig Kimbrel in the ninth to cut the lead to three. Kimbrel was able to get the last three outs and the Red Sox took a three games to one lead.^[61]

On October 28, Los Angeles became the first city to host an MLB,NFL (Rams),NBA (Clippers),NHL (Kings), andMLS (Galaxy) game all on the same day.^[62] Before the game,Magic Johnson andLarry Bird promoted the game, giving reminders that both Boston and Los Angeles were squaring off for a championship, though in the World Series for the first time; theBoston Celtics and theLos Angeles Lakers met in theNBA Finals 11 times since the Lakers moved from Minneapolis in 1960.^[63]

Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers,^[64] whileDavid Price started for the Red Sox.^[65] Price became the first pitcher to start World Series games no more than four days apart while also pitching in relief between those games sinceJack Billingham of theCincinnati Reds did so in the1972 World Series.^[66]Jackie Bradley Jr. again did not start in the outfield for Boston, but entered the game as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the ninth inning.^[67]

Both teams scored in the first inning. The Red Sox scored in the top of the inning after a one out single byAndrew Benintendi followed by a two-run home run bySteve Pearce.David Freese led off the bottom of the inning with a home run for the Dodgers. No one else scored until the sixth inning, whenMookie Betts hit a home run with one out and thenJ. D. Martinez hit a lead-off homer in the seventh to make it 4–1. Kershaw pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, with five strikeouts and no walks.^[68]In the eighth inning, Pearce hit another home run, this time off ofPedro Báez. Price pitched into the eighth, allowing only one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five. He became just the fifth pitcher to pitch 6+ innings and allow three or fewer hits in three straight postseason starts.^[69]Joe Kelly andChris Sale pitched the last two innings and both struck out the side, Sale getting Manny Machado to strike out for the last out, the Red Sox winning the game 5–1 and the title 4–1.^[70] Pearce won theWorld Series Most Valuable Player Award.^[71]

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

The World Series was televised nationally byFox for the 19th straight year.Joe Buck was theplay-by-play announcer, withJohn Smoltz as thecolor commentator.Ken Rosenthal andTom Verducci were the field reporters.^[128]Fox Deportes offered a Spanish-language feed, with Rolando Nichols providing play-by-play and Carlos Álvarez andEdgar Gonzalez doing color commentary.^[129]

Outside of the United States,MLB International carried the series with play-by-play byMatt Vasgersian and color commentary byBuck Martinez.^[129]

ESPN Radio broadcast all the World Series games in English for the 21st straight year as part ofMajor League Baseball on ESPN Radio.^[128]Dan Shulman called the play-by-play, withChris Singleton serving as color analyst andBuster Olney as field reporter.Marc Kestecher hosted the pre-game show with Olney andTim Kurkjian reporting.Jon Sciambi called the play-by-play for Game 5 due to Shulman developinglaryngitis.^[135]

ESPN Deportes Radio provided Spanish-language coverage of the Series.Eduardo Ortega called the play-by-play andOrlando Hernández, Renato Bermudez, and José Francisco Rivera served as analysts.^[136]

Locally, both teams'flagship radio stations broadcast the series with their regular announcers, which were simulcast overSiriusXM radio. In Los Angeles, the broadcast was onAM 570 LA Sports withCharley Steiner andRick Monday in English, onUnivision America 1020 withJaime Jarrín andJorge Jarrín in Spanish, and onRadio Korea 1540 AM in Korean. The Red Sox broadcast was onWEEI 93.7 FM in English withJoe Castiglione,Tim Neverett andLou Merloni, and in Spanish onWCCM 1490 AM withUri Berenguer.^{[137][138][139]}

The 2018 World Series was sponsored byYouTube TV, the second consecutive year that the service sponsored the series. This sponsorship included logo branding in-stadium and on official digital properties, on the field, as well as commercial inventory during Fox's telecasts of the games.^[140] As part of the agreement, YouTube TV would later sponsor the2019 World Series.^[2]

On the morning of October 31, the Red Sox celebration parade began at Fenway Park and made its way downtown to its final destination on Staniford Street.^[141][142] During the celebration, theWorld Series trophy sustained minor damage from a beer can thrown by a spectator; it was subsequently repaired.^[143]

An 80-minute documentary,2018 World Series: Damage Done, which was produced by MLB and narrated byUzo Aduba,^[144] was released on December 4.^[145]

On December 3, Red Sox presidentSam Kennedy announced that team accepted an invitation to visit theWhite House.^[146] Originally planned for February 15, 2019, the visit was postponed to May 9, 2019, due to the2018–19 United States federal government shutdown.^[147] Alex Cora announced that he would not attend, citing the administration's response toHurricane Maria in his nativePuerto Rico.^[148] On May 9, various team members along with ownerJohn W. Henry and president of baseball operationsDave Dombrowski visited the White House and met withPresident Trump.^[149][150]

The Red Sox became the first team to win two World Series exactly one century apart, as they had defeated theChicago Cubs in1918, while the Dodgers were the first MLB franchise since theTexas Rangers of2010 and2011 to lose back-to-back World Series, and for the second time of the Dodgers tenure inLos Angeles to do the same thing since1977 and1978 both against Boston's chief rivalNew York Yankees

Four months after the 2018 World Series, the Patriots wonSuper Bowl LIII, meaning theGreater Boston area celebrated multiple championships for the 2018 MLB and NFL seasons. Boston teams had also accomplished feat 14 years prior, when the Red Sox won the2004 World Series and the Patriots wonSuper Bowl XXXIX. Like the 2018 Red Sox, the2018 Patriots beat a Los Angeles team, theRams, in the championship game.

The 2018 World Series was the peak for the 2016–2018 Red Sox, who were the first Red Sox's teams in franchise history to win theAmerican League East (established in 1969) for three straight seasons.^[151] President of Baseball OperationsDave Dombrowski was fired on September 9, 2019, just 10 months after winning the 2018 World Series. On the field, Boston's top three starters in 2018 —Chris Sale,David Price, andNathan Eovaldi — all missed significant time due to injury in 2019. Overall, the Red Sox finished 19 games behind the AL East-leadingYankees in 2019. After the season, the team replaced Dombrowski withTampa Bay Rays executiveChaim Bloom.

Four significant events happened to the Red Sox before the start of the 2020 season that shaped the course of the team's future:

• On January 7, 2020, the Red Sox were implicated in another sign stealing scandal (the team had previously been fined in 2017 for sign stealing)^[152] after three unnamed team members toldThe Athletic that the Red Sox had used their replay room to steal signs of opposing teams during the2018 season.^[153] On January 13, 2020,Manfred stated that he would determine the appropriate punishment for Red Sox managerAlex Cora, who was also implicated in theAstros scandal, when the investigation was completed. The next day, Cora and the Red Sox mutually agreed to part ways and it was announced he would be suspended for the full season.^[154] Bench coachRon Roenicke was manager for the 2020 season. A few days after his season long suspension ended, Cora was re-hired as manager by the team.
• On February 10, 2020, the Red Sox tradedMookie Betts, David Price, and cash considerations (Boston continued to pay half of Price's contract) to theLos Angeles Dodgers in exchange forAlex Verdugo,Connor Wong, andJeter Downs. The trade was very unpopular among Red Sox fans, as Betts was seen as the Red Sox's best player and one of the biggest stars in baseball.^[155][156]
• On March 19, 2020, the team announced that Chris Sale neededTommy John surgery, effectively making him unable to pitch for all of2020 and half of2021.^[157]
• On April 22, 2020, the Red Sox were found guilty of stealing signs throughout the 2018 season through use of a replay room operator. The replay room operator, J.T. Watkins, was suspended throughout the 2020 season and barred from working in the replay room for the 2021 season. The Red Sox were also fined with the loss of a second-round draft pick during the2020 MLB draft.^[158]

The Red Sox later finished theCOVID-shortened 2020 season with a 24–36 record (.400winning percentage), which was their worst season since1965 in terms of win percentage.^[159] The team rebounded in 2021 and make it all the way to theALCS before eventually losing to the Houston Astros in six games.

Dombrowski later helped lead the Phillies to a World Series appearance as lead executive in2022. He was the first lead executive to make World Series appearances with four different teams, having done so with theFlorida Marlins in1997,Detroit Tigers in2006 and2012, and theBoston Red Sox in2018.^[160]

Rafael Devers was the final Red Sox player remaining from the 2018 championship team until he was traded to theSan Francisco Giants in June 2025.^[161]

Corey Seager returned to the Dodgers after being out for most of the 2018 season due to an elbow injury, whileManny Machado, who replaced him after the All-Star break, signed a record free agent contract with theSan Diego Padres.^[162] The2019 Dodgers broke the franchise record for wins at 106, but experienced October heartbreak once again by losing to eventual World ChampionWashington Nationals in theNLDS in five games. The Dodgers became the second franchise to lose to the eventual World Series champions in four consecutive postseasons (theNew York Yankees from 2001 to 2004 were the first).

The Dodgers traded forMookie Betts during the 2019–20 off-season and his addition made a great team even better. Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million contract with the Dodgers.David Price was also included in the trade, and he pitched with the Dodgers from 2020 until his retirement after the 2022 season when his contract expired. The2020 Dodgers held a (.717) winning percentage during the COVID-affected season, won their 8th straight division title, and won the2020 World Series—their first championship in 32 years—against the Rays. The Dodgers of2021 and2022 posted very strong regular season records, winning 106 and 111 games respectively, but both fell short of the World Series. The Dodgers won the World Series in2024, defeating Boston's chiefrival, theNew York Yankees, in five games. Thenext season, they successfully defended their championship by defeating theToronto Blue Jays in seven games, becoming the first repeat champions since the2000 Yankees.^[163]

Over the years, many 2018 Red Sox and Dodgers ended up playing for their World Series opponent. Along with Price, and Betts;Heath Hembree,Joe Kelly,Craig Kimbrel,J.D. Martinez, andRyan Brasier joined the Dodgers in the subsequent years after 2018. Meanwhile,Enrique "Kikè" Hernandez,Alex Verdugo,Rich Hill,Kenley Jansen,Justin Turner, andWalker Buehler later played for Boston. According to sportswriter John Tomase ofNBC Sports Boston, up to 25% of the Boston Red Sox’s 2023 projected Opening Day roster were players with direct ties to the Dodgers.^[164]

While most of the Dodgers' core players in 2018 later played for the World Series-winning team of 2020,Brian Dozier won his own World Series ring with the2019 Washington Nationals.

• 2018 Japan Series
• 2018 Korean Series

• Bird, Hayden (October 29, 2018)."9 weird and obscure stats from the Red Sox' World Series win".Boston.com. RetrievedOctober 29, 2018.
• Browne, Ian (October 23, 2018)."Pomeranz on, Workman, Wright off Sox roster".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 23, 2018.
• DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (October 23, 2018)."Yes, that was Bill Belichick doing the voiceover for FOX's World Series hype video".Boston.com. RetrievedOctober 24, 2018.
• Miller, Sam (October 29, 2018)."Red Sox starters won the World Series -- from the bullpen".ESPN. RetrievedOctober 29, 2018.
• Park, Do-Hyoung (October 21, 2018)."Fun facts about only other Red Sox-Dodgers WS".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 22, 2018.
• Rosenstein, Mike (October 25, 2018)."World Series 2018: Did Red Sox snub Curt Schilling on ceremonial 1st pitch?".NJ.com. RetrievedOctober 25, 2018.
• Simon, Andrew (October 20, 2018)."Teams that lost WS and returned the next year".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 20, 2018.
• Simon, Andrew; Randhawa, Manny (October 27, 2018)."18 amazing facts from marathon Game 3 of WS".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 27, 2018.
• Walker, Ben (October 20, 2018)."Dodgers-Red Sox: Rich histories, but little crossover".Boston.com.AP. RetrievedOctober 20, 2018.
• Yang, Nicole (October 27, 2018)."13 mind-boggling stats from the longest World Series game ever".Boston.com. RetrievedOctober 27, 2018.

• 2018 World Series atBaseball Almanac
• 2018 World Series atBaseball-Reference.com
• The 2018 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet

• World Series
• 2018 Major League Baseball season
• 2018 in sports in Massachusetts
• 2018 in sports in Los Angeles
• 2018 in Boston
• Baseball competitions in Boston
• Baseball competitions in Los Angeles
• Boston Red Sox postseason
• Los Angeles Dodgers postseason
• October 2018 sports events in the United States

• CS1 Korean-language sources (ko)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from October 2018
• Short description is different from Wikidata