BOSTON -- Two wins away and it almost seems inevitable at this point. I picked the Red Sox to win this series in five games and I think now it's a bad pick. I think they are going to sweep the Dodgers. The same Dodgers who played at a 103-win pace after a miserable and injury-riddled 42-game start to the season. The same Dodgers who won 104 games in 2017.
If the Red Sox win this series -- especially if they sweep -- this is the greatest Red Sox team of all time.
They've already broken their record for regular-season wins and they are cutting through an unprecedented group of talented teams in the playoffs. They dispatched the 100-win Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS. They won four straight to eliminate the 103-win defending champion Astros 4-1 in the ALCS.
The Red Sox have that whole 86-year drought and faux-curse thing, but to be the best team in the history of this storied franchise is something. It has been around since 1901. There are 24 playoff appearances, 13 pennants and eight World Series championships.
Let's compare the World Series championship seasons.
| Year | W-L | W% | Run Diff. | Playoff W-L | Playoff Run Diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 108-54 | .667 | +229 | 9-2 (so far) | +27 |
2013 | 97-65 | .599 | +197 | 11-5 | +28 |
2007 | 96-66 | .593 | +210 | 11-3 | +53 |
2004 | 98-64 | .605 | +181 | 11-3 | +21 |
1918 | 75-51 | .595 | +94 | 4-2 | -1 |
1916 | 91-63 | .591 | +70 | 4-1 | +8 |
1915 | 101-50 | .669 | +170 | 4-1 | +2 |
1912 | 105-47 | .691 | +255 | 4-3-1 | -6 |
1903 | 91-47 | .659 | +204 | 5-3 | +15 |
Perhaps an argument could be made for the 1912 group, but that non-integration era in which gambling was problematic is tough for me to put on par with this game.
This Red Sox team has a top-notch Cy Young contender who started the All-Star Game. It has one of the best closers of his generation who might eventually get in the Hall of Fame conversation. There are two legitimate MVP candidates and a whole lot of other very good or even great players on the roster. The first-year manager seems to be pulling every lever at the perfect time while also staying out of the way and letting his guys do their thing.
It's exciting. There's power. There's speed with quality base-running. The outfield defense is among the best you'll see, especially in terms of range (they basically have three center fielders).
They are just loaded.
Look, the 2004 Red Sox will forever be that team in Boston, and rightfully so. It took a special group in that clubhouse to not only put aside all the off-field baggage they never asked for, but also to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS to take down the mighty Yankees. That doesn't mean that was the best team. Assuming this current group can win two more games before it loses four, the 2018 Red Sox are the best team in franchise history.
