The 2018 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox begins Tuesday night, with Game 1 taking place at Fenway Park. The Dodgers, of course, won the NL by beating the Milwaukee Brewers in a seven-game series. The Red Sox had a relatively easier path to this point -- in quantity of games if not quality of opponent -- knocking off the Houston Astros in five games. This is a best-of-seven series, so the first team to four victories wins the series, the trophy, and the bragging rights.
The Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound and he will be opposed by another top southpaw in Chris Sale. Kershaw closed out the NLCS in relief. During the regular season, he had a 2.73 ERA and 5.34 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, Sale had a 2.11 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio near seven during the regular season. He dealt with a stomach ailment during the ALCS but appears back in good health to begin this series. These are two of the best players in the game to have never won a ring -- that's going to change with this series.
World Series Game 1: Dodgers vs. Red Sox
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 23
- Time: 8:09 p.m. ET
- Location: Fenway Park in Boston
- TV channel: Fox
- Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Red Sox -140
- Picks: Check SportsLine's MLB pick sheet for all your daily odds.
So who wins every playoff game? And which teams are a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get MLB Playoff picks from the proven model that simulates every game 10,000 times, and find out.
Storylines
Dodgers: For the Dodgers, they're trying to right a perceived wrong and win a title a fall after losing to the Houston Astros in seven games. The biggest question here is a tired one: How will Kershaw pitch? No matter how many gems he twirls, it feels like we're obligated to talk about his past postseason struggles until he wins a ring.
Red Sox: The Red Sox's big question is even more straightforward: Is Sale healthy? He says he is, and there's no real reason to doubt him. But the series could hinge in part on whether he's able to perform like his usual self. If not, this series could shift in the Dodgers' favor in a hurry.
Game prediction picks
We have the Red Sox winning the World Series. As such, we'll pick the Red Sox to open the series with a victory.
Pick: Red Sox
So who wins every playoff game? And which teams are a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to get MLB Playoff picks from the proven model that simulates every game 10,000 times, and find out.