America’s favorite pastime, baseball, has once again been sparked to life by the recent World Series featuring the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The games in the series ranged from competitive scores like 4-2 and even included an 18-inning adventure, which ended at 3:30 am Eastern time. Throughout the week, fans watched each game attentively, searching and hoping for a breakthrough for their respective team. In the end, the Red Sox took the series 4-1 in a captivating end to the season. Let’s break down each game one at a time.

Game One, 10/23 was a tight contest, featuring star pitchers Chris Sale of the Red Sox and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. In the first inning alone, the Dodgers let in two runs, almost foreshadowing their tumultuous defeat. To their good fortune, they came back scoring two more runs in the next two innings, decreasing the score gap to just one, at a score of 3-2. Throughout the match, both teams played well, in the seventh inning, the Red Sox up 5-4, an unexpected hero came to shine. Playing in his first World Series game, 2nd baseman, Eduardo Núñez of the Red Sox walked up to the batter’s box and smashed a three-run homer, solidifying the win for the Red Sox. Many teammates regarded Núñez as the hero of the contest. After the game, Núñez said, “…I don’t care about being the hero. As long as we get the win, that’s all that matters.” Game one overall was a competitive game, but with the help of Nunez’s three run homer and proficient pitching, the Red Sox, came out on top.

Game Two, 10/24 was another interesting game, with the Dodgers once again experiencing trouble with scoring in the first few innings. The Red Sox leaped out to a one run lead after the first three innings. However, during the fourth inning, Dodgers’ batters Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig both hit an RBI, driving in two runs to take the lead, 2-1. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, this lead lasted only one inning and in the fifth despite having two outs, the Dodgers let in three runs, losing the lead and eventually losing the game 4-2.

Speaking about their 2-0 record at the time, manager Alex Cora of the Red Sox said after the game, “At least we know, if things don’t go well in LA, we’re coming back.” This attitude proved vital to the Red Sox’s eventual 4-1 World Series win.

Game Three, 10/26 was the longest game in World Series history. Eighteen innings of back and forth baseball wore out both teams, but in the end the Dodgers got the win with Max Muncy scoring a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 18th. Both teams displayed grit and played well, the Red Sox getting seven hits and the Dodgers getting 11. Eventually, nerves took a toll on both teams and they each committed one error but this didn’t faze Max Muncy of the Dodgers. Just around 3:30 am Boston time, Muncy decided to send LA fans home with a sense of confidence by hitting the heroic walk-off home run.

Game Four, 10/27 presented an even match-up between the teams. Unlike past games, the Dodgers managed to take a solid lead, scoring four runs in the sixth inning. One inning later though, the Red Sox fought back to score three runs, cutting into the Dodgers lead. To tie it up, Red Sox DH Steve Pearce, hit a one run homer, eliminating the Dodger lead. The ninth inning proved to be nerve wracking on both sides of the field. But, the Red Sox were able to answer the call to action by scoring five runs and putting the Dodgers on their back. In the end, the Dodgers only managed to wheel in two runs, handing the win, 9-6, to the Red Sox.

Game Five, 10/28 was the end of the road for the Dodgers and Red Sox. They each had come so far to earn their spot in the World Series, but only one team could be victorious. Throughout the series, the Red Sox showed that they could handedly beat their opponents and this game was no different. Winning by a score of 5-1, the Red Sox capped off one of the most dominant seasons, with a total of 119 wins(Only two other teams in history had more wins, the ‘98 Yankees and ‘01 Mariners), that a team has displayed in the history of the MLB.