page_title: 2018 World Series
section_title: Game 1
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 World Series / Game summaries / Game 1
caption_attribution_description: English: Red Sox infielder Eduardo Núñez
context_page_description: The 2018 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2018 season. The 114th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League champion Boston Red Sox and the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox defeated the Dodgers in five games to win their fourth World Series title in 15 years dating back to 2004, 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 in five games in 1916. The series was sponsored by the Internet television service YouTube TV and officially known as the 2018 World Series presented by YouTube TV.
  The Series was televised in the United States on Fox. Steve Pearce won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, while Alex Cora became the fifth first-season manager and first manager from Puerto Rico to win the World Series. The Series was notable for its third game which lasted 18 innings, a World Series record.
  The 2018 World Series was the first since 2000 to feature two teams which had also reached the postseason in the prior year.
context_section_description: The Red Sox started Chris 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 since Cliff Lee did so in 2009 (for the Phillies) and 2010 (for the Rangers) and the first to do so for the same team since Dave Stewart pitched three consecutive Game 1s for the Oakland Athletics from 1988 to 1990. The Red Sox struck in the first inning when Mookie Betts singled, stole second and then scored on a hit by Andrew Benintendi, who subsequently scored on a single by J. D. Martinez. Boston benefited from Dodgers' first baseman David Freese missing a foul pop-up by Betts, and right fielder Yasiel Puig allowing Benintendi to advance to second base on a late throw to the plate. A homer by Matt Kemp in the second inning gave the Dodgers a run, and an RBI single by Manny Machado in the third inning tied the score, 2–2. In the bottom of the third, Steve Pearce grounded into a fielder's choice—which was called an inning-ending double play on the field, but overturned by video 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 plated Brian Dozier to even the score, 3–3.	
  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 when Xander Bogaerts grounded into a fielder's choice. A single by Rafael Devers off reliever Ryan 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 reliever Ryan Brasier and scored a run on a sacrifice fly by Machado. Eduardo Núñez hit a pinch-hit three run home run off Alex 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. Boston reliever Matt Barnes, who finished the fifth inning after relieving Sale, got the win, while Kershaw took the loss for Los Angeles.
caption: Eduardo Núñez hit a three-run home run for Boston in the seventh inning.
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