Boston Red Sox: These 3 players are key to World Series triumph
By Gio Rivera
Mookie Betts
Well let’s put aside the defensive excellence that is Mookie Betts in the outfield.
Pretty difficult to do right?
Can’t blame you. Almost robbing Jose Altuve which would’ve gone down in history as one of the greatest all-time Boston Red Sox postseason moments. Then throwing out Astros outfielder, Tony Kemp as he tried to stretch out a double.
Again, the defensive greatness is undeniable from Betts. However the bat hasn’t been there for the Red Sox.
Throughout the entire postseason, Mookie Betts is batting just .205 with just 3 runs batted in. That ranks Mookie ninth among Red Sox hitters with at least 20 or more post-season at bats. Boston as a team have also hit nine home-runs, not one coming off the bat of Betts.
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This is his third post-season stint and he is yet to have hit his first career playoff homer. Now I’m not here to discredit him simply for not hitting a home run. Nonetheless it’s remained a fairly quiet offensive postseason for Betts overall. We can look back to the ALDS series against New York. There haven’t been any moments at the plate that nearly live up to Betts’ contribution in the outfield.
When entering the World Series matchup, that’s gonna need to change. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff enter this series with a post-season ERA of 2.79. That ranks LA third among all 2018 MLB playoff contending teams.
This offense is gonna need to show up and get to the Dodgers arms. A staff that’s had opponents hit .270 which is the second best this postseason. So point blank, the Dodgers pitching is no joke to overlook.