Boston Red Sox: Unlikely heroes fuel 2018 World Series championship

The Boston Red Sox were a team full of stars, yet it was their underdogs that cemented the legacy of this championship team.

The Boston Red Sox had the highest payroll in baseball. They had MVP candidates and Cy Young winners. They had Gold Glovers and Silver Sluggers. But when the situations were the toughest, and the adversity was the greatest, it was the unlikely heroes who delivered.

This underdog mentality permeated throughout the season, but it became more prevalent in the postseason.

Jackie Bradley Jr., once cast off as an offensive contributor, had 9 RBI in the ALCS en route to his series MVP award. Joe Kelly, who many fans didn’t want on the playoff roster, finished the postseason with 13 Ks and a 0.79 ERA in 11.1 IP. Overnight, he basically became a cross between Christy Mathewson and a teenage heart throb.

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David Price, whose white whale was once postseason success, won his last three starts in the playoffs with a .156 BAA in the World Series. He also became the first pitcher in baseball history to achieve a series-clinching win against two fellow Cy Young winners in the same postseason, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander.

And who could forget Nathan Eovaldi?

Acquiring him in July wasn’t the sexiest move by Dave Dombrowski, but his performance in the playoffs was nothing short of extraordinary. The former injury-prone journeyman finished the 2018 playoffs with 22.1 IP, 16 K’s, a 1.61 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP in 6 appearances.

His six innings of relief pitching in Game 3 was one of the most inspiring performances in baseball history. All of this from a guy who had Tommy John surgery before he even went to college.

But alas, ’twas Steve Pearce, cut by the Orioles in 2014, who essentially became Babe Ruth in the last few days. His MVP performance once again culminated in a multi-home run game that took the wind right out of the opponent.

Pearce will forever be lamented in Dodgers lore, while establishing himself in Boston sports history as a clutch legend.

Throughout the Golden Age of New England sports, unlikely heroes have been at the cornerstone of the success; from Eddie House dropping threes against the Lakers to Gregory Campbell’s broken leg to Malcolm Butler’s ending interception.

However, it was the 2018 Boston Red Sox who personified this idea the most. While they may have had the highest payroll in all of baseball, it has been there underdogs that came through when it mattered most.

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For that, they should be celebrated as arguably the most dominant team in this near-two-decade run.

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