The Red Sox and Dodgers only faced off once before in a World Series (1916 when the Dodgers were the Brooklyn Robins), but there's still plenty of history between the two franchises.
Let's face it: Milwaukee is a great team, but Red Sox vs Brewers wouldn't have been nearly as appetizing. As much as we all love the underdog (the Brewers have never won a World Series), this is a marquee matchup between two heavyweight, big-market ballclubs that have had countless connections over the years.
Here are some Red Sox-Dodgers storylines you're guaranteed to hear all about on the TV broadcast throughout the World Series. . .
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played for the Red Sox
Dave Roberts helped the Red Sox reach and eventually win the World Series 14 years ago with "The Steal." Now, he'll look to prevent Boston from taking home another championship.
2004 was Roberts' lone season with the Red Sox. He was traded to Boston in the middle of the '04 season from, you guessed it, the Dodgers.
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora played for the Dodgers
Alex Cora spent the first seven seasons of his playing career as a middle-infielder for Los Angeles. After a brief 49-game stint with the Indians in 2005, Cora spent the rest of the '05 season in Boston and served as a slick-fielding utility infielder for the Red Sox through the 2008 season.
Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill played for the Red Sox, is from Milton, MA
Rich Hill was born in raised in Milton, MA. That's sure to be a topic mentioned a number of times throughout the series, especially if the 38-year-old takes the mound at Fenway Park. Making things even more interesting is he has plenty of experience toeing the Fenway rubber. Hill spent three stints in Boston (2010-12, 2014, 2015) before revitalizing his career with the Athletics, and then the Dodgers.
The Manny Ramirez trade
After helping the Red Sox to two World Series titles (2004, 2007), Manny Ramirez's time in Boston came to an unfortunate end. Ramirez was dealt to L.A. at the 2008 trade deadline after things soured between him and the organization. The Red Sox received Jason Bay from the Pirates in the three-way deal. Manny went on to hit .396 for the rest of the '08 season with the Dodgers with 17 home runs in 53 games. He played in Los Angeles until 2010.
The Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Carl Crawford trade
When you think of big trades in Red Sox history, there's the Nomar Garciaparra deal, and then there's this one. Boston dumped an enormous amount of salary onto the Dodgers by trading Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for James Loney, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Jerry Sands, and Iván De Jesús. While none of those players panned out with the Red Sox, the salary dump was enough to make the trade worth it. L.A. agreed to cover $258 million of the $270 million owed to the players they received.
MORE WORLD SERIES COVERAGE
- A look at the potential pitching matchups
- Sale slated to start Game 1
- 15 things to know about the Dodgers
- Julian Edelman: 'I hate the Dodgers'
- Cora smirks about Sale's belly button issue
- Kinsler, Moreland after World Series heartbreak: 'Let's cap it off this time'
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