Red Sox vs Dodgers: Five key factors to watch in this World Series

These five factors could be the key to victory for the Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Dodgers when they square off in the 2018 World Series.

This is it! The big dance, the show, the one for all the marbles. It’s the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, two star-studded clubs pitted against each other with a World Series championship on the line.

The Dodgers have won the National League pennant 23 times while the Red Sox have won the American League pennant 14 times yet surprisingly these franchises haven’t met in the World Series in over a century. The last time was in 1916 when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and calling themselves the Robins. Babe Ruth tossed 13 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the five-game series won by the Red Sox. Fenway Park was still a shiny new ballpark considered too small to host World Series games, resulting in the home games in Boston being moved to Braves Field.

So, yeah, that was a long time ago. Much has changed since then but one theme that remains is the desire by both sides to be crowned champion. Both of these teams won their respective divisions and boast rosters overflowing with talent yet they each have obstacles to overcome in order to earn that World Series ring.

These five factors could swing the World Series for one of these teams, making them key concerns to keep an eye on.