With the table set for the 2018 World Series, should Phillies fans be rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers or Boston Red Sox?
The 2018 World Series is now fully set with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers winning their respective pennants. Which team should Phillies fans be rooting for?
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are the team many fans will cheer on for one player only: Chase Utley. He has been in Los Angeles since 2015, making the playoffs four times with them. They made it all the way to Game Seven of the World Series last year before ultimately losing to the Astros. Now they are back in Utley’s final chance to win his second World Series ring.
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The Dodgers also feature former Phillie Ryan Madson, another integral (although less-beloved) member of the 2008 World Series roster. He won his second World Series with the Royals in 2015, but fans should still be pulling for him.
One player that could polarize the fan base is Manny Machado. He has drawn plenty of criticism this series with outsiders split about how his antics would affect his free agency.
If you don’t like Machado, you probably aren’t rooting for him to win the series.
Beyond individual players on the roster, there may be still some old grudges against Los Angeles from the 2008-09 seasons. Both years Philadelphia handled the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, but they were both chippy series, especially in 2008. Of course, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Utley, and Madson are some of the few players who are even left in the league from those series.
Not to mention, the Dodgers ended the folk hero story of Eric Kratz. The former Phils catcher somehow became a sensation among Brewers fans with his own fan section bearing jerseys from all the teams he played for. If you were truly rooting for Kratz, that would be another reason not to like the Dodgers.
Boston Red Sox
It’s unlikely anyone from Philadelphia is going to root for the Red Sox. We don’t exactly get along with any of the teams from there.
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One reason to like the Red Sox this year is the fact that they eliminated the Yankees from the postseason. The Yankees are so much higher up on the rivalry tree than the Red Sox to me, so I will always give a thumbs up to whoever eliminates them. Plus, it’s nice to see them not make it past the NLDS after shortchanging the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton.
Personally, I am just a huge fan of Chris Sale. He is so dominant on the mound and I love watching him embarrass whichever hitters are unlucky enough to face him. If that means the Red Sox win when he is on the mound, so be it.
The Red Sox lack the former Phillie appeal as they have no alumni on their roster. This makes it much harder to compete with the Dodgers, especially since they are a Boston team.
Verdict: Los Angeles
At the end of the day, it’s just impossible to ever root against Chase Utley. It almost feels like treason. The Red Sox are a fun team to be sure, but I just want to hear Utley scream “World ****ing Champions!” one more team, even if it’s not for Philadelphia.