- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
8 Red Sox connections to World Series
- Updated: October 24, 2016
There is no World Series in Boston this year, yet there are compelling Red Sox-centric storylines all over a Fall Classic that begins on Tuesday.
It’s hard to remember a World Series not involving the Red Sox that had so many key participants who once called Fenway Park home.
Here is a look at those who will be of interest to Boston viewers.
• World Series Game 1: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 ET game time on FOX
1. Another World Series run for Tito Watching Terry Francona celebrate October success in a visiting uniform at Fenway Park was a bit jarring to the fans he is still beloved by in Boston as his Indians swept the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. Francona’s legacy with the Red Sox is secure, as he helped bring the first two World Series championships to Boston since 1918. Now Francona — who managed the Red Sox for eight seasons — will put his 8-0 Fall Classic record to the test. That is already a managerial record for most World Series wins without a loss. Francona has pushed all the right buttons in recent weeks to help vault a Cleveland club that was viewed as the underdog when the postseason began.
2. Theo’s Chicago rebuild nearing history Theo Epstein grew up two miles from Fenway Park before living his dream of running Boston’s front office for nine years. Ultimately, Epstein decided he needed a new challenge, so he went to the Cubs to try to put an end to a championship drought even longer than the 86-year dry spell he helped end in Boston in 2004. Upon his arrival after the 2011 season, Epstein gutted the organization and set upon a rebuild centered on Draft picks.
If the Cubs can win it all for the first time since 1908, Epstein will probably be elected to the Hall of Fame at some point. His staff includes several faces who helped him in Boston, including general manager Jed Hoyer and senior vice president of player development and amateur scouting Jason McLeod.
3. Miller is the ultimate weapon When Epstein and Francona brought Andrew Miller to Boston in 2011, he was an underachieving starter who was perhaps a victim of his own hype after being selected sixth overall in the Draft by the Tigers five years earlier. …
