Save $20 off your World Series ticket purchase by using code REDSOXPLAYOFFS at checkout!

For all the rich history surrounding both the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, you won’t find a lot of storylines involving the two teams together. When game one of the World Series gets underway, it will be the first time since 2016 that the teams have actually played each other. It will also be the first time that Fenway Park has hosted the Dodgers since 2010.

Despite a thin history between the two franchises, there are a few times throughout the years when they’ve met, and the matchup usually makes for some exciting baseball. Let’s take a look.

World Series Game Two – October 19, 1916

If you look up this game on Baseball Reference, you’ll notice that the Dodgers weren’t the Dodgers. Prior to 1930, the Dodgers were known as the Robins, along with a string of other names that never really stuck. This was during the period when the franchise was still in Brooklyn, where it was established back in 1883. As you likely know, the team stayed in New York State until 1958, when it became the first MLB team to ever play in Los Angeles.

Anyway, the first major matchup between the Sox and Dodgers was the 1916 World Series. In game two, a fantastic battle between the two went to 14 innings with the Sox winning 2-1 on a Del Gainer RBI single. Boston’s Babe Ruth pitched all 14 innings, allowing just one run on six hits.

The Red Sox would go on to win the World Series in five games.

Red Sox vs. Dodgers – June 12, 2004

The Los Angeles Dodgers have beaten the Red Sox in Boston just once since interleague play started back in 1997. This came in a 14-5 blowout back in the summer of 2004. The Dodgers made short work of starter Tim Wakefield, who gave up eight runs on 10 hits in just four innings, while starter Jeff Weaver got the win despite giving up five earned runs in five innings.

Here’s the fun storyline from that game: A then-28-year-old Alex Cora – first-year manager of the Red Sox – was on that Dodgers team and he drove in an RBI. Oh, and who was one of his teammates? Current LA manager Dave Roberts.

Exhibition Game – March 29, 2008

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers first game in Los Angeles, the two teams faced off at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in an exhibition game prior to the start of the regular season. This game was so significant because it set the all-time attendance record at 115,301, a record that is still upheld over a decade later.

Boston beat Los Angeles 7-4 in the stadium where the Dodgers spent the first four years playing on the West Coast.

Three Game Series – August 5-7, 2016

As mentioned before, the last time these two teams met was in the summer of 2016, during a three-game series in Dodger Stadium. The much anticipated series opened with a 9-0 win for Boston, where starter Steven Wright – who you’ll see in the bullpen during this World Series – pitched his first career shutout at the stadium just an hour north of where he grew up.

In the second game, the Dodgers flipped the script and shutout the Red Sox 3-0. LA’s first baseman Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while starter Ross Stripling pitched five shutout innings before handing things over to a bullpen rotation of Grant Dayton, Joe Blanton, and the always reliable closer Kenley Jansen.

Finally, game three offered an exciting matchup for fans of both teams, with the Dodgers taking the series victory with an 8-5 win. All but one run was scored in the middle of the game, as Los Angeles put up eight runs from the fourth to seventh innings, while Boston put up four in that same timeframe. Adrian Gonzalez had his second straight 3-for-4 outing and the LA bats made quick work of David Price, who went just five innings.

Interesting Facts About Red Sox v. Dodgers

*Fenway Park will host the first-ever World Series game featuring two minority managers. Alex Cora is Puerto Rican and Dave Roberts is half Japanese, half African-American.

*LA’s game one starter Clayton Kershaw has pitched in all but four MLB ballparks, one of which is Fenway

*Both teams rank in the top three in terms of payroll this season. Boston’s payroll sits at $230 million, while LA’s is around $200 million.

World Series action gets underway at 8:09 PM EST on Tuesday. If you’re looking for info on how to watch the game, check out our article from earlier this month. And, as always, browse your SeatGeek app for World Series tickets.

(Cropped image courtesy of Eric Kilby via Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0)