From beginning to end, it was clear. Fenway Park was filled to the brim as the Boston Red Sox dominated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 in Game 1 of the MLB World Series.

It was clear that it just wasn’t the Cardinals’ day. They finished the night with 3 errors, two committed by shortstop Pete Kozma. These key mistakes allowed the Red Sox to come out to a fast 5-0 lead after just the second inning. Injury was literally added to insult, as Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran was forced to leave the game and go to the hospital after robbing Red Sox Designated Hitter David Ortiz of a grand slam. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright was negatively affected by these errors and injuries, which resulted in a loss for him, complete with three earned runs in only five innings. The singular Cardinal run came from a ninth inning Matt Holiday home run, which was essentially inconsequential to the outcome of the contest.

Not only were the Cardinals struggling on the national stage, but the Red Sox were absolutely thriving under the pressure. Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester delivered a stunning performance, allowing the Sox’s lead to remain unchanged. Ortiz and first baseman Mike Napoli combined for 6 of the 8 Sox RBI’s in a dominant hitting performance as well, demonstrating just how dangerous the middle of the Boston lineup can be, especially with a home crowd cheering them on. Overall, everyone in the Red Sox lineup besides Shane Victorino contributed precisely when they were needed to in their own unique ways, from scoring a run off of a walk or a clutch single to drive in a run or two.

Analysis

Clearly, the performance of the Cardinals in Game 1 should be troubling to their fan base. With their win, the Red Sox have been undefeated in World Series games leading back to 2004, when the Red Sox swept the Cards in four games to complete a Cinderella season for Boston. However, there are some bright spots in this mess of a game for St. Louis; many of the mistakes that the Cardinals made were in the first third of the game. If there can correct their mistakes and start the game off on a better foot, they will have a much better chance at success.

One thing that the Cardinals must do, however, is find a way to win a game at Fenway. The Sox have been absolutely dominant at home this year and much better, to be honest; since they host 4 out of the 7 games, St. Louis needs to find a way to win at least one of these games.

Besides this, the Cardinals will benefit from more consistent starting pitching and really need their defense to perform like the group of Gold Glove recipients that they are. While it isn’t encouraging, the Cardinals still have a chance in the World Series as long as they can put this horrific game behind them.