Path to the World Series — Boston Red Sox

After winning an MLB-high 108 games during the regular season, the Red Sox earned the top seed in the American League playoffs. Without much trouble, they were able to defeat the rival Yankees in the ALDS and the reigning champion Astros in the ALCS to advance to the 2018 World Series. Here's a look at how the Red Sox got this far.

Hire Alex Cora as manager
Boston moved on from John Farrell after the loss in the ALDS last year, hiring former Astros bench coach Alex Cora in late October. A former MLB infielder, Cora had only one year as a coach in the majors but was previously the general manager of the Puerto Rico national team. His youth and energy have been welcomed in Boston this year.

Sign J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110 million contract
Even after putting together a career year with Detroit and Arizona last season with 45 home runs, Martinez was left in free agency waiting for a better offer before finally "settling" for a $110 million contract with Boston in late February. He proceeded to produce MVP-level numbers, hitting .330-43-130 during the regular season. Martinez is also 10-for-32 with two home runs and nine RBI this postseason.

Designate Hanley Ramirez for assignment and roll with Mitch Moreland
Led by Cora, the Red Sox made a bold move in late May when they designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment despite more than $15 million remaining on his contract. At age 34, Ramirez was hitting .254/.313/.395 at the time, but the team preferred to get Mitch Moreland into the lineup regularly, along with his Gold Glove defense at first base. Moreland had a terrific first half, hitting .278-11-46 with an .853 OPS.

Acquire Steve Pearce from the Blue Jays
Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski made an under-the-radar acquisition of Steve Pearce on June 28 that has ended up paying huge dividends. Pearce hit .279-7-26 with a .901 OPS following the trade and has played regularly at first base late in the year and into the playoffs due to Moreland's struggles. Formerly a platoon player, Pearce is 7-for-26 with one homer during the postseason.

Sweep Yankees in early August
At the conclusion of July, Boston held a 5.5 game lead in the AL East with a four-game series vs. the Yankees at Fenway Park to start August. The BoSox were able to make a huge statement, sweeping New York to take a commanding lead in the division. The Red Sox never looked back, winning the division by eight games.

Mookie Betts hits for the cycle
Despite an 8-5 loss at Toronto on Aug. 9, Red Sox star Mookie Betts hit for the cycle for the first time in his career. It was just another feather in the cap of who is likely the AL MVP after hitting .346-32-80 with a 1.078 OPS this season.

Acquire Nathan Eovaldi from the Rays
Needing some rotation help due to injuries, Boston acquired Nathan Eovaldi from Tampa Bay for prospect Jalen Beeks on July 25. Eovaldi was far from perfect since being acquired, but he finished the regular season with a 3.33 ERA and 48/12 K/BB in 54 innings in Boston. Eovaldi has come up even bigger in his first ever playoffs, now 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in three appearances over 14.1 innings.

Clinch AL East on Sept. 20
After sweeping the Yankees in early August, winning the AL East just seemed like a formality. Boston cruised the rest of the way and finally clinched the division more than a week before the season ended. Despite that, they picked up the intensity when the playoffs started.

Defeat Yankees 3-1 in ALDS
What looked like a tough series on paper wasn't much of one when the ALDS was finished. The Red Sox dominated the Yankees again, winning the series in four games and outscoring their rivals 27-14 with the help of a 16-1 win in Game 3.

Defeat Astros 4-1 in ALCS
Boston lost Game 1 of the ALCS at home to Justin Verlander, and ace Chris Sale spent time in the hospital during the series with a stomach illness. Still, Boston went on to win four games in a row, including three games at Houston. The ALCS wasn't without controversy, including a fan interference call that prevented an Astros home run in Game 4, but Boston had a relatively easy time defeating the reigning champs.