SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Boston Red Sox visited and outscored the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-runs-1 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1385 victory. With the series 1385 win, the Boston Red Sox improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 13-9 (with an active four-series winning streak) overall and 8-4 (with an active four-Finals winning streak) in the Finals round. With the series 1385 loss, the Los Angeles Dodgers see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 8-11 overall and 5-6 in the Finals round. The win order for the victorious Boston Red Sox in series 1385 was WWLWW: Series 1385 thus becomes the ninth MLB Finals-round series, the 16th MLB series (all rounds), and the 123rd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion.

After Game 4: The Boston Red Sox visited and topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-runs-6 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1385 lead of 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Red Sox have a series record of 5-0 and a Game 5 record of 3-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 0-5 and a Game 5 record of 2-3. The visiting Boston Red Sox trailed the host Los Angeles Dodgers by four runs after six full innings, but won series 1385 Game 4. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff games, road teams trailing by four runs after six full innings had a game record of 1-68 (.014). The only previous road team to trail a best-of-7 MLB playoff game by four runs after six full innings but win: The Toronto Blue Jays in series 650, with a 15-runs-14 victory in Philadelphia over the Phillies in 1993 MLB Finals Game 4, twenty-five years ago. Boston leads series 1385 through a win-site order of WWLW @ HHVV: Only once in the history of best-of-7 MLB Finals has a team leading WWLW @ HHVV lost the series - in series 123, the Milwaukee Braves led the New York Yankees in such manner, but lost Game 5 in New York and Games 6-7 in Milwaukee to lose the 1958 MLB Finals.

After Game 3: The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted and topped the Boston Red Sox 3-runs-2 in 18 innings to drop the Boston Red Sox best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1385 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Boston Red Sox have a series record of 6-2 and a Game 4 record of 5-3. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 4-6 and a Game 4 record of 5-5. Series 1385 Game 3 becomes the longest (by innings) best-of-7 MLB Finals game ever, surpassing the 14-inning games in series 12 Game 2 (when the Boston Red Sox hosted and defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-runs-1 in the 1916 MLB Finals), series 956 Game 3 (when the Chicago White Sox visited and outlasted the Houston Astros 7-runs-5 in the 2005 MLB Finals), and series 1286 Game 1 (in which the Kansas City Royals hosted and topped the New York Mets 5-runs-4 in the 2015 MLB Finals).

After Game 2: The Boston Red Sox hosted and topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-runs-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1385 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a series record of 3-1 and a Game 3 record of 2-2. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 2-3 and a Game 3 record of 4-1. The sole best-of-7 MLB playoff series loss by the Boston Red Sox in the wake of a 2-games-nil lead occurred in series 475, in which Boston fell to the New York Mets in seven games in the 1986 MLB Finals. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, teams winning Game 1 by four runs and Game 2 by two runs have a 2-0 series record (previous winners: the New York Yankees in series 96 [1953 MLB Finals]; the Toronto Blue Jays in series 648 [1993 MLB Semifinals]).

After Game 1: The Boston Red Sox hosted and bested the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-runs-4 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1385 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Red Sox have a series record of 7-5 and a Game 2 record of 4-8. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a series record of 5-7 and a Game 2 record of 7-5. In the history of best-of-7 MLB playoff series, home teams winning Game 1 by four runs (as Boston did in series 1385 Game 1) have a 7-2 series record overall and a 4-1 MLB Finals series record. The only previous best-of-7 MLB playoff Game 1 to end in an 8-runs-4 score was series 1318 Game 1, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Cubs in Chicago in the 2016 MLB Semifinals, and would proceed to lose that series in six games.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2018 MLB regular season, the Boston Red Sox finished 16.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1385 is the first in which an MLB team led its opponent by 16.5 regular-season games. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1385 is the 22nd best-of-7 MLB playoff series for the Boston Red Sox, and the 19th for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the Boston Red Sox have an all-rounds series record of 12-9, a Finals-round series record of 7-4, and a Game 1 record of 12-9, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have an all-rounds series record of 8-10, a Finals-round series record of 5-5, and a Game 1 record of 6-12. Series 1385 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series meeting between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Boston Red Sox did defeat the predecessor entity of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brooklyn Dodgers, in series 12 (the 1916 MLB Finals).