Let's play ball.
The venue is ready, the teams are set, and now the rosters are solidified. All that's left for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox is to play ball and allow the chips to fall where they may and a champion will rise.
The final piece of the postseason puzzle was announced on Tuesday morning ahead of Game 1 of the World Series when both teams released their 25-man rosters to the public.
As they've done all postseason, the Dodgers went with 12 pitches and 13 position players. For the most part, they stood pat in how they constructed the team that will face the Red Sox in a best-of-seven series.
All 13 position players remain the same, with the Dodgers having the luxury of being deep enough to essentially assemble two different teams: one against a left-handed starter, and one against a right-handed starter.
As they did before their NL Championship Series with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers made one move on the pitching side, switching out left-handed reliever Scott Alexander for another left-handed reliever in Julio Urias.
Alexander is back on the roster for the World Series, presumably ready and rested after a 10-day reprieve. However, Urias did not come off the roster. The 22-year-old remained on the team and rookie southpaw Caleb Ferguson came off theroster.
Alexander hasn't pitched since Game 3 of the NLDS, when he pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the Atlanta Braves.
The move to leave Ferguson off the roster is a surprising one to some, as the 22-year-old has been outstanding out of the bullpen in 2018, finishing the season 7-1, with a 2.35 ERA in 26 appearances.
Ferguson pitched in four games during the NLCS against the Brewers and retired four of the five batters he faced. However, his velocity started to decrease in that series and it's possible, with Ferguson playing longer and deeper into the season than he ever has before, that the front office thought it was time for a more fresh arm.
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Meanwhile, the Red Sox also made one change to their roster, adding left-hander Drew Pomeranz to the 25-man roster in place of Brandon Workman. The Dodgers are familiar with Pomeranz from his days as a starting pitcher with the San Diego Padres, but he has not pitched since September 30.
Game 1 will feature Clayton Kershaw against Chris Sale at 5:09PM PT on FOX.
