McAdam: Five Things to Know About the NL champion Dodgers

There will no reunion with Travis Shaw anytime soon for the Red Sox. Instead, they've drawn the Los Angeles Dodgers as their World Series opponent, with Game 1 set for Tuesday night at Fenway.

The Dodgers and Red Sox last met in the World Series in 1916 - when the Dodgers were known as the Robins -- and the Dodgers have only been to Fenway Park twice since interleague play began, with the last visit coming back in 2010. LA's Game 1 starter, Clayton Kershaw, has been in big leagues for 11 seasons, won three Cy Young Awards -- and has never pitched at Fenway.

While the Sox wait for the Dodgers to arrive, here are five things to know about the Dodgers:

1. They lean lefty with their pitching staff

The Dodgers had seven pitchers who made at least 15 starts in 2018 -- and four of them were lefthanded, including three of the top four starters in innings pitched. In addition to Kershaw, there's Alex Wood, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Wood and Ryu could each pitch out of the bullpen in the World Series, especially if the Dodgers want to use some of their righties (Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Walker Buehler) in Fenway.

The number of lefties could impact the Red Sox lineup choices, with Steve Pearce getting the call more often at first over Mitch Moreland, while increasing playing time for Ian Kinsler (at second) and Eduardo Nunez (third base).

2. They had to fight to get here

Unlike the Red Sox, who never fell out of first place in their division after July and were more than two games out of first place for the entire season, the Dodgers found themselves having to repeatedly dig out of holes.

While the Red Sox never lost more than three games in a row all season, the Dodgers had a four-game losing streak ... in the first full week of the season.

The Dodgers found themselves 10 games under .500 in late May. As recently as September, they were in third place in their own division and they needed to win Game 163 to win the West.

3. They're playoff tested

When the Dodgers beat the Brewers in Game 7 of the NLCS, it clinched their second straight National League pennant. Before this, the Dodgers haven't won back-to-back pennants since 1977-78.

This also marked their third straight trip to the NLCS and Tuesday will, of course, mean their second World Series trip in a row. In fact, the Dodgers have reached the postseason in each of the last six seasons, dating back to 2013.

What they haven't done, however, is win it all. Last year was the first time the Dodgers had even reached the World Series since 1988. That was the last time the Dodgers won the World Series and their 30-year championship drought is one of the longest in franchise history.

Since the Dodgers last won a title, 17 different teams have, including two (Arizona and Miami/Florida) that didn't exist when the Dodgers last were crowned champions.

4. They have Boston connections

Los Angeles starter Rich Hill is a native of Milton and had two different stints with the Red Sox -- from 2010-2012, and again, briefly, in 2015, when he used four strong September starts to earn himself a second career in the majors.

Third base coach Chris Woodward was a member of the Red Sox in 2009, for about, oh, seven minutes. (OK, it was a little longer -- he appeared in 13 games with 16 plate appearances).

Josh Byrnes, the team's senior vice president of baseball operations, was Theo Epstein's assistant GM with the Red Sox from 2003-2005 before moving on.

And you might recall that manager Dave Roberts played a rather significant role in Red Sox history with his steal of second base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.

5. They're incredibly versatile

In general, National League teams are by necessity more flexible. The number of pinch-hitting opportunities and double-switches require a bench in which players can handle multiple positions.

But the Dodgers have a number of regular position players who move around.

Shortstop Manny Machado, of course, played mostly third base in his career with the Orioles. Catcher Austin Barnes played 19 games at second base. Cody Bellinger was nearly evenly split between center field and first base. Enrique Hernandez played at every position on the field (including pitcher) - except catcher. Max Muncy played three different infield positions.

"I can't remember the last game when I played just one position,'' said Chris Taylor, who is frequently shuttled between the middle infield and the outfield.

That roster versatility will come in especially helpful for the three games in L.A., where the DH will not be in use and Roberts will have lots of options when it comes to hitting for his pitchers or double-switching.