Red Sox sweep Dodgers 8-4 in finale, spoiling Skubal's arrival in Los Angeles
Boston completed a three-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers with an 8-4 Sunday night win, hours after Los Angeles landed pitcher Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline.
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Sunday night to complete a three-game series sweep. Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs as Boston extended its run to eight consecutive series victories over the two-time defending champions.
The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of the two-time defending champions. Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs, continuing what has been described as an MVP-caliber season, as Boston stretched its run to eight consecutive series victories. The loss landed awkwardly for Los Angeles. According to reports, the Dodgers acquired pitcher Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, one day before the finale, and he made his debut with the club. The move was one of the headline deals of a trade deadline in which 17 teams were classified as buyers, 11 as sellers, and two as both. Boston was active too, reportedly adding catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles. The sweep matters because of what it says about both clubs. Boston now holds a strong position for the second American League wild card spot, while the Dodgers, despite their championship pedigree and the Skubal addition, were outplayed across an entire weekend.
Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4: Boston finishes the sweep on Sunday night
Boston closed out the weekend series with an 8-4 win over Los Angeles on Sunday night, completing a three-game sweep. The finale was played on Sunday Night Baseball, according to reports.
Ceddanne Rafaela drove the Boston offence again. He hit two home runs in the game, and reports indicate one of them extended his streak to a home run in a third consecutive game. Rafaela has been described as being in the midst of an MVP-caliber season, and his power display in the finale underlined that form.
Masataka Yoshida also homered in the victory, according to reports, as Boston's lineup piled pressure on the Dodgers' pitching from the early innings.
On the mound for Los Angeles, Emmet Sheehan endured a difficult night. Reports say he allowed five runs over 2⅔ innings, including three home runs in a span of four at-bats, before being removed. His short outing left the Dodgers chasing the game early, and they never recovered.
The finale followed two earlier Boston wins in the series. The scores and details of those first two games have not been reported, but the back-to-back victories secured the series before Sunday and extended Boston's run to eight consecutive series victories. The 8-4 result then turned a series win into a clean sweep.
The loss came at an awkward moment for Los Angeles. The club had acquired pitcher Tarik Skubal one day before the finale, according to reports, adding the two-time Cy Young Award winner to a team that entered the series as the reigning champion for two consecutive seasons. Skubal made his debut with the Dodgers around the series, reports say, though how he performed in that first appearance has not been described.
For Boston, the sweep over the defending champions capped a weekend in which its offence produced across all three games and its pitching held the Dodgers in check when it mattered.
A statement sweep against the two-time defending champions
The Dodgers came into the weekend carrying the heaviest label in baseball: reigning champions for two consecutive seasons, a club widely described as the two-time defending champions. That status framed everything about the series. Beating Los Angeles once would have been a useful result for Boston. Beating them three times in a row was something else entirely.
Boston recorded back-to-back wins to open the weekend, extending its run to eight consecutive series victories before Sunday's finale was even played. The sweep that followed turned a strong stretch into a statement. This was not a fringe contender scraping past a depleted opponent. It was a team with genuine postseason positioning — Boston held a strong spot for the second American League wild card after the trade deadline — dismantling the sport's standard-bearer over three games.
For the Dodgers, the series cuts the other way. A club that entered as champions for two straight years lost three consecutive games at the very moment it was supposed to be consolidating for another title defence. One weekend does not erase a championship pedigree, but being swept raises questions about form that a two-time champion would prefer not to face at this stage of the season.
For Boston, the trajectory points upward. Eight straight series victories, capped by a sweep of the champions, is the profile of a team whose ambitions have moved well beyond simply holding a wild card position. The weekend suggested the gap between the Red Sox and the game's elite may be narrower than the standings implied.
The Skubal trade that landed hours before the loss
The timing could hardly have been more dramatic. According to reports, the Dodgers' acquisition of Tarik Skubal was decided on Saturday night as the MLB trade deadline passed, landing the club a new starting pitcher just one day before Boston completed its sweep. Skubal, described in reports as a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is the kind of arm that reshapes a rotation, and reports indicate he made his Dodgers debut around the series. What Los Angeles surrendered to pry him loose from Detroit has not been disclosed.
The move was read immediately as a statement of intent from a club that entered the series as the reigning champion for two consecutive seasons. Reports suggest that in the wake of the acquisition, the Dodgers held a wide lead over the Yankees in World Series betting odds, a reflection of how heavily the market rated the addition.
The Dodgers were not the only club graded well for their deadline work. Assessments of all 30 teams' moves gave high marks to the Dodgers, Tigers and Red Sox alike, a rare alignment in which both sides of the Skubal deal came away praised. Across the league, the deadline sorted 17 teams as buyers, 11 as sellers and two as both.
None of it, however, could change what happened on the field hours later. The newest Dodger arrived to considerable fanfare, and Boston still left town with all three games.
Boston's deadline bet: Rutschman in, Rafaela surging
Boston did not arrive at this sweep by accident. The club entered the trade deadline holding a strong position for the second American League wild card spot, and its front office acted like a team intent on keeping it.
The headline move was behind the plate. The Baltimore Orioles reportedly traded catcher Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox, a significant addition for a club already playing its best baseball of the season. What Boston sent back to Baltimore in the deal has not been disclosed. Even without those details, the fit is clear: Rutschman gives the Red Sox an established everyday catcher as they push toward October.
Then there is Ceddanne Rafaela, who needed no acquisition because he was already here. Rafaela has been described as being in the midst of an MVP-caliber season, and he played like it against Los Angeles. He hit two home runs in one game as Boston secured the series, and reports indicate he homered in a third consecutive game during the sweep. According to those accounts, Masataka Yoshida also went deep in the finale.
The deadline assessments reflected well on Boston's work. The Red Sox were among the three clubs, alongside the Dodgers and Tigers, to receive high grades in evaluations of all 30 teams' deadline moves. Of those 30, 17 were classified as buyers, two as both buyers and sellers, and 11 as sellers. Boston bought, and the early returns have been emphatic.
Grading the deadline: 17 buyers, 11 sellers, and three teams at the top
Across Major League Baseball, assessments of all 30 teams' trade deadline moves sorted the league into 17 buyers, two clubs classified as both buyers and sellers, and 11 sellers. Among the buyers, three teams drew the strongest marks: the Dodgers, the Tigers and the Red Sox.
Los Angeles earned its high grade on the strength of the Skubal deal, while Boston's standing was bolstered by its own additions, including catcher Adley Rutschman, reportedly acquired from the Baltimore Orioles. Detroit rounded out the trio at the top of the evaluations.
Elsewhere, other contenders made notable moves of their own. The Philadelphia Phillies traded for Luis Arraez and Brooks Raley, according to reports, adding a proven bat and bullpen help to their roster. The Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, added pitcher Kevin Gausman, reports said, reinforcing their rotation for the stretch run.
The split between 17 buyers and 11 sellers reflected a deadline in which most of the league saw reason to push for a postseason place rather than retreat, with only a small minority choosing to offload talent.
What the sweep means for the rest of Boston's 2026 season
The sweep arrives at a useful moment in Boston's 2026 campaign, the 126th season in franchise history and the club's 115th at Fenway Park. That season began on the road against the Cincinnati Reds on March 26, and it is scheduled to end at home against the Chicago Cubs on September 27. Between those bookends, Boston has put itself in a strong position for the second American League wild card spot, and the deadline additions have only strengthened the case that this club intends to play into October.
Some questions around this series remain open. The exact calendar dates of the three games against Los Angeles have not been confirmed, and how Tarik Skubal performed in his Dodgers debut has not been detailed in available reporting. What is clear is the trajectory: a team that opened its season in Cincinnati now controls its own path toward a postseason berth, with the schedule's final chapter set for Fenway in late September.
Red Sox open 2026 season
Skubal destination decided as deadline passes
Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal
Boston wins first two games for eighth straight series victory
Red Sox beat Dodgers 8-4 to complete sweep
Red Sox scheduled to close regular season vs. Cubs
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Dodgers vs Red Sox series?
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Sunday night to complete a three-game series sweep. The finale was played on Sunday Night Baseball, according to reports. Boston had already won the first two games of the weekend series, extending its run to eight consecutive series victories. The Dodgers entered the series as the reigning champions for two consecutive seasons.
How did Ceddanne Rafaela play against the Dodgers?
Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs in one game as Boston secured the series victory, and reports say he homered in his third consecutive game during the win. He has been described as being in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. Reports also credit Masataka Yoshida with a home run in the victory over the Dodgers.
Did the Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal?
The Dodgers acquired pitcher Tarik Skubal, reportedly a two-time Cy Young Award winner, with his destination decided on Saturday night as the MLB trade deadline passed, according to reports. He made his debut with the team, though how he performed is not described. Reports say the Dodgers held a wide lead over the Yankees in World Series betting odds following the acquisition.
What did the Red Sox do at the trade deadline?
Boston reportedly acquired catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles around the trade deadline. What the Red Sox gave up in return is not stated. After the deadline, Boston held a strong position for the second American League wild card spot. The Red Sox, Dodgers and Tigers all received high grades in assessments of all 30 teams' deadline moves.
How many MLB teams were buyers at the trade deadline?
Of the 30 teams assessed, 17 were classified as buyers, two as both buyers and sellers, and 11 as sellers. The Dodgers, Tigers and Red Sox received high grades for their moves. Other reported deals included the Phillies trading for Luis Arraez and Brooks Raley, and the Cubs adding pitcher Kevin Gausman.
Compiled from reporting by 7 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
