These Bets From Red Sox 2013 World Series Run Made Money

The betting market wasn’t high on the 2013 Boston Red Sox, which meant there was prime opportunity for profit during their World Series run.

The Red Sox were 28-1 to win the World Series after opening at 40-1, according to Sports Odds History. There were only five teams since 1985 that had longer preseason odds. This meant a $100 bet would have paid out $2,900.

Boston also was a long shot to win the division. It had +650 odds to win the American League East heading into the 2013 season — only the Baltimore Orioles had worse odds at +850. This meant a $100 bet would have paid out $750. The odds jumped to +200 a month into the season, so if you were late to bet on Boston, you lost out on $450 of potential profit.

The Red Sox opened at 20-1 to win the AL pennant in December, and those odds shortened to 15-1 before the start of the season. When May came around, they were 6-1 to win the pennant.

The Red Sox had +100 odds to go over their set 83-win total. Boston comfortably hit the over with 97 wins. Those who bet the under at -130 looked foolish taking a bet at that amount of juice.

David Ortiz unsurprisingly was the favorite to win World Series MVP at +750, according to Bovada via SB Nation. Dustin Pedroia had the second-shortest odds at +800. After a break of St. Louis Cardinals players, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester had 12-1 odds to win World Series MVP. AL Championship Series MVP Koji Uehara had 15-1 odds.

Ortiz won the award after batting .688/.760/1.188 in six games with two home runs and six RBIs. A $100 bet on “Big Papi” would have paid out $850.

The 2013 season was a memorable and inspirational one for the players and Boston fans, and it was an example of why being early on a team always pays more than waiting it out.