Five things you need to know before Dodgers vs. Red Sox on Sunday

Two of MLB’s most iconic teams face off this Sunday as Bases Covered Live returns to your screens at 6:30 p.m. BST on BBC and BBC iPlayer. But before Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers head to Fenway Park, here are five things you need to know.

1. Ohtani is often referred to as the modern-day Babe Ruth. Well, this weekend he’ll be playing at the ballpark where it all started for the Great Bambino. Ohtani already has fond memories of Fenway. When he made his first pitching appearance there three years ago, he struck out 11 and had two hits in one of the greatest all-round displays the ballpark had ever seen.

2. Speaking of Boston’s home field, MLB’s oldest ballpark turns 113 this year -- and a lot has changed in a century-plus of baseball. In fact, this is a game that wouldn’t have been played in the first 19 years of its existence due to a rule that stipulated professional sports couldn’t be played on Sundays within 1,000 feet of a church.

3. If Ohtani is the Dodgers’ player to watch, then for the Red Sox you want to keep an eye out for Ceddanne Rafaela. The speedy center fielder is having a career year, and reportedly intends to play for the Netherlands at next year’s World Baseball Classic, for whom he is eligible through his Curaçaoan nationality.

4. The last time these two sides met - almost a year ago to the day - the Red Sox swept a three-game series in LA. This year, both sides are battling it out at the top end of their respective divisions, with the Dodgers looking to defend their World Series title from last season and the Red Sox aiming for a return to postseason baseball after a three-year absence.

5. Whilst the Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions, the Red Sox are MLB’s most successful team of the 21st century. After breaking the infamous Curse of the Bambino in 2004 to end an 86-year championship drought, the Sox have since gone on to win the World Series three more times.