The Boston Red Sox had everything lined up, but things don’t always go as planned.
The Red Sox were set to start two of their workhorses in the first two World Series games at Dodger Stadium, with Rick Porcello getting the ball in Friday’s Game 3 followed by a Game 4 start Saturday for Nathan Eovaldi, who’s been stellar in the 2018 Major League Baseball playoffs.
But thanks to arguably the wildest contest in the history of the Fall Classic, Eovaldi was forced to readjust on the fly, and he managed to do so and then some.
Eovaldi was tabbed with the loss in the Red Sox’s 18-inning loss to the Dodgers, but the right-hander showed the heart of a lion. Eovaldi was the last man out of Boston’s bullpen in Game 3, tossing six innings in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits. In fact, Eovaldi threw more pitches (97) than starter Rick Porcello (61), who only lasted 4 2/3 innings.
Had it not been for a costly Ian Kinsler error in the 13th inning, Eovaldi likely would have been your Game 3 winner. Regardless of the outcome, the fireballer earned all sorts of praise from his manager after the game.
“What Nate did tonight, that was amazing,” Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “We kept talking to him and he was like, ‘I’m good, I’m good, I’m good.’
“He’s putting everything together. The pitch mix, good breaking balls, good cutters, fastballs. You almost have to be perfect in that situation, and actually, he was perfect. We didn’t make one play and then they put a good swing on it. Effort-wise, I mean I don’t know, that was one of the best performances probably in the history of the World Series.”
Eovaldi has become an invaluable member of Boston’s pitching staff with his impressive versatility. And while he’ll likely need at least a day off following his latest outing, we have no doubt Eovaldi will be itching to get back out on the mound.
Here are some more notes from Red Sox-Dodgers Game 3:
— The two clubs battled through the longest game in postseason history, clocking in at a whopping seven hours and 20 minutes.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his postseason heroics with a game-tying home run in the eighth inning. The center fielder joined some impressive company in the process.
— Boston only managed to collect seven hits, with Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts combining to go 0-for-15 at the dish.
— Eovaldi’s extended outing forces the Red Sox to shuffle their plans for Game 4, but it appears Cora doesn’t lack volunteers.
— The Dodgers’ halted the Red Sox’s playoff win streak at six.
