Ex-Red Sox Nathan Eovaldi Named World Series Game 1 Starter

The Boston Red Sox have seen plenty of familiar faces throughout the 2023 Major League Baseball playoffs, and that'll remain the case as soon as the World Series kicks off Friday night.

Nathan Eovaldi, who successfully reached the mountaintop amid his five-year run with Boston, now pitching for the Texas Rangers, has the chance to go 2-0 in the Fall Classic. Needless to say, if Eovaldi's ongoing momentum in this years postseason are any indicator, those chances are favorable.

The Rangers named Eovaldi their starter for Game 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, coming off a thrilling seven-game battle with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. And although that'll mark Eovaldi's first-career Fall Classic start, the Rangers are confident in leaning on him.

"Nate's had plenty of rest, he's ready to go," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

While it will be a new test for Eovaldi, the 33-year-old is plenty qualified to take on the challenge.

Eovaldi punched Texas' ticket to the American League Championship Series by throwing seven innings and holding the Baltimore Orioles to one run in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. That ignited yet another postseason fuse in Eovaldi, starting a dominant run on the mound by the right-hander.

So far this go-around Eovaldi's gone 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts for Texas, showing no signs of slowing down.

The Rangers are just four wins shy of their first World Series title in franchise history, having last appeared 12 years ago in 2011.