It took 18 innings, but the Red Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in World Series Game 3. A heart breaker for the Red Sox. This puts the Sox up 2-1 in the series and still in the cat birds seat for a World Series Championship.
Eduardo Nunez’s Wild Ride
It’s Eduardo Nunez’s world and we’re all just living in it. It was the top of the 13th inning. The score was 1-1. On a bad ankle and knee he was beat up and pushed around in the batter’s box. He had Brock Holt, who had walked after an 0-2 count, standing at first. During the wild pitch that lead to Nunez’s adventure, Holt scampered to second.
The Red Sox Break Through
After a visit from the trainers and Alex Cora he settled in and waited for a pitch from lefty Scott Alexander. The pitch came in and he swung, a little nubber into no man’s land in front of the mound. The first baseman, Max Muncy, broke for the ball, but the pitcher got there first.
Even gimpy, Nunez got down the line and did what you are never supposed to do. He slid. Amazingly, wonderfully, Alexander’s throw went beyond the grasp of second baseman Kiki Hernandez, who was covering first. While all that was going on Brock Holt went from second to home to take the lead 2-1.
The Dodgers Come Back
By this time the lineup Alex Cora had was make shift at best. Christian Vazquez, catcher, was at first and Eduardo Nunez, pulling a Willis Reed, was at third. Nathan Eovaldi, the supposed Game 4 starter was pitching. Max Muncy walked on a questionable check swing call ball four.
The next batter, Cody Bellinger, skied a foul ball towards the stands on the third base side. Nunez sprinted over and caught the ball, barreling into the stands.
With 2 outs, however, Yasiel Puig hit his own ball into no man’s land. Ian Kinsler was in the game to run for JD Martinez earlier in this game. A bad decision by Cora, one of his very few. Kinsler barely got to it at second base and threw wildly to first. Vazquez didn’t have a chance.
Muncy scored to make the game 2-2.
Jackie Bradley Jr.
A brief timeout to raise up Jackie Bradley Jr. The whole reason the Red Sox were in that position in the first place was because of him. There were two outs in the top of the 8th and the Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen, was on the mound.
The score was 1-0 Dodgers after an outstanding outing from rookie Walker Buehler. No matter, JBJ knew what to do.
Many questioned his spot in the lineup. Not Boston Sports Extra. His solo Home Run set up the extra inning theatrics.
Nathan Eovaldi
With Nathan Eovaldi doing yeoman’s work the score remained 2-2 into the 18th inning. Yeoman’s work doesn’t cover it.
Eovaldi pitched the most pitches in relief in world series history. He pitched 6 plus innings of 1 run ball on short rest, along with the unearned run from the Kinsler error.
Max Muncy took him deep for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th.
This game pushed well into October 27th. If that date is familiar to you as a Red Sox fan, it should be. That was the date in 2004 The Curse was destroyed. So today isn’t all bad.
