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LOS ANGELES –The end result is always what matters most, and when Friday’s Game 3 finally concluded after a World Series record 18 innings and 7 hours and 20 minutes, the Dodgers won 3-2 on a walkoff homer by Max Muncy.
But what was most remarkable about the game, beyond all the records that were broken, and even that it brought the Dodgers back into the Series at 2-1, was the pitching performance of Nathan Eovaldi, the Red Sox righthander acquired in July from the Rays, even in a losing effort.
Having already worked the eighth inning in each of the first two games, and having been set up to start Game 4 on Saturday, Eovaldi came out of the Sox bullpen for the 12th inning.
And he kept coming back out, inning after inning, to the amazement of even his teammates, until Muncy opened the 18th by launching Eovaldi’s 97th pitch just beyond the left-centerfield wall.
“That was the most incredible pitching performance I’ve ever seen,” veteran Sox starter Rick Porcello said. “I, actually, after the game was over, I started crying. He’s grunting every pitch. He literally gave everything he had on every single pitch. That was special. That was a lot of fun to watch. That was the epitome of reaching down deep.”
Eovaldi, not surprisingly, didn’t see his efforts as anything extraordinary, even as he was still throwing in the upper 90s.
“I don’t know, I just try to go out there,” he said. “I felt good the whole time. I told (manager Alex Cora) I’m good, I want to stay in.”
Eovaldi’s performance would be impressive for any pitcher. Even more so for one who has had two Tommy John surgeries, spending all of last season rehabbing with the Rays. Plus, he had another setback the final week of spring training, having bone chips removed from his elbow, which set his debut with the Rays back to late May.
He impressed from the start, and was traded in late July to the Sox, who thought he would be of some help, but obviously couldn’t have expected this much.
Because of his history, and his stubbornness, there is concern Eovaldi could be overused and subject himself to additional injury. The Sox staff kept close watch, asking him each inning how he felt.
Eovaldi gave the same answer.
“I’m good,” he replied. “I want this one. I want to come out here and finish it.”
It looked like he did, way back in the 13th.
The Red Sox had taken advantage of an errant toss by Dodgers reliever Scott Alexander to take a 2-1 lead, with Brock Holt drawing a leadoff walk and coming around to score thanks to an eventful sequence by Eduardo Nunez, who ended up on the ground in pain at home and at first.
But the Red Sox couldn’t close it out.
Muncy drew a leadoff walk from Eovaldi, and moved to second when Nunez — yes, him again — tumbled into the stands after catching a foul pop.
But the Red Sox quickly returned the favor. An errant off-balance throw by 2B Ian Kinsler past first allowed Max Muncy to score from second base and tie it 2-2. Yasiel Puig set the play in motion with a hard grounder up the middle. Muncy, who also reached on a leadoff walk, moved up when Nunez, of course. went into the stands catching a foul pop for the second out.
Second baseman Ian Kinsler gloved a hard hit grounder by Yasiel Puig but slipped when turning to throw and the ball sailed wide of first, allowing Muncy to score.
“I had the last out in my glove,” Kinsler said. “I had an opportunity to end the game right there and it didn’t happen. There’s nothing to say. It’s tough to swallow. .. I feel terrible. I feel terrible for Nate. I feel like I let the team down right there.”
Eovaldi, as ridiculous as this sounds, felt bad that he feel behind Muncy 3-0 before eventually giving up the homer on a full-count cutter.
“I understand the circumstances of the game and everything,” he said. “The emotions, the adrenaline, everything was kicking in toward the end there. I feel behind 3-0 and I wasn’t able to execute that last pitch.
“You go that far you know you want to come out on top and for us to come up short right there it’s frustrating to me.”
The Dodgers won it despite Eovaldi’s outing and in spite of themselves.
Long before the game ended after 3:30 a.m. Tampa Bay time, the Dodgers had wasted a dazzling outing by rookie starter Walker Buehler. Lost the lead in the eighth inning. Gave away an out on the bases. Blew a chance to win it in the ninth.
And didn’t take advantage of the huge throw home by CF Cody Bellinger that allowed them to escape the top of the 10th with the score tied.
At 7 hours and 20 minutes it was the longest World Series game by time, surpassing the 5:41 of 2005 Game 3 between the White Sox and Astros, and the longest in innings, four more than the previous high done three times. One of those was in the 1916 Series between the Red Sox and Brooklyn Robins, who later became the Dodgers. Babe Ruth pitched a complete game in that one.
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