Red Sox Suffer A Crushing Defeat In Game 3 Of The World Series After An 18-Inning Battle At Dodger Stadium

I just got back to my hotel. It’s 2:25 in the morning here in LA, which means that it’s 5:25 in the morning back on the east coast where I woke up Friday morning at 6am to get on a flight out here. That game absolutely drained me. I am physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. I feel like I just ran six marathons, biked 50 miles and swam another hundred on top of that. Eighteen innings. Seven hours and twenty minutes. The longest game in postseason history. The Red Sox were one out away from going up 3-0 in the World Series, and they lost.

I don’t even know where to start. Regardless of the fact that it was an eighteen-inning loss, I still feel like I have to start with the losing pitcher. Nathan Eovaldi became a goddamn legend in this game. I don’t care if he gave up the walk-off homer to Max Muncy. Eovaldi pitched his ass off for six innings, blanking the Dodgers until his 97th pitch went over the fence to bring this game to a merciful end. Keep in mind — this was after pitching a perfect inning in Game 1 and another perfect inning in Game 2. He followed that up by three-hitting the Dodgers over six innings in Game 3 when he was slated to be the Game 4 starter.

We’ll get to that predicament in a second. But first, once upon a time, the Dodgers led this game 1-0 in the eighth inning when LA had their closer, Kenley Jansen, on the mound, who was looking for a six-out save. That was until he ran into the ALCS MVP, Jackie Bradley Jr., who had other plans. Bradley hammered a 2-0 cutter to deep right field that sailed into the LA night and this game was tied. Thing was crushed. For as exciting of a moment as this was in real time, I’m sure most of us would’ve preferred the 1-0 loss in nine innings than what we were about to see.

I mean, fucking Ian Kinsler. Have a day. In the tenth inning, the second baseman entered the game as

*This is the part of the blog where I fell asleep mid-sentence with my laptop on my chest*

K, where were we? Ah, yes. Ian Kinsler. I thought I dreamt that performance. Nope! After a one out walk to JD Martinez in the 10th inning, who we all know is playing on a bad ankle, the 2018 Hank Aaron Award winner was lifted from the game in favor of a pinch runner, Kinsler. The second baseman was almost promptly picked off at first base, but was ruled safe after a replay review. Then, he was nearly thrown out at third base going first to third on a base hit by Brock Holt. And finally, he was cut down at the plate on a ridiculous throw by Cody Bellinger, attempting to score via sac fly. Can’t really blame Kinsler for that one. His speed is what it is, and that thing was a laser right on the money by Bellinger, so hats off to him.

Years from now, this game will be the focal point of baseball trivia. What was the longest postseason game ever played? Who hit the walk-off home run that ended the longest postseason ever played? Everyone will remember this game for Eovaldi’s pitching performance, so who actually started Game 3 of the World Series for the Red Sox? You know now that it was Rick Porcello, but I’ll bet that becomes a little fuzzy as the years go on. Yes, Porcello started this game for Boston and held the Dodgers to one run, a homer by Joc Pederson, over four and two thirds innings.

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But the play that will haunt me for the rest of my days is when the Red Sox took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 13th inning and had two outs with Nathan Eovaldi on the mound. The way that man has been throwing the ball this postseason, the Red Sox win probability had to be 99.99% in that situation. People were actually trying to blame this on Eduardo Nunez, who went full steam ahead to make a catch before tumbling into the stands. His being in the stands allowed the runner to tag up going first to second, which put him in scoring position with two outs.

Yasiel Puig hits a seed up the middle to Kinsler, who went to the backhand and made an off-balance, sidearm throw that wasn’t even close to recording the out at first base. Run scores. We’re fucking tied again. I mean, Kinsler has been in this league for 13 years. This is his third World Series. He saw firsthand how shitty defense (shout out Nelson Cruz) can impact a World Series game and an entire series. It’s not hindsight’s 20/20 in this situation. If you can’t plant your feet and make a strong throw when there’s a runner at second base, who’s running on contact with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, then you eat the fucking throw.

Kinsler apologized to Eovaldi after the game, but Eovaldi being the guy that he is did not feel like an apology was necessary. It was. Kinsler cost the Red Sox the game with that ill-advised decision. There isn’t a person on this earth who would dare put this loss on Eovaldi for giving up the walk-off homer after being nearly perfect for six innings of relief, while pitching in all three World Series games. While the biggest slice of the blame pie goes to Kinsler, the Red Sox offense is not getting off the hook here.

What a pitiful performance that was. Holy shit. I could understand if maybe the Dodgers were trotting out some lights out relievers at the backend of their bullpen, but there is absolutely no excuse for Mookie Betts going 0-for-7, Xander Bogaerts going 0-for-8, Mitch Moreland going 0-for-5, JD Martinez going 0-for-3 (well, I guess he has an excuse but you won’t hear him use it), Kinsler 0-for-3, Rafael Devers 0-for-3.

I know we’d all like to think that this was one of those all-time classics that had masterful pitching performances on both sides, but that just wouldn’t be true. I’ll give that nod to Walker Buehler, who went seven scoreless innings, holding the Red Sox to two hits, while striking out seven. He was outstanding. Of course, Eovaldi gets that recognition, too. After that, this was the story of two offenses that just couldn’t hit the fucking baseball.

Manny Machado and Mookie Betts kept matching each other for big spots that they’d come to the plate and fail to deliver in. Machado even pimped a single like an asshole. That was rich. For whatever narrative that existed before about Mookie in the playoffs, I’ve never bought into it. Still don’t. But Betts came up in SEVERAL big spots in this game with a chance to deliver the dagger and failed every single time. It was incredibly frustrating to watch. He’s the guy, especially when JD gets lifted for a pinch runner. In Game 3 of the World Series, the entire top of Boston’s lineup card went silent, but Mookie’s 0-for-7 was by far the most glaring.

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Alex Cora emptied his entire bench and used every available reliever that he had except for Drew Pomeranz. The first-year manager went all in, in hopes of putting a stranglehold on this series to go up 3-0. It didn’t work. I mean, it worked for a long time in the sense that the Red Sox were able to extend this game until the 18th inning, but they still lost and extending the game only became a detriment. Now, you’ve burned your Game 4 starter, who if you got that same performance in Game 4 that he turned in during Game 3, then you’ve got a pretty good chance of securing a 3-1 series lead going into Sunday.

Now, instead of the series being 2-1 with Eovaldi going in Game 4, the series is 2-1 with Eovaldi unavailable for the first time this series. At the time of me writing this, we don’t know who the Game 4 starter will be. Cora said that after the Game 3 loss, players were lined up outside his office to offer their services as the Game 4 starter. Among them, Chris Sale. Might the Red Sox go with Sale on short rest to avenge the crushing Game 3 loss? Some may think this is a panic move. I don’t believe there to be a such thing in the World Series. You’re doing literally everything that you can to win every game that you play in the month of October. This would be a good place to start.

If it’s not Sale, might the Red Sox consider going with a bullpen game? Maybe start Joe Kelly for three, one to Matt Barnes, one to Ryan Brasier, one to Heath Hembree, multiple innings for Eduardo Rodriguez, etc.? That’s not the best option, but it’s an option. Maybe Rodriguez just gets the start and you hope for three or four and then deploy your bullpen from there? Anything but Pomeranz getting the start. I don’t care how good he looked in live BP against hitters who were probably just trying to help build his confidence back up. He absolutely, positively cannot start a World Series game, especially one that if the Red Sox lose, the series will be tied after starting it off two-zip. Can’t happen.

The complexion of the entire series has changed in one night. The Red Sox were one out away from going up 3-0 in the World Series, and then it all came crashing down to where it is now, a 2-1 series lead and no Game 4 starter. Baseball truly is a game of inches, and man did those inches that Kinsler’s throw missed by really cost the Red Sox.

Final score: Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2 — 18 innings — Boston leads World Series 2-1